Roster

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports Dolphins WR Ernest Wilford is really working on his blocking with the rest of the TEs as he tries to make the switch of positions. But the report says "he's still a long shot for the 53-man roster."

Dolphins rookie DL Phillip Merling made his first NFL interception in Week 17 and then returned the Brett Favre pass for a touchdown in a 24-17 victory.

The Dolphins signed rookie TE John Nalbone to a four-year deal worth approximately $1.75 million Thursday. He is the first of the Dolphins' 2009 draft picks to sign. The fifth-round pick out of Monmouth (N.J.) also received a signing bonus of $173,000. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Nalbone should receive plenty of snaps during the next three weeks with backup TE David Martin recovering from sports hernia surgery. Nalbone, the first player ever drafted from Monmouth, is likely competing for the third TE spot on the 53-man roster with Joey Haynos and undrafted rookie Jared Bronson. Veteran receiver Ernest Wilford, who is working as a tight end/H-back this summer, is also in the mix for one of those roster spots. Anthony Fasano is a clear-cut starter with Martin behind him.

Dolphins DL Matt Roth made it back-to-back games with a sack when he brought down Tyler Thigpen in a Week 16 win at Kansas City. He now has five sacks on the year.

The Dolphins signed rookie TE John Nalbone to a four-year deal worth approximately $1.75 million Thursday. He is the first of the Dolphins' 2009 draft picks to sign. The fifth-round pick out of Monmouth (N.J.) also received a signing bonus of $173,000. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Nalbone should receive plenty of snaps during the next three weeks with backup TE David Martin recovering from sports hernia surgery. Nalbone, the first player ever drafted from Monmouth, is likely competing for the third TE spot on the 53-man roster with Joey Haynos and undrafted rookie Jared Bronson. All of them are behind starter Anthony Fasano.

The Dolphins Tuesday signed DB Tyrone Culver and waived CB Joey Thomas. They also released wide receiver Jayson Foster off its practice squad and signed DT Anthony Toribio to the practice squad.

The Miami Herald reports the Dolphins have signed DB Yeremiah Bell to a four-year deal worth $20 million with $10 million guaranteed. Bell, Miami's leading tackler in 2009, is the second major signing in the deep secondary for the Dolphins on Thursday. Earlier the team signed Gibril Wilson to a deal worth up to $27.5 million. The Dolphins have told Bell he will continue to play strong safety while Wilson, who played free safety during his years with the Giants, will take over at free safety. That, of course, means Renaldo Hill is going to be looking for work come the start of free agency. Hill was the starting free safety in 14 games last season.

Dolphins QB Chad Pennington might actually have a No. 1 WR after all this year. The Miami Herald reports Dolphins coach Tony Sparano is impressed with WR Ted Ginn Jr. "Ted Ginn right now, if you said to me tell the me the player that in the seven or eight practices we've had has impressed you the most, Ted Ginn is in the top two right now," Sparano said. "The way he's handling himself out there and the way the offense has started to slow down for him that way. I've seen in some situations him be pretty dominant."

Miami WR Anthony Armstrong and LB Rob Ninkovich were signed and added to the eight-man practice squad Wednesday, filling the last two vacancies, reports the team's official website.

The Dolphins have announced the inactives for their Week 14 game vs. Buffalo at Toronto. Not in uniform will be: QB John Beck (third QB), WR Chris Hannon (coach's decision), DB Joey Thomas (coach's decision), DE Lionel Dotson (coach's decision), TE Joey Haynos (coach's decision) and DE Rodrique Wright (coach's decision).

The Miami Dolphins have announced the inactives for their Week 17 game at the Jets. Not in uniform will be: QB John Beck, WR Ernest Wilford, LB William Kershaw, DE Lionel Dotson, LB Quentin Moses and DE Rodrique Wright.

The New York Post reports the Yankees took a flier in the MLB amateur draft on Dolphins QB Pat White. The Yankees drafted White in the 48th round Thursday. White, who was drafted out of West Virginia, has been drafted to play baseball four times: in the fourth round out of high school by the Los Angeles Angels, when he chose to play football at West Virginia instead; again by the Angels, in the 24th round in 2007; and in the seventh round by the Cincinnati Reds last year. It seems unlikely the Yankees would be able to convince White to sign with them without a large bonus. White was selected in the second round by the Miami Dolphins in April's NFL Draft.

Dolphins K Dan Carpenter had a critical fourth quarter extra point blocked in the Dolphins' 27-9 Wild Card loss on Sunday to the Ravens. He made the only field goal he attempted which was from 19 yards out.

Dolphins NT Jason Ferguson was not listed among the inactives for Miami's Week 8 game vs. Buffalo. He was listed as questionable with an oblique injury.

The South Florida SunSentinel reports that the Dolphins have brought back CB Will Billingsley to their practice squad.

The 49ers waived second-year DT Joe Cohen, first-year TE Cooper Wallace, rookie S Lewis Baker, rookie QB Kyle Wright and rookie G John Booker on Saturday.

