Miami Dolphins Extend RB Patrick Cobbs: Other Random Dolphins Notes

Here's a collection of random Dolphins-related notes. Better buckle up. Let's go.

I'm famous!

Starting off on a completely egotistical note, I was apparently given a mention in a recent blog entry of the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero. I had emailed Salguero earlier this week asking to ask Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sparano about the right-guard situation, as I'd noticed some swapping of Ike Ndukwe and Evan Mathis lately. Props to Salguero for getting Sparano to shed some light on the situation.

Cobbs gets extension

As I'm sure all of you know, the Dolphins have extended the contract of running back Patrick Cobbs. It happened over a week ago, but I wanted to wait for the NFLPA database to update so I could provide the contract numbers.

Cobbs' new contract, which will keep him with the Dolphins through the 2010 season, provided he does not get cut or traded before then, pays him base salaries of $640,588 in 2008, $680,000 in 2009, and $775,000 in 2010. As a result of this new contract, Cobbs will skip restricted free agency in the 2009 offseason and become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the new deal.

As for some brief analysis of the deal, I'm all for it. Cobbs isn't really starter material, but he's a solid backup and can help in a variety of ways. He has a tremendous work ethic, good hands, and is a strong special teams player. Whether or not this deal says anything about what the team thinks about sixth-rounders Jalen Parmele and Lex Hilliard—both on the practice squad—is hard to know.

Billingsley in, Mulligan out

For seemingly the 57th time this season, cornerback Will Billingsley has been re-signed to the practice squad. To make room for Billingsley, the Dolphins released tight end Matthew Mulligan.

An undrafted free agent out of Maine in 2008, Mulligan had been on the Dolphins' practice squad the entire regular season. Billingsley—a street free-agent from North Carolina A&T picked up in the offseason—has been on and off the practice squad throughout the season.

Ex-Dolphin updates

Assuming I'm not the only dork interested in these things, here are a couple updates on some former Dolphins players and their new gigs:

• Safety Chris Crocker signed with the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 30. He had been released by the Dolphins on Oct. 21 when the team re-signed safety Tyrone Culver.
• Tight end Sean Ryan signed with the San Francisco 49ers on Nov. 3. A former Cowboy, Ryan signed with the Dolphins during the 2008 offseason and was released after the season opener.
• Linebacker Tyson Smith was signed to the practice squad of the Denver Broncos on Nov. 4. Smith began the season on the Dolphins' practice squad and remained there until his release on Oct. 8.
  
• Wide receiver Jayson Foster was signed to the practice squad of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 14. Foster joined the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Southern in the offseason but was released during final cuts.
• Linebacker Kelly Poppinga was signed to the practice squad of the St. Louis Rams on Nov. 4. Poppinga signed with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent out of BYU in 2008 but did not make the squad out of training camp.
• Running back Samkon Gado signed with the St. Louis Rams on Nov. 4. Gado spent part of last season with the Dolphins after multiple injuries at the running back position.
  
• Tight end Jason Rader was released by the Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 29. Rader spent the 2005 and 2006 season with the Dolphins before being released during final cuts in 2007.

Chris Nelson is a journalism major at Georgia State University. He operates his own Miami Dolphins blog which can be found here.

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