Dolphins

• The agent for former Dolphins TE Jonnu Smith, Drew Rosenhaus, said Miami decided to allow Smith to seek a trade rather than force him to play out the final year of his contract. Ultimately, it helped the trade with the Steelers come together that let the Dolphins get rid of CB Jalen Ramsey: “I don’t know that the [Minkah/Ramsey] trade would have happened without Jonnu a part of it.” (Barry Jackson)
• Another key domino in the trade was former TE Darren Waller‘s desire to come out of retirement and play for the Dolphins, per Rosenhaus, who said Waller called him five days before the trade and said, “Drew, I’ve decided I want to play again. I miss football… Love of the game is back, and I want to play for the Dolphins.”

Jets

Braelon Allen is entering the second year of his career after being a fourth-round pick in 2024. Allen said HC Aaron Glenn expressed his belief in him in their first meeting. 

“The first meeting I had with him, he said I trust you and I believe in you,” Allen said, via Eric Allen of the team’s site. “He said he was impressed with what he saw last year, and I think that’s all that I need to hear. As long as they know what I can do, I know those opportunities are going to come and it’s on me to make the most of them.”

Allen wants to make an impact in their offense and special teams. 

“I think I just want to make my impact felt in every way that I can,” Allen said. “Obviously playing special teams, hopefully the dose of offense increases more and more, and I just try to do my part the best I can.”

Glenn has been impressed by Allen and fellow RB Breece Hall. 

“The first thing they’re big, physical, men, and even though this is not a physical camp, you just see the way they run,” Glenn said. “All of them have low pad level. Breece and Braelon, man, they can really, really run. I’m not just talking about just as a runner, but as far as speed down the field, you see that with them, and I’m excited about all three of those guys, I really am. I don’t know if there are three backs in this League that have the potential like these three, and maybe there is, but I know I’m just focusing on what we have, and I’m excited about the guys that we have here.”

Patriots

The Patriots hired Ekene Olekanma as Director of Coaching Analytics following his time as the 49ers’ Football Research and Development Coordinator. Mike Vrabel said they are building their analytics department and Olekanma will oversee things going forward. 

“We’ll add a couple other people there,” Vrabel said, via the team’s site. “I think that just having somebody that’s dedicated, that’s been in that role, that can manage the people that we have here. He did a fantastic job in his interview process and meeting with all the different groups that we feel like he’s going to be able to work with. He played football. Not that that’s a prerequisite, but you have to have the ability to not only take these numbers and pull them out of wherever they pull them out of. I’m not going to pretend that I know, but also have some application to it and be able to explain it to the coaches and say, ‘How much is too much, probably need more.’ However we can make our jobs more efficient and better is something that I’m excited about. We’re all excited about him.”

New England also hired John Streicher as special assistant to the head coach. Vrabel said Streicher will help him prepare for games. 

“Yeah, that’ll be Stretch [John Streicher] and I. That’s a pretty proven system, but I would say that he would be involved. That would be one area that he would help us, help me and Stretch specifically outside of the game planning, the self-scout, the opponent’s pre-advanced report or anything that they may do. We’d carve out some time for him, me and Stretch based on who we’re playing, how aggressive we need to be, what are the field conditions, what are the wind, what are the game conditions. That would all be part of what he would do, but I would imagine that the communication would still stay between Stretch and I. Not that he wouldn’t communicate with him throughout the game.”