One day removed from the troubling news that standout wide receiver Sidney Rice would miss at least eight games to start the season, the Vikings moved quickly to shore up the position, signing the well traveled Javon Walker and sending cornerback Benny Sapp to Miami for wide receiver Greg Camarillo.

Signing Walker is largely irrelevant, as he may not be long for Minnesota given his complete lack of production in recent years, but the deal to snag Camarillo from the Dolphins was brilliant in that Sapp was likely headed for a spot deep on the bench, if not an outright release.

Sapp is a seven year veteran that has played in 86 games, including all 16 last year with the Vikings. He’ll likely be a backup in Miami, providing nice depth and experience for a Dolphins secondary in need of both.

Camarillo’s best role is in the slot, and that suits the Vikings just fine right now, with second year receiver Percy Harvin experiencing severe migraines that may or may not keep him off the field to start the season.

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First glance: The Dolphins are primed to be a major force in the AFC East this season, with multiple additions at key positions, including Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall. That said, they’ll still have their work cut out for them with a division that is stacked with talent, and they could be hard pressed to earn a playoff spot if they are unable to stay healthy through the majority of the year.

2009 Record: 7-9 (3rd AFC East)

Key Additions: WR Brandon Marshall, G Richie Incognito, G Cory Procter, DE Charles Grant, DE/DT Marques Douglas, ILB Karlos Dansby, ILB Tim Dobbins

Key Losses: WR Ted Ginn Jr., G Justin Smiley, NT Jason Ferguson, DE/OLB Joey Porter, DE/OLB Jason Taylor, ILB Akin Ayodele, ILB Reggie Torbor, CB Nate Jones, FS Gibril Wilson

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Even though the average fan prefers not to think about the looming labor strife just around the corner in the NFL, Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall is already making plans to take his professional sports career to a whole new level by trying his hand in the NBA.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Pro Bowl receiver expects to tryout with either the Denver Nuggets or the Miami Heat, if and when the NFL owners decide to lock out the players next year.

While there have been a few athletes capable of making a successful transition from professional football to baseball, it’s doubtful that Marshall will succeed in his endeavor, given the talent needed to lock down a spot on the smaller rosters in the NBA.

Now that the Patriots have finally exorcised linebacker Adalius Thomas from their inner circle, you would think that he’d be a hot commodity with teams that run a 3-4 style defense, but for now it seems as though the interest in Thomas is lacking in both quantity and quality.

That said, there are still a few clubs out there that could kick the tires on Thomas so to speak, including Miami, Kansas City, and the New York Jets.

According to Albert Greer of the Boston Globe, the Dolphins still remain open to the possibility of having Thomas join them this season, but their desire to sign him is waning somewhat, as they would prefer tos stick with their younger players in the linebacker corps.

Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan does have a preference towards bringing Thomas in, but the remainder of the team’s coaching staff and front office are not necessarily in agreement on that front, making an acquisition of Thomas unlikely at this point.

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Once Miami’s acquisition of Brandon Marshall became final, wide receiver Ted Ginn, Jr. quickly became the odd man out on the depth chart. Many around the league expected the Dolphins to trade Ginn before the draft next week, and that’s exactly what happened, with Miami shipping Ginn out this morning to San Francisco.

The news was first reported by Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer. Terms have not yet been released, although the price paid by the 49ers will likely be no higher than a fifth round pick in this year’s draft, given Ginn’s inconsistency throughout his career thus far.

The AFC East has been a hotbed of activity this off-season, with just about every team upgrading its roster via trade or free agency. The only club that hasn’t done much is Buffalo, but they’re expected to make headway with their draft picks next week, so in the long run, every team in the division should be improved, on paper anyway.

With just a week left to go before the NFL Draft commences at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, it’s a perfect time to start our analysis of how each division is shaping up, and break down each team’s needs as it stands right now. Enjoy and feel free to let us know what you think via the comment section…

Buffalo Bills (6-10)

Analysis: The Bills have more than a few holes to fill with this draft, especially after they failed to do much of anything in free agency this off-season. The additions they did make are nice, and will likely help next season, but the players they’ve lost outweigh that group by a long shot, and as such, Buffalo’s brain trust will have their work cut out for them next week. Read the rest of this entry »

With the trade sending him south to play for the Dolphins just hours old, wide receiver Brandon Marshall received a monster contract offer from Miami, easily making him one of the wealthiest players at his position in the league.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Marshall has agreed to a new four year deal with the Dolphins that is worth an $47.5 million. The guaranteed money in the contract is $24 million.

