Free agency didn’t figure to be kind to the Miami Dolphins this year. Dolphins general manager Chris Grier had plenty of work to do in terms of revamping contracts (Terron Armstead and Bradley Chubb) and cutting players (Raheem Mostert, Kendall Fuller, and Durham Smythe) to get under the $279.2 million salary cap.
At the very least, Miami and head coach Mike McDaniel were certainly hoping to retain one of the top members of the secondary. Unfortunately, that wasn't able to happen.
After several years with the Dolphins, veteran safety Jevon Holland decided to take his talents to the New York Giants last week.
Former Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland is now a member of the New York Giants
Holland spent a total of four seasons in South Florida. Miami's 2021 second-round draft pick from the University of Oregon played in 60 regular-season games and made 57 starts during his tenure with the franchise.
Holland made his share of timely plays in those contests. There were five interceptions (including a 99-yard touchdown return), 25 pass breakups, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and five sacks. He also picked off Josh Allen in the team’s 2022 playoff clash with the Buffalo Bills.
Now, Holland is heading to East Rutherford to join the Giants after signing a three-year contract worth $45.3 million. After his departure, Dolphins Wire's Adam Stites shared that “the safety hasn’t had anything negative to say about the team that picked him in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft.”
Replacing the four-year pro won’t be easy, albeit Grier has already inked a pair of deals with two players that Holland had his own recent assessments (via Stites) of the duo on a recent episode of the "Breakin’ House Rules" podcast with Cameron Wolfe and Andre Dunand.
“I will say Ashtyn [Davis], he’s been with the with the Jets for the last five years, I think he’s like kind of a jack of all trades, very fast, very athletic. He does a lot for the Jets, core [special] teamer as well. And I think that he’s going to have some success in Miami.
I think [Ifeatu Melifonwu], the same thing. He’s kind of been behind Brian Branch and Kerby [Joseph] on the Lions. But he’s the same way, like, he’s really athletic, really talented, tall, lanky, has range. He’s gonna have success, as well as Patrick McMorris and Elijah Campbell, like they both are still really good players.”
Holland’s critique of Davis and Melifonwu can only be seen as a positive by a stand-up player that the Dolphins and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver will certainly miss.