The Miami Dolphins dipped into their Xavien Howard savings on June 10, agreeing to terms with veteran safety Marcus Maye according to Bleacher Report NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
That transaction only became official on June 13, however, as the Dolphins announced that their corresponding cut would be defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon Sr.
Miami first signed Nixon in early March, seemingly prepping for the eventual Christian Wilkins departure in free agency. The majority of his NFL experience — and the 25-year-old’s only regular season experience — came with the Carolina Panthers, but Nixon also spent some time within the Seattle Seahawks organization before joining the Dolphins.
Roster Moves | We have signed S Marcus Maye and waived DT Daviyon Nixon Sr. pic.twitter.com/IEgzHDObBZ
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) June 13, 2024
The former fifth-round selection appeared in seven outings during each of his two seasons in Carolina, registering 15 total tackles and a half-sack. He’s listed at 6-foot-3 and a shade over 300 pounds.
Nixon spent all of Organized Team Activities with the Dolphins, but he won’t make it to training camp unless he returns at a later date.
Miami went with the quantity approach in replacing Wilkins, and the former Panther appears to have lost out to other new DT additions like Benito Jones, Neville Gallimore, Jonathan Harris, Teair Tart, Isaiah Mack and rookies Mario Kendricks and Leonard Payne.
Marcus Maye Helps Shore Up Major Dolphins Question Mark on the Back End
The Dolphins had a serious depth issue at the safety position — especially when you consider newcomer Jordan Poyer is entering his age-33 campaign.
Sure, Poyer and former second-round talent Jevon Holland make a pretty formidable duo when healthy, but what if one were to miss time due to injury? Maye addresses that concern, while also freeing up defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver to utilize a three-man rotation on the back end.
The long-time New York Jets starter and division rival has struggled with injuries throughout the course of his career, but perhaps a less demanding role can help him stay on the field. Over the past two seasons with the New Orleans Saints, Maye has only started 17 games.
His tackling production has waned a bit too, but Maye still has ability as a ballhawk with two interceptions in just seven outings last year.
The key will be health. Having just turned 30 years old, Maye has already entered the back nine of his career.
According to Pro Football Focus, his missed tackle percentage jumped up to 18.6% in 2023, while his reception percentage against surged to 73.3. Both are trends that Maye would like to reverse in Miami.
Having said that, there were a few positives in Maye’s 2023 performance. His passer rating against was the lowest it’s been since 2018 (69.7), and the safety did not allow a touchdown. He also registered nine key defensive stops in a somewhat brief number of snaps.
Dolphins Sign 2024 First Rounder Chop Robinson
The Dolphins finalized another roster move on June 13, signing first-round edge rusher Chop Robinson to his rookie contract.
Per KPRC2 NFL insider Aaron Wilson, Robinson and Miami agreed to a “$14.976 million deal that includes [a] $7.711 million signing bonus.”
The Dolphins have now locked up their entire 2024 draft class, with the Penn State pass rusher embodying the final piece of the puzzle.
After Robinson’s signing, NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo noted that there are only eight first-round picks left that have not signed their rookie contracts. This number was helped along by a flurry of first-round deals on June 13.
