2007 Miami Dolphins

The 2007 Miami Dolphins season will be the 38th season for the team in the National Football League and 42nd season overall. Following a disappointing 6-10 season under former head coach Nick Saban in a year that began with high hopes, Saban resigned from the Dolphins to become the head coach at the University of Alabama, after repeatedly saying he would stay with the Dolphins. The Dolphins enter 2007 in the process of rebuilding under new head coach Cam Cameron, the former offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers. The coaching staff has already undergone significant changes, with nearly a dozen coaches newly hired or re-assigned. Cameron has also made various changes to the team's roster, with a more than a dozen players being added or re-signed and just as many being released, traded or allowed to sign elsewhere.

Resignation of Nick Saban
During the 2006 season, rumors persisted of then-Dolphins head coach Nick Saban leaving for the University of Alabama at season's end. Saban denied these rumors throughout the season, to the point where on December 21 he told the South Florida media "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach." Whether or not he meant it at the time is unknown, but Saban's stance softened after the season, and on January 3, 2007 Saban resigned from the Dolphins to become the new head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Historic game in London
On February 2, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the Miami Dolphins would host the New York Giants at London's Wembley Stadium in the first regular season game ever played outside North America. The game will take place Sunday, October 28 – in Week 8 of the 2007 season – and will kick off at 1:00 PM ET (6:00 PM in London). It will be broadcasted on FOX.

In the 72 hours following the announcement, over half a million ticket requests were received. On May 17, 40,000 tickets were made available to people randomly selected from the initial requests. The tickets sold in 90 minutes.

Failed trade of Dan Wilkinson
On March 2, the Denver Broncos acquired defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson from the Dolphins in exchange for a sixth-round draft choice in the 2007 NFL Draft. A condition of the trade was that Wilkinson report to the Broncos for a physical by Friday, March 16. He did not report for the physical, and although neither team was able to reach Wilkinson by phone the deadline for him to report was extended in hopes of eventually closing the deal.

On March 29, the deal between the Broncos and Dolphins was finally voided. The sixth-round pick reverted back to the Broncos, and Wilkinson's rights were once again held by the Dolphins. After failing to attend offseason workouts with the Dolphins in the months that followed, the Dolphins finally terminated Wilkinson's contract on June 18.

Joey Porter-Levi Jones altercation
After five seasons as AFC North rivals, former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter and Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Levi Jones were involved in an altercation in a Las Vegas casino on March 18. The incident took place less than two weeks after Porter signed a five-year, $32 million contract with the Dolphins.

Arrest and release of Fred Evans
In the early morning of 2007-06-23, 23-year-old Dolphins defensive tackle Frederick Evans was arrested in Miami Beach. According to the police report, Evans was in a dispute with a taxi driver, and refused to leave the cab at the request of the officers called to the scene. Evans reportedly engaged in a physical struggle with the officers when they tried to handcuff him, with one officer being bitten on his left wrist. The officers then used tasers to subdue Evans. He was charged with battery on a police officer, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and trespassing. Complicating matters could be the fact that Evans is already on probation in Colorado County, Texas for possession of marijuana.

In a team-released statement, Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron said: "We are aware that Fred Evans was arrested this morning. We will not condone this type of behavior. I assure everyone it will be dealt with seriously". Cameron made good on his word a few days later, as Evans was waived by the team on June 28.

Arrest and release of Kelly Campbell
Re-signed by the Dolphins in March after spending 2006 training camp with the team, wide receiver Kelly Campbell had his contract terminated on July 6. It was not until July 24, however, that it was revealed that Campbell's release stemmed from an arrest on drug charges in Atlanta, Georgia on July 3. Campbell was charged with felony possession of marijuana and Ecstasy and a misdemeanor charge of providing false information to police officers. It was Campbell's second arrest in Fulton County. In 2005, Campbell was arrested and charged with marijuana possession and theft by receiving stolen property involving a handgun. He reached a plea deal to avoid a trial.

Arrest of Chris Chambers
On the morning of Saturday, July 14, Pro Bowl wide receiver Chris Chambers was arrested in Charlotte, North Carolina and charged with driving while impaired and speeding. He was arrested around 2:30 a.m. and later released on $1,750 bond. According to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Capt. Lisa Goelz, Chambers faced charges of driving while impaired, speeding and reckless driving. On August 15, it was reported that a lawyer for Chambers said he would plead not guilty to driving while impaired. Chambers was charged despite his blood-alcohol content being below the legal limit, although North Carolina law says he can still be convicted.

Coaching staff
After the departure of Nick Saban, Dolphins owner H. Wayne Huizenga went on a nationwide search for his next head coach. More than a dozen candidates were interviewed, and on January 19 Cam Cameron agreed to become the seventh head coach in franchise history. Cameron had previously served as offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers from 2002 to 2006. He received a four-year contract worth $10 million.

