Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Team meets with Porter; Stallworth to visit

It appears that the team is very interested in OLB Joey Porter, evidenced by the trip that GM Randy Mueller and head coach Cam Cameron took to his hometown of Bakersfield, CA. After the meeting, Joey's agent said, "[Porter] came away from the meeting very impressed with the direction they are taking the team." The front office must really want to sign Porter if they were willing to go to him, rather than having him fly down to Miami for a visit. He would be an immediate and significant upgrade at the OLB position.

WR Donte Stallworth plans to visit with the team on Thursday. Interest in Stallworth has been tepid at best due to recent reports that he is in the NFL's substance-abuse program. If the reports are true, another violation could result in a suspension. Miami's front office will surely look to get to the bottom of this situation in order to judge whether he is worth an investment. If signed, he would add a sorely lacking element of big-play capability to Miami's WR corps.

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In other news, S Todd Johnson visited with the team on Monday. Johnson was a 2003 fourth-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears. He played in 12 games for the team last season (5 starts), notching 33 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and 3 passes defended. He also contributed on special teams.

Also, the team has expressed interest in RB/KR Maurice Hicks. He is a restricted free agent, but since he was undrafted and the 49ers tendered him at the lowest possible tender offer of $850,000, Miami would not have to give up a draft pick if they were to sign him. The 49ers will have a chance to match any offer the Dolphins put forward. While he was used sparingly as a RB behind Frank Gore, he averaged 25.1 yards on kickoff returns.

Recently signed TE David Martin received a three-year deal worth about $3.6 million, including about a $1 million signing bonus.

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