The Miami Herald reports that Dolphins TE David Martin missed Tuesday's OTA practice with a hernia. The paper reports coach Tony Sparano said Martin had a sports hernia "taken care of."

Hernia - Questionable for start of training camp

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports Dolphins WR Greg Camarillo, who is coming back from reconstructive knee surgery, was sprinkled in a little bit more during team drills at Thursday's OTA session. But he's still being held out of some drills.

Knee - Questionable for start of 2009 training camp

Dolphins DB Renaldo Hill (11 tackles), LB Channing Crowder (10 tackles), LB Akin Ayodele (nine tackles) and DB Yeremiah Bell (seven tackles) led the way defensively for Miami in a Week 15 win over the 49ers.

The Dolphins have announced the inactives for their Week 13 game at St. Louis. Not in uniform will be: QB John Beck (third QB), DB Jason Allen (coach's decision), TE Joey Haynos (coach's decision), DE Rodrique Wright (coach's decision) and DT Paul Soliai (coach's decision).

The Miami Dolphins have announced the inactives for their Week 17 game at the Jets. Not in uniform will be: QB John Beck, WR Ernest Wilford, LB William Kershaw, DE Lionel Dotson, LB Quentin Moses and DE Rodrique Wright.

Receiver Tab Perry and safety Ethan Kilmer were placed on injured reserve Tuesday, ending their seasons for the Bengals. The Bengals also signed free agent receiver Courtney Roby to a two-year deal and activated cornerback Johnathan Joseph, who was suspended by the NFL for last Sunday's game in Kansas City. Perry severely injured his hip last season, but felt good in training camp and hoped to take the No. 3 receiver role. Perry played in the first two games, had one catch and returned seven kickoffs before the pain returned in his hip. Kilmer hasn't played all season because of a knee injury. Roby was a third-round draft pick by Tennessee in 1005. He played in 25 games, starting six, during his career with the Titans, which ended when he was waived on Sept. 1.

The Miami Dolphins have announced the inactives for their Week 17 game at the Jets. Not in uniform will be: QB John Beck, WR Ernest Wilford, LB William Kershaw, DE Lionel Dotson, LB Quentin Moses and DE Rodrique Wright.

The Miami Dolphins have signed free agent cornerback Eric Green to a multiyear deal. The 5-foot-11, 196-pound Green comes to the Dolphins from the Arizona Cardinals, where he has spent his entire, four-season NFL career. He is a likely replacement in Miami's starting lineup for Andre Goodman, who signed a five-year deal with Denver on March 1. Green, 26, started in nine games last season for the Cardinals, appearing in a total of 13 games. He had 39 tackles and an interception in 2008.

The Dolphins and free agent Gibril Wilson have agreed to terms on a contract, the team announced Thursday. Wilson, cut by the Raiders earlier this offseason, would likely start at free safety as the club also kept SS Yeremiah Bell with a four-year deal. Wilson totaled 96 tackles for Oakland last season with two interceptions, a safety, 0.5 sack, a forced fumble and four passes defensed.

The Miami Dolphins have announced the inactives for their Week 17 game at the Jets. Not in uniform will be: QB John Beck, WR Ernest Wilford, LB William Kershaw, DE Lionel Dotson, LB Quentin Moses and DE Rodrique Wright.

Miami signed the following players to their practice squad on Sunday, reports the team's official website: CB Will Billingsley, WR Jayson Foster, RB Lex Hilliard and TE Matthew Mulligan. All were with the Dolphins in training camp this year before being waived on Saturday.

The Miami Herald reports Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland believes third-year WR Ted Ginn Jr. could be in line for a breakout season this year. Said Ireland about Ginn Jr., he's "a different player."

Dolphins WR Brandon London, WR Ernest Wilford, TE Joey Haynos and QB Chad Henne all dressed for Miami's Week 16 win at Kansas City, but failed to record an offensive statistic.

The Palm Beach Post reports Dolphins RB Ricky Williams said he would like to play two more years and then retire. That would be this season and in 2010. "I want to be one of the guys who can walk away from the game on my own terms," said Williams, who will turn 32 on Thursday.

The Sports Xchange reports that Dolphins DE Kendall Langford has two sacks in his first two NFL games, the first Dolphins rookie to have done that since the sack became an official stat in 1982.

Dolphins LB Charlie Anderson got a sack for a second straight game in a Week 15 victory over the 49ers.

Dolphins DB Nate Jones, who popped onto the Fantasy scene with two sacks in Week 15, had another nice game in Week 16 at Kansas City with a sack and an interception.

The Miami Herald reports Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown looked great in practice Thursday and is looking in great shape overall. Coach Tony Sparano said Brown looks "outstanding." He added the following: "There's no sign of any of those hesitations, any of the things we went through a year ago. In the weight room the guy's super right now. He weighs 230 pounds, is running better, is stronger -- I would expect that …Ronnie takes the next step in having a really super year."

