*** DOLPHINS NEWS ***

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Jul 26, 1995: -- Steve Emtman signs with Phins --

The Dolphins announced late yesterday that they have signed former Colts defensive tackle Steve Emtman to a 5 year contract worth a reported $13 million.

Emtman, a former #1 overall pick in the NFL's 1992 draft, was released by the Colts last week after he refused to renegotiate his contract. The Colts had wanted to reduce Emtman's burden on the salary cap.

Emtman has spent the majority of his career sidelined with injuries, but has impressed the teams he worked out for during his whirlwind tour of NFL cities last week.

The Dolphins' deal is reported to be for the league minimum of $178,000 per year with a lot of incentives and a $750,000 signing bonus. It was apparently the $750,000 bonus that convinced Emtman to sign with Miami and not with the San Francisco 49ers.

Emtman will report to Miami on Thursday and should begin practice shortly thereafter.

My Comments:

Wow! And I do mean Wow!

This has got to be the biggest surprise of the 1995 preseason.

Who would have thought that Steve Emtman would even be available for the Dolphins, let alone be signed before the first scrimmage takes place on Saturday.

And who would have thought even 2 years ago that the best part of the Dolphins defense would be their interior defensive linemen? With the addition of Steve Emtman, the Dolphins' interior trio of Emtman, Klingbeil and Bowens easily become the most formidable in the AFC East and one of the best in football.

In case you haven't guessed already, I think that this is a great addition to the team.

By the way, as near as I can figure it, Emtman's contract only counts about $328,000 towards this year's salary cap. The signing bonus is typically pro-rated over the life of the contract (5 years) and adding that to his base salary gives the total I have shown above.

Furthermore, according to ESPN, none of the incentives for his play this year count towards this year's salary cap.