*** DOLPHINS NEWS ***
Feb 27, 1998: -- Potts Signs with Ravens --
The Dolphins lost fullback Roosevelt Potts to Baltimore
yesterday as Potts signed a contract to play for the Ravens for
undisclosed terms. Potts was an unrestricted free agent who was
briefly with the Dolphins last season. Originally signed just to fill
in the hole when Pritchett was injured, he was competing with Stanley
Pritchett for the starting job by the end of the 1997 season.
In other free agent news, the Dolphins have agreed to terms
with free agent wide receiver Kevin Alexander who played with the New
York Giants last year. Alexander is a small, quick receiver who
caught 18 passes for 276 yards and a touchdown with the Giants. He
was an exclusive rights free agent for them, but they declined to
offer him a contract.
Also, Vikings running back Robert Smith had his franchise tag
removed in a deal between the NFL and the NFL players association
yesterday. The deal allows the Vikings to put a transition tag on him
and to match any deal that he may sign with another team, but if he
signs with someone else, the Vikings would only get a 2nd round draft
pick as compensation for him.
And last, but not least, tonight is the deadline for the
Carolina Panthers to match the offer sheet that restricted free agent
Matt Campbell has signed with the Dolphins. If they don't match the
offer by midnight tonight, Campbell will become a Dolphin.
My Comments:
Losing Potts really hurts. I thought that he would be a much
better option for the Dolphins as a blocker than Stanley Pritchett,
but now that option is gone. Of course, it may not have been possible
to keep Potts, since his agent is Ted Marchibroda, Jr - the son of
Ravens' head coach Ted Marchibroda.
Alexander is really a nobody that the Dolphins are signing for
nothing. He is small (5'9") and quick, but if the Giants let him go
when they were guaranteed to be able to sign him for almost nothing as
an exclusive rights free agent, he can't be much. I doubt he'll be on
the roster in September.
The Dolphins may or may not have interest in Robert Smith,
according to the rumors I'm hearing. On the one hand, the newspapers
in South Florida are reporting that the Dolphins will try and sign
him. On the other hand, JJ said yesterday that the Dolphins are "a
lot better off at running back than people think." This would seem
to indicate that he's not that interested in Smith.
Also, Smith has a history of injuries, which is one of three
areas that the Dolphins are grading players on. I doubt that he
graded out very high in the injury category and that may keep the
Dolphins away from him.
The news on Campbell is that the Panthers won't match the
offer and tomorrow morning, Campbell will be on his way to Miami.
Related Info:
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Curt Fennell,
curt@phins.com, DOLFAN in New Rochelle (almost)
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