Combined with his one year tender at $2.5 million, Marshall will now be making $50 million over the next five years, or $10 million season, placing him just under the highest paid receiver in the league, Larry Fitzgerald, who is currently making $10.89 million a season. No other receivers in the league are above the $10 million mark.

Wed @ 9:45 am – Apparantly Ginn isn’t all that valuable… According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, the Dolphins “might” be able to get a fifth round pick for Ginn, but that’s about it. The Santonio Holmes trade doesn’t help all that much.

At that price, multiple teams might be willing to take a risk and get Ginn into the fold. Kansas City, Seattle, and Detroit would be the most likely destinations.

Tues @ 1:30 pm – Headed into his fourth season with the Dolphins, wide receiver Ted Ginn, Jr. is at a crossroads of sorts with his career, as he has thus far failed to live up to the billing attached to him when he was drafted #9 overall in 2007.

Ginn has shown flashes of what could be, with several long punt returns and big plays on offense, but he has lacked consistency from play to play, making him a potential trading chip for Miami prior to next week’s draft.

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When reports first broke this morning indicating that Miami had acquired wide receiver Brandon Marshall from Denver, I was surprised to say the least.

Up to this point, the Broncos had remained adamant in their desire to receive a first round pick back in exchange for Marshall’s services, and I couldn’t fathom Bill Parcells sending the #12 overall selection out west to the Mile High City to get a player that’s one strike away from a long suspension.

But after learning that the trade involved just a second round pick this year along with another second round pick next year, things began to make sense for me, and I can understand why the deal was completed so quickly.

In Marshall, the Dolphins now have a player that is arguably the top receiver in the game right now, and will undoubtedly make Miami’s offense much better next season. Granted there are plenty of issues behind the scenes with Marshall and the risk is definitely present given his past history of off the field transgressions. But it’s not very often that a trade of this magnitude comes along, allowing a young, superbly talented, playmaking wide receiver in his prime to exit his team and join a intra-conference foe, and as such, the Dolphins were wise to jump on it as quickly as they did.

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The Miami Dolphins have agreed to a one year deal with one the league’s most penalized offensive players, guard Richie Incognito.

Incognito has had a less then sterling reputation wherever he has played, leaving Nebraska during his sophomore season, then subsequently getting kicked off the Oregon football team before entering the NFL draft. His release from the St. Louis Rams also stemmed from his erratic behavior both on the field and off it.

Once removed from St. Louis, Incognito lasted just three starts with the Buffalo Bills, who despite having needs on the offensive line decided not to retain his services this off-season.

Quietly biding his time through free agency thus far, safety Ryan Clark (Steelers) has gone the route that few undertake in this age of instant celebrity. Instead of flying around the country to drum up interest (and money) for himself, Clark has stayed put at home, preferring instead to hand pick his chosen destinations and only then begin the process of negotiating a contract with his favorite club.

When asked about taking so long to start the process, Clark responded by saying he wants his first visit to be his last.

“Without a question. That’s the reason we waited so long to take any [free agent] trips. We had interested teams that I didn’t really want to go to, and I didn’t want to try to make myself look busy by going to a bunch of different places. There were a lot of good offers, and a lot of good fits. But this seems like a good spot. So I’m praying it goes well.”

– Free agent safety Ryan Clark

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In what will likely be the culmination of a very busy evening around the league, Miami has reportedly come to an agreement with free agent linebacker Karlos Dansby on a deal that will make him the third highest paid player at that position in the NFL.

According to Jeff Darlington of the Miami Herald, the deal will be for five years and $43 million, with $22 million of that money guaranteed. The contract is not yet final, but sources say things will be wrapped up by tomorrow morning at the latest.

As always, we’ll have more on this story as it breaks.