Losing two defensive tackles in free agency last month, the Dolphins need some assistance here.
While the draft could certainly be an avenue the team chooses to improve post-Christian Wilkins, one reinforcement is en route.
Miami is bringing in defensive tackle Teair Tart, according to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz. Tart spent most of his rookie contract with the Titans, though he went from being given a second-round RFA tender last year to being waived months later. Tart closed out his rookie deal with the Texans.
Although the Dolphins extended Zach Sieler last year, they were not able to come to terms with Wilkins in 2023. That proved costly, with the team’s cap situation impeding a Wilkins tag.
Wilkins’ Raiders AAV ($27.5M) came in $5M higher than the DT tag price. The Dolphins also lost starter Raekwon Davis, who joined the Colts. The Dolphins have made some low-cost additions to help out Sieler up front; Tart promises to be another.
Tart will join former Cowboy Neville Gallimore and ex-Bronco Jonathan Harris as UFA pickups along the Dolphins defensive line. It would certainly seem more will be done in the draft, but Tart brings 36 starts to the table. Operating as Tennessee’s primary nose tackle on a Jeffery Simmons-led defensive line, Tart ranked as a top-25 interior defensive lineman (per Pro Football Focus) in 2022.
Tart added a career-high eight tackles for loss (in just 11 games) last season, though PFF saw his play slip overall, ranking the run-stopper 85th at the position.
Over the past two years, PFF also rated Tart as a better pass-rusher than a run-stopper. The Florida International alum, however, is primarily a run defender; 1.5 sacks represent his single-season best.
The Titans decided to cut Tart in mid-December, and off-field matters impacted the AFC South team’s call. Season-long issues are believed to have reached a breaking point late last year.
Tart, now 27, was ruled out of the Titans’ Week 15 game for personal reasons. The Texans then claimed the former fifth-round pick, using him as a backup in two games.
Tart joined Derek Barnett as a waiver claim aiding Houston’s defensive line down the stretch, though the former was inactive for Houston’s two playoff games.
The Bengals and Browns submitted claims for Tart in December, but his market did not produce an immediate signing as a free agent.
More must-reads: