In a span of 24 hours, the Miami Dolphins have unloaded two former first-round picks who have underachieved during their short NFL careers.
On Friday, the Dolphins traded former first-round pick Charles Harris to the Atlanta Falcons for a seventh-round pick — just one day after releasing defensive lineman Taco Charlton.
Harris, a former Missouri standout taken by the Dolphins at No. 22 in the 2017 draft, started just eight games in his three-year career in Miami. He started five games last season, but his struggles stopping the run in Miami’s new scheme led to him being inactive for the final two games.
Harris finished his Dolphins career with only 61 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks, and has been the most disappointing selection during general manager Chris Grier’s five-year tenure running the team’s drafts.
Harris became expendable because of the free-agent signings of Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah, and the additions of pass rushers Jason Strowbridge (North Carolina) and Curtis Weaver (Boise State) in the fifth round of last week’s draft.
The Dolphins generated a league-worst 23 sacks last season — the fewest in the NFL by far.
Lawson (16 1/2 sacks in four seasons) and Ogbah (18 sacks in four seasons) should be viewed as immediate upgrades over last year’s starters at defensive end — Avery Moss and Charlton.
The Dolphins acquired Charlton, who had 21 tackles and five sacks last season, off waivers the day after the Dallas Cowboys released the 28th pick of the 2017 draft.
Charlton led the Dolphins in sacks last season, but he was inactive for the final two games after falling out of favor with the coaching staff. He’ll likely be claimed by another team, but if he isn’t the Dolphins would be responsible for paying the final year of his rookie deal, which was slated to pay the former Michigan standout $1.8 million.
Charlton’s release and the trade of Harris came just days before the Dolphins were either going to pick up or decline the fifth-year option on both of their rookie deals. The fifth-year option, which is only available for first-round picks, would have committed to paying each nearly $10 million in salary in 2021.
However, the contract would have only been guaranteed for injury, meaning if they were healthy after the 2020 season, Miami could have released them without financial penalty.
Harris was slated to earn $1.95 million this season. The Dolphins will clear both salaries off their books by moving on from the underachieving pass rushers, but they will carry $1.5 million in dead money because of the Harris trade — and all of Charlton’s $1.8 million charge will count as dead money if he isn’t claimed by another team by 4 p.m. Friday.
Lawson and Ogbah are expected to be the team’s primary pass rushers, with Moss, Zach Seiler, Strowbridge, Weaver and linebackers Kyle Van Noy, Vince Biegel, Jerome Baker, Andrew Van Ginkel, Trent Harris and Jamal Davis II serving as complementary pass rushers in the team’s 3-4 hybrid scheme.
———
©2020 Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Visit the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) at www.sun-sentinel.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.