9 p.m. update: The Dolphins are signing NFL left tackle Jermon Bushrod and view him as a strong possibility to start at guard, a surprising twist that Armando and I were both told tonight. (Check Armando's blog for more interesting details on that.)
Couple other things we learned tonight:
• For those hoping the Dolphins would address their deficiency at cornerback with a pricey player who could plausibly be a No. 1 or high-end No. 2 opposite Byron Maxwell, that's not what the Dolphins are thinking.
And beyond interest in Pacman Jones (who re-signed with Cincinnati), the Dolphins are not inclined to enter the high-priced cornerback market.
They have not pursued Casey Hayward or Prince Amukamara (perhaps the top two corners left) and at this point are not inclined to, unless they wake up one day and have a major change of heart.
They didn't try to sign Sean Smith and made no attempts to sign Janoris Jenkins, who joined the Giants.
There are a couple dozen cornerbacks available, and certainly some formidable ones, but none who has a resume suggesting he could be what Brent Grimes was in 2013 here.
The Dolphins are comfortable with Byron Maxwell as a No. 1 corner and will surround him with a cheap addition or two (Josh Robinson is visiting and another very reasonably-priced veteran could be added, too), plus Bobby McCain, Tony Lippett and potentially incumbents Tyler Patmon and Jamar Taylor. They also will address cornerback in the draft.
• The Dolphins wanted defensive end Robert Ayers to visit, but don't expect him to reschedule his canceled visit. They suspect he will sign in Jacksonville. They like defensive end Jason Jones, who's visiting Friday.
• The Dolphins are genuinely unsure if Denver will match their offer for CJ Anderson.
• Luke McCown was scheduled to visit Friday but canceled after resigning with the Saints. The search for a backup quarterback continues. They might draft one to compete with Logan Thomas.
• Kiko Alonso's agent, Steve Caric, tonight denied a report that Alonso has reached an agreement on a deal to extend his Dolphins contract beyond 2016.
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4 p.m. update:
• Denver running back CJ Anderson, a restricted free agent, signed a four-year offer sheet during his visit at Dolphins headquarters today. It's worth $18 million and is front-loaded, making it uncomfortable but still possible for Denver to match.
The Broncos would have five days to match and would not receive compensation from the team that signs him.
The Dolphins believe Anderson could give them exactly what Lamar Miller could, if not more.
He has averaged 4.8 yards per carry in three seasons, all with Denver. Conversely, Miller has a 4.6 career average.
Anderson started seven games in 2014 (when Adam Gase was Denver's offensive coordinator) and six in 2015.
Last season, he had 152 carries for 720 yards, a 4.7 average. He ran for 234 yards on 54 carries in the playoffs, including 23 for 91 in the Super Bowl.
As Denver reporter Mike Klis noted, Anderson was on the verge of flying to Chicago to visit with the Bears yesterday before the Dolphins convinced him to come to Miami.
• The Dolphins are bringing in Vikings free agent cornerback Josh Robinson for a visit, as Pro Football Talk reported and a source confirmed to me. Robinson, 5-10, was selected in the third round of the 2012 draft, 66th overall out of UCF.
He played well as a rookie, starting six games and picking off two passes. He started 10 games in 2013 but struggled when Vikings coach Leslie Frazier unwisely played him out of position as a slot corner. He rebounded with a solid season in 2014, starting five games and picking off three passes.
But he tore his pectoral muscle in OTAs before last season, began the year on PUP and was never a big factor, appearing in only five games.
The Vikings had no plans to bring him back, but the Dolphins see untapped talent in Robinson, who attended Plantation High.
• With Robert Ayers canceling his Dolphins visit and opting to go to Jacksonville instead, Jason Jones looks like the logical choice for Miami’s vacancy at defensive end, as part of a three-man rotation with Cameron Wake and Mario Williams. Jones is coming to Miami on Friday.
Jones, 29, started 15 games for Detroit last season and had 31 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus rated him the 43rd best edge defender last season.
He had five sacks for Detroit as a starter in 2014. Jones, 29, has played eight NFL seasons: four in Tennessee, one in Seattle, three in Detroit.
He was a second-round pick out of Eastern Michigan in 2008.
At defensive end, the Dolphins also have Terrence Fede and Damontre Moore under contract, and Dion Jordan is eligible to return from suspension next month.
• The Dolphins lost out in their efforts to land Vincent Rey, who re-signed with Cincinnati, but remain in the market for a veteran linebacker. Among those they’ve expressed interest in: Atlanta free agent O’Brien Schofield (16 games, 10 starts, 2 sacks last season). There’s no visit scheduled yet.
• The Dolphins, searching for a No. 4 receiver, have inquired about Oakland free agent Andre Holmes, among others.
Holmes has played all five seasons with the Raiders and has 88 receptions for 1336 yards (15.2 yards per catch) and nine touchdowns.
He had 14 catches for 301 yards and four touchdowns last season in 16 games, including one start. He started 13 games in 2014 and caught 47 passes for 693 yards.
• The Dolphins have inquired about a bunch of veteran guards, from Geoff Schwartz to Ted Larson and others. Louis Vasquez is on their radar, but Tennessee --- where he’s visiting in the next few days --- has been more aggressive. But they haven't moved aggressively on any of those players and are, for now, content with adding Bushrod.
Twitter: @flasportsbuzz
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