Upon Cameron's arrival, multiple changes were made to the coaching staff. Running backs coach Bobby Williams, wide receivers coach Charlie Baggett, defensive line coach Dan Quinn and strength and conditioning coach Bert Hill were fired. The team extended the contracts of special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong and outside linebackers coach Travis Jones (later reassigned as defensive ends coach). The Dolphins also signed a three-year, $8.1 million contract with defensive coordinator Dom Capers to retain his services. Outside additions to the staff were:
 * Mike Dumas (Defensive Secondary Coaches Assistant)
 * Steve Hoffman (Assistant Special Teams)
 * Bobby Jackson (Running Backs)
 * Marvin Marshall (Offensive Quality Control)
 * Brett Maxie (Secondary - Safeties)
 * Brad Ohrt (Assistant Strength and Conditioning)
 * Diron Reynolds (Defensive Line - Tackles)
 * Terry Robiskie (Wide Receivers)
 * Matthew Schiotz (Strength and Conditioning)
 * Terry Shea (Quarterbacks)
 * Chad Walker (Defensive Quality Control)

Finally, previous offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey was retained, but was reassigned to the role of tight ends coach. Cameron has stated he will call the offensive plays himself in 2007.

Front office
On June 26, general manager Randy Mueller signed a contract extension that is expected to keep him with the team through at least 2010. Mueller will also receive a salary adjustment, however financial details were unavailable. After Nick Saban left following the 2006 season, Mueller's role was altered to give him control of personnel.

Departures

 * February 14 - Waived wide receiver Chris Davis.
 * February 14 - Waived safety Jack Hunt.
 * February 14 - Waived safety Norman LeJeune.
 * March 1 - Terminated the contract of offensive guard Bennie Anderson.
 * March 1 - Terminated the contract of offensive guard Seth McKinney.
 * March 1 - Waived wide receiver Eric Kimble.
 * March 2 - Terminated the contract of defensive end Kevin Carter.
 * March 2 - Terminated the contract of offensive guard Jeno James.
 * March 3 - Offensive tackle Damion McIntosh signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.
 * March 3 - Running back Sammy Morris signed with the New England Patriots.
 * March 5 - Defensive end Kevin Carter signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
 * March 5 - Terminated the contract of quarterback Joey Harrington.
 * March 5 - Terminated the contract of tight end Randy McMichael.
 * March 7 - Running back Travis Minor signed with the St. Louis Rams.
 * March 8 - Fullback Darian Barnes signed with the New York Jets.
 * March 8 - Tight end Randy McMichael signed with the St. Louis Rams.
 * March 13 - Defensive tackle Jeff Zgonina signed with the Houston Texans.
 * March 14 - Offensive guard Toniu Fonoti signed with the Atlanta Falcons.
 * March 14 - Offensive guard Seth McKinney signed with the Cleveland Browns.
 * March 19 - Cornerback Eddie Jackson signed with the New England Patriots.
 * March 27 - Defensive end David Bowens signed with the New York Jets.
 * April 9 - Quarterback Joey Harrington signed with the Atlanta Falcons.
 * April 18 - Opted not to match the St. Louis Rams' offer sheet to punter Donnie Jones.
 * May 1 - Waived linebacker Bobby Iwuchukwu.
 * May 1 - Waived wide receiver Marcus Vick.
 * May 1 - Waived defensive tackle Manuel Wright.
 * June 18 - Released defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson.
 * June 28 - Waived defensive tackle Frederick Evans.
 * July 6 - Released wide receiver Kelly Campbell.
 * July 17 - Released quarterback Daunte Culpepper.

Re-signings

 * February 21 - Re-signed UFA defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday to a four-year, $20 million contract.
 * March 8 - Re-signed UFA defensive tackle Keith Traylor to a two-year contract.
 * March 9 - Re-signed UFA defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson to a one-year contract. (He was originally slated to become an exclusive-rights free agent, but was not tendered and became an unrestricted free agent before being re-signed.)
 * March 19 - Re-signed ERFA fullback Kyle Eckel to a one-year contract.
 * March 19 - Re-signed UFA cornerback Michael Lehan to a one-year contract.
 * March 22 - Re-signed ERFA long snapper John Denney to a one-year contract.
 * April 13 - Re-signed UFA safety Travares Tillman to a one-year contract.
 * April 25 - Re-signed UFA linebacker Donnie Spragan to a one-year contract.
 * May 18 - Re-signed RFA safety Yeremiah Bell to a one-year, $1.3 million contract.
 * May 29 - Re-signed RFA quarterback Cleo Lemon to a one-year, $1.3 million contract.

