Miami Dolphins: Latest Combine News and Rumors

Miami Dolphins general manager Dennis Hickey stood at the podium, his normal, jittery self and managed to say absolutely nothing that we didn't already know prior to his standing before the media.

With that being said, there's not a lot of news coming out of Dolphins camp at the scouting combine, even if there's a lot coming from nearly every other team in the NFL.

There are some developing stories regarding the rehab of left tackle Branden Albert from a season-ending knee injury and the status of wide receiver Mike Wallace but not many ground-breaking revelations.

Here are a few of the things we did learn over the past couple of days. 

Miami Dolphins and Mike Wallace Have an 'Open Line of Communication'

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The Miami Dolphins have multiple options with wide receiver Mike Wallace, and it appears they are keeping all of them open. 

The line of communication between Wallace and the Dolphins' front office has also been open, as Hickey told the media on Wednesday. 

"We had a good conversation," said Hickey, via MiamiDolphins.com. "We have an open line of communication. I always feel like we have an open door for all of our players." 

Hickey also hinted that the Dolphins have been thinking about their salary cap situation. 

"Obviously, through our process, we're looking at each individual situation with all of our players," Hickey evaded when asked about Wallace. "Obviously, in the salary cap era, you always have challenging decisions you have to make each year. So we're going through that process and we're further along in the process than we were let's say a month ago when we talked at the Senior Bowl."

As challenging a decision as it may be, the Dolphins have had a full month since the Senior Bowl and nearly a full two months since the 2014 season ended. A decision should be coming down the pike soon.

Ryan Tannehill Is About to Get Paid

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There's a phenomenon sweeping across the NFL. General managers are so hungry for a franchise quarterback, they get one whiff of anything coming even close to solid quarterback play and they're ready to pay top dollar for four to six years of the same plate over and over.

Ryan Tannehill has played well, but in the next couple of years, he's going to be paid upwards of $15 million per season. That's just the going rate for those kinds of quarterbacks these days, with the likes of Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals), Jay Cutler (Chicago Bears), Alex Smith (Kansas City Chiefs) and Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) earning contracts worth at least $15 million per year, according to sports contracts website Spotrac.com.

"We feel really good about Ryan and obviously the market for quarterbacks in this era, the market is what it is," Dennis Hickey said, via MiamiDolphins.com. "But we're excited about the development that he made from year two to year three and the trajectory that he has. Learning in a new offense and working through that and the growth that he made throughout the season...we're excited about his future as our quarterback."

The Dolphins have until May to decide on whether to exercise the fifth-year option, which would pay him north of $20 million dollars (the average of the top 10 players at his position).

Branden Albert May or May Not Be Ready for Week 1

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The Dolphins had big hopes for their big left tackle when they signed Branden Albert to a five-year, $47 million contract in 2014. Those hopes were dashed at the snap of a finger—or, in Albert's case, a couple of ligaments in his knee. 

Albert himself has sounded iffy in the past as to whether or not he'll be ready to go for Week 1. 

"I hope I'll be able to play the first game; I just don't know," he said, via Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. "We'll see."

Dennis Hickey, however, remains confident in the pace of Albert's rehab.

"The rehab is going well," Hickey said on Wednesday, via MiamiDolphins.com. "But it's a long rehab and it's a difficult rehab."

If Albert cannot play in Week 1, it would likely force second-year tackle Ja'Wuan James to play on the left side and would also force a backup to play right tackle. 

Dolphins Have Met with Louisville WR DeVante Parker

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Whether or not the Dolphins move on from Mike Wallace, Brandon Gibson or both this offseason is irrelevant; they need to add talent at wide receiver anyway.

Not just any talent, though; they need to add big-bodied receivers that can help the team in the red zone. One of those prospects could be Louisville wide receiver DeVante Parker. According to Andrew Abramson of The Palm Beach Post, the Dolphins met with Parker at the scouting combine.

The 6'3", 211-pound pass-catcher is described by NFL.com's Lance Zierlein as a player possessing "outstanding body control," a "daunting catch radius" and "soft hands and elite concentration." Those are all incredibly important traits for a red-zone threat to have in his arsenal, and you can't teach most of them. 

The Dolphins would be wise to target a player like Parker, and if they want the Louisville product, they'd better nab him with their first-round pick. 

Dolphins Have Met with Duke Johnson

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The Dolphins have been known to draft from schools within state borders in the past, and it appears they are in talks with another running back prospect out of Miami just a few years after drafting former Hurricane Lamar Miller.

According to Andy Slater of 940-AM WINZ Miami, the Dolphins have met with Miami running back Duke Johnson, and they were the only team to do so on Wednesday.

According to CBS Sports, Johnson is projected as a second-round pick.

Per NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, he possesses "explosive burst and plays with suddenness," has "hips and feet to stop and start without stalling" and a "great feel as a zone-scheme, one-cut runner."

Those traits would make him a fit with the Dolphins' scheme, and with questions about the future of running back Knowshon Moreno with the team, the Dolphins would be wise to address their lack of depth in the backfield. 

Unless otherwise noted, all salary cap and contract information provided by Spotrac.com.