Miami Dolphins sign 3rd-round pick Olivier Vernon

The Dolphins agreed to terms on a four-year contract with rookie defensive end Olivier Vernon, a league source confirmed Wednesday afternoon after it was first reported by Yahoo Sports.

Vernon, a third-round pick (72nd overall) out of University of Miami, signed a four-year contract worth $2,848,080 with a $638,080 signing bonus. He will likely play this year as the Dolphins’ pass-rushing specialist on obvious passing downs.

Vernon’s signing means the Dolphins are down to two unsigned draft picks out of nine total — first-round quarterback Ryan Tannehill and third-round tight end Michael Egnew. According to several reports, the Dolphins and Tannehill are squabbling over “offset language” that would not fully guarantee Tannehill’s four-year contract (the Vikings, Chiefs and Jaguars are also digging in over offset language with their first-round picks).

It is unclear what is holding up Egnew’s negotiation, but both he and Tannehill still have two days to hash out their contracts before the Dolphins hold their first practice of the season Friday at 8 a.m. Neither Tannehill or Egnew are expected to stage any sort of extended holdout over their contracts, and odds are that both will be at practice on Friday. Tannehill joined a group of Dolphins at workout Wednesday morning that included Matt Moore, Chad Johnson, Davone Bess, Brian Hartline and others.


(palmbeachpost.com)