Signings

 * January 2 - Signed placekicker Matt Prater.
 * January 2 - Signed tight end Jason Rader.
 * January 2 - Signed wide receiver P.K. Sam.
 * January 18 - Signed defensive tackle Steve Fifita.
 * January 25 - Signed linebacker Akbar Gbaja-Biamila.
 * January 25 - Signed linebacker Bobby Iwuchukwu.
 * February 6 - Signed quarterback Gibran Hamdan.
 * February 14 - Signed tight end Aaron Halterman.
 * February 19 - Signed punter Ryan Flinn.
 * February 22 - Signed running back Jesse Chatman.
 * March 5 - Signed tight end David Martin (Packers) to a three-year, $3.57 million contract with a $1.2 million signing bonus.
 * March 7 - Signed linebacker Joey Porter (Steelers) to a five-year, $32 million contract with a $12 million signing bonus.
 * March 8 - Signed wide receiver Kelly Campbell.
 * March 8 - Signed placekicker Jay Feely (Giants) to a three-year, $6 million contract.
 * March 8 - Signed safety Cameron Worrell (Bears) to a two-year, $2 million contract with a $285,000 signing bonus.
 * March 15 - Signed fullback Cory Schlesinger (Lions) to a two-year, $2 million contract.
 * March 22 - Signed wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim (Chargers) to a one-year contract.
 * March 22 - Signed offensive guard Chris Liwienski (Cardinals) to a one-year contract.
 * April 13 - Signed offensive tackle Mike Rosenthal (Vikings) to a one-year, $760,000 contract.
 * April 16 - Signed center Johnathan Ingram.
 * April 16 - Signed running back Ray Perkins.
 * May 15 - Awarded cornerback Derrick Johnson off waivers from the Atlanta Falcons.
 * June 27 - Signed safety Chris Harrell.
 * June 28 - Assigned wide receiver Marvin Allen as their NFL Europa International Practice Squad player.

Trades

 * March 5 - Traded wide receiver Wes Welker to the New England Patriots in exchange for second- and seventh-round picks in the 2007 NFL Draft.
 * April 3 - Traded placekicker Olindo Mare to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.
 * June 6 - Traded a conditional fifth-round draft pick in the 2008 NFL Draft to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for quarterback Trent Green.

2007 free agents
RFA: Restricted free-agent, UFA: Unrestricted free-agent, ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent

NFL Europa
The following Dolphins players were allocated to and participated in NFL Europa in the spring:
 * DT Steve Fifita, Frankfurt Galaxy
 * CB Shirdonya Mitchell, Frankfurt Galaxy
 * WR P.K. Sam, Rhein Fire
 * DT Kevin Vickerson, Cologne Centurions

For their performances, Mitchell and Vickerson were selected to the 2007 All-NFL Europa team after the season. Meanwhile, Sam led Rhein in receiving with 32 receptions, 529 yards and three touchdowns.

Upon the conclusion of the 2007 NFL Europa season, the Dolphins were assigned 24-year-old wide receiver Marvin Allen as their international practice squad player. Allen will join the team for training camp, and will not count toward the team's roster or eight-player practice squad. He also may not be signed by any NFL team during the 2007 season.

2007 NFL Draft
The follow players were drafted by the Dolphins in the 2007 NFL Draft, which took place on April 28-29:


 * The Dolphins' last second-round pick (60th overall) was acquired from the New England Patriots in the Wes Welker trade. The team's final pick in the draft (238th overall) was also acquired in the deal.
 * The team's fifth-round pick became property of the Detroit Lions due to the Joey Harrington trade from the previous offseason.
 * The team's second sixth-round pick (199th overall) was acquired from the New Orleans Saints for kicker Olindo Mare.
 * The team's middle seventh-round pick (225th overall) was acquired from the St. Louis Rams when they signed restricted free agent punter Donnie Jones.

Draft pick signings
The Dolphins got a handful of their draft picks signed within a month of the draft, inking four-year deals with running back Lorenzo Booker, punter Brandon Fields, fullback Reagan Mauia, linebacker Kelvin Smith and linebacker Abraham Wright between May 23-25. The Dolphins signed one draft pick in June - defensive tackle Paul Soliai, who also received a four-year deal. Offensive lineman Samson Satele signed a for four years on July 18, while quarterback John Beck and center Dew Mormino signed four-year contracts on July 23. At that time, first-round pick Ted Ginn, Jr. was the only unsigned draft pick. However, on the same day that second-round pick Beck was signed, it was reported that the Dolphins and Ginn were close to contract agreement.