Kansas City will once again be without RB Larry Johnson when they take on the Jets in Week 8 in New York. Johnson has been accused of several off-field incidents recently which include spitting in a woman's face and was suspended for this week against New York. The rest of the players inactive in Week 8 are: DL Erik Walden, WR Jeff Webb, QB Quinn Gray and DL T.J. Jackson.

At the NFL Rookie Symposium in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez told CBSSports.com in an exclusive interview that Dolphins WR Patrick Turner should be able to make some plays this year. Sanchez was Turner's QB in college at Southern California. "Patrick's best days are yet to come," Sanchez said. "He's going to be a special player. He's only going to get better. You haven't seen him peak yet." Sanchez said Turner's big frame at 6-foot-5 will help Dolphins QB Chad Pennington. "Just a big target," Sanchez said. "As he gains more and more confidence he's going to be great."

The Miami Herald reports Dolphins LB Jason Taylor, on a one-year contract, said he does not want this season to be his last. "I'll be around until they kick me out," Taylor said.

Miami Dolphins defensive end Randy Starks has been charged with using his truck to hit a police officer who tried to stop the vehicle on foot. Miami Beach Police say the officer tried to stop the 25-year-old player when he was driving a truck packed with 13 people early Sunday in heavy traffic. They say the vehicle was meant for four people. Police say Starks kept slowly moving forward even as the officer was beside the truck. They say Starks swerved the vehicle slightly, hitting the officer in the chest and pinning him against another vehicle. The officer wasn't injured, but Starks was charged with aggravated battery. Starks remained in a Miami jail Sunday afternoon. A message left at his agent's office was not immediately returned.

The Miami Herald reports Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland said second-year WR Davone Bess could be in line for a breakout season. Said Ireland, Bess is "no doubt ready to take it to another level."

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports Dolphins rookie WR Brian Hartline, the team's fourth-round pick out of Ohio State, made his OTA debut Thursday and seemed to catch on rather quickly. "It's hard to play fast when you're still learning," said Hartline. "First thing I do is learn the playbook." Dolphins coach Tony Sparano was impressed with Hartline's first taste of an NFL practice. "This was a hard one to jump right in the middle of what we were trying to accomplish, but he did a nice job," Sparano said. "That's a strength of his, he's a pretty smart guy and can catch on fairly easy."

The Miami Herald reports that the Dolphins are committed to Chad Pennington to be their starter in 2009, but the club has a plan in place to make Chad Henne their starting quarterback for the 2010 season, according to a team source. "We need to get Chad Henne ready to play," the source said. "We don't think Pennington has to play 12 quarters in the preseason to get ready for the regular season. But we do need to give Henne a chance to get ready because his time is coming."

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports Dolphins CB Vontae Davis had a problem with identity theft, which resulted in his problem with police in Illinois. Davis said someone was using an old driver's license, which is why he was thought to be in trouble.

The Jaguars have traded DT Tony McDaniel to the Dolphins for a seventh-round pick in the 2009 draft.

Toe - Probable for the start of 2009 training camp

Dolphins RB Lousaka Polite had a career-high 29 rushing yards on five carries in a Week 16 win at Kansas City.

Dolphins LB Joey Porter didn't make a sack in a Week 16 win at Kansas City. In fact, he was held without a single tackle.

The Dolphins signed DB Courtney Bryan to work on special teams before Week 11's game against the Raiders.

New Orleans will be without several players for Week 16 at Detroit. The following Saints have been listed as inactive for the game Sunday: QB Joey Harrington (3rd QB), LB Tearrius George, DL Kendrick Clancy, DL Rob Ninkovich, DB Michael Lehan and WR David Patten.

The Dolphins on Tuesday extended the contract of CB Will Allen, one of the team's starting cornerbacks the past three seasons. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports Drew Rosenhaus, Allen's agent, said Allen and the Dolphins have agreed to a two-year extension worth $16.2 million over the next three seasons. The contract includes $10 million in guaranteed money.

Dolphins DL Vonnie Holliday (fumble recovery), DL Randy Stark (half a sack) and DL Reggie Torbor (half a sack) all made nice contributions in a Week 14 win over Buffalo in Toronto.

On Tuesday, the Jaguars activated tight end George Wrighster and defensive lineman Jeremy Mincey off the Physically Unable to Perform list and waived cornerback Omare Lowe. They also waived tight end Chris Brown from the practice squad.

The Dolphins have announced the inactives for their Week 13 game at St. Louis. Not in uniform will be: QB John Beck (third QB), DB Jason Allen (coach's decision), TE Joey Haynos (coach's decision), DE Rodrique Wright (coach's decision) and DT Paul Soliai (coach's decision).

Dolphins WR Brandon London, WR Ernest Wilford, TE Joey Haynos and QB Chad Henne all dressed for Miami's Week 16 win at Kansas City, but failed to record an offensive statistic.