Undrafted free agents
Between May 4-17, the Dolphins signed 16 undrafted free agents following the draft. They were:
 * DE Mkristo Bruce (Washington State)
 * S Courtney Bryan (New Mexico State)
 * T Marion Dukes (Clemson)
 * G Tala Esera (Hawaii)
 * CB Tuff Harris (Montana)
 * WR Gabe Hatchett (Southern Oregon)
 * S David Lofton (Stanford)
 * DT Marquay Love (Houston)
 * WR Michael Malone (Fresno State)
 * LB Edmond Miles (Iowa)
 * G Stephen Parker (Arkansas)
 * CB Geoff Pope (Howard)
 * WR Kerry Reed (Michigan State)
 * WR David Sutton (Texas El-Paso)
 * S Christopher Vedder (San Jose State)
 * T Julius Wilson (Alabama-Birmingham)

Unlike the other 15, Hatchett stuck with the team less than two weeks. On May 18, Hatchett was waived upon the signings of Lofton and Malone, as well as the re-signing of restricted free agent Yeremiah Bell. On July 23, the Dolphins signed defensive tackle Brian Soi of Utah State. Soi declared for the NFL's Supplemental Draft in July but went undrafted.

Uniforms

 * The Miami Dolphins will enter the 2007 season using the same uniform combinations as they used in 2006.
 * It was announced during the offseason that the Dolphins would make slight alterations to their uniforms. The navy blue outline on the numbers will be thinned in hopes of making them easier to read for viewers.
 * As with many teams that play in warm climates, the Dolphins wear all-white at home and the aqua jersey-white pants scheme only at home night games.
 * While the team still has an all-aqua alternate scheme and an alternate orange jersey, they wore neither in the two years under head coach Nick Saban.
 * Beginning in 2007, the Dolphins' practice jerseys now have last names on the back.

Training camp
In 2007, Miami Dolphins training camp took place at the Dolphins Training Center in Davie, Florida. Rookies reported July 22, and veterans July 27. Training camp ended for veterans and married players on August 24, when they were allowed to check out of the team hotel and return home. Training camp ended for the remaining players on Saturday, August 26.

Opening training camp roster
The following is the Miami Dolphins' roster at the time 2007 training camp opened on July 27:

Transactions
On the eve of training camp on July 23, cornerback André Goodman and offensive lineman Joe Toledo were placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list due to lingering injuries. Undrafted rookie defensive tackle Brian Soi was immediately placed on the Non-Football Injury list upon being signed. The following transactions were made during training camp, which began on July 27:


 * July 28: Activated defensive tackle Brian Soi from the Non-Football Injury list.
 * July 28: Awarded tight end Courtney Anderson off waivers from the Oakland Raiders.
 * July 28: Waived safety David Lofton.
 * July 28: Placed offensive tackle Marion Dukes on the Left Squad list.
 * August 26: Placed offensive tackle Mike Rosenthal on Injured Reserve.

Aug. 6 depth chart
The following is the first depth chart released by the Dolphins during training camp, dated August 6.

Offense Defense Special Teams

Quarterback competition
During training camp, Cameron held a battle for the starting quarterback job between Trent Green and Cleo Lemon. Green started the team's first two preseason games and completed 45 percent of his passes for 101 yards with one interception. Lemon was the second quarterback to play in each contest and completed 76 percent of his passes for 108 yards. Nevertheless, Cameron announced that Green would be the team's starting quarterback in 2007. The announcement came on August 20 with two preseason games left to be played. Lemon, who had primarily been no higher than third string in his NFL career, is slated to be the backup to Green in 2007.

Week 1: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
at Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

Week 2: at Kansas City Chiefs
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Week 3: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
at Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

Roster cutdown to 75
With NFL rules mandating team rosters must be cut down to 75 players by August 28, the Dolphins released nine players the day before to reach the limit. Those released were: placekicker Matt Prater, punter Ryan Flinn, wide receiver David Sutton, tight end Jason Rader, cornerback Shirdonya Mitchell, safeties Chris Harrell and Christopher Vedder, running back Ray Perkins and defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson.

The team made two extra roster moves on the cutdown day. Offensive guard/tackle Joe Toledo was moved to the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list, meaning he would be eligible to return Week 7 of the regular season. Free agent linebacker/defensive end Jorge Cordova was added to the roster. Cordova had been released by the Jacksonville Jaguars, with which he had spent the previous three seasons.

Roster cutdown to 53
On September 1, the Dolphins were required to trim the roster to 53 for the regular season. With 22 roster moves needed in all, the Dolphins waived 16 players, waived/injured four and terminated the contracts of two.

The two veterans that had their contracts terminated were fullback Cory Schlesinger and wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim. The four waived/injured players were guard Dan Stevenson, wide receiver P. K. Sam and linebackers Jim Maxwell and Robert McCune. In addition, the 16 players that were waived outright were: