Another Former Patriots Player Could Be a Fit

The Miami Dolphins haven't been shy about signing former New England Patriots players, which is why it's no surprise to see mentioned as one of the leading contenders to land the services of pending free agent center David Andrews.

It would be quite the twist because Andrews would replace Ted Karras, who was his backup in New England until Andrews had to sit out the 2019 season because of blood clot issues that since have been handled.

But there's another former New England player who became available Tuesday who also could be of interest to the Dolphins and would fill a need.

That would be defensive tackle Danny Shelton, who was let go by the Detroit Lions in a salary cap move.

Before he joined the Lions in 2020 to be reunited with former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, Shelton played in New England in 2018 and 2019.

In that first season, his defensive coordinator — even though he didn't officially have that title — was Brian Flores.

Shelton is a run stuffer, and the Dolphins could use some depth in the area after losing defensive tackle Davon Godchaux to those same Patriots. Shelton was scheduled to make $4 million in base salary in 2021, so he would come in considerably cheaper than what New England gave Godchaux (two years, $16 million with $9 million in guarantees, per reports).

Former Dolphins’ NT Davon Godchaux agrees with the Patriots on a 2-year deal worth up to $16 million that includes $9 million fully guaranteed, his agent @DrewJRosenhaus tells ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2021

Here's a scouting report on Shelton from All Lions Publisher John Maakaron:

"Nose tackle Danny Shelton was a salary-cap casualty of the Detroit Lions. By releasing the sixth-year veteran defensive lineman, the Lions saved $4 million on this year's cap. The selection of John Penisini in last year's draft and his productive rookie season gave Detroit confidence to move on from Shelton. In Detroit, Shelton was unfortunately part of the defensive line that struggled in every facet of the game. Individually, he had a productive season, but the Lions organization is clearly looking to change the type of player that suits up for them on defense.

"Under former head coach Matt Patricia, the organization targeted big, lumbering players on defense. With a new regime in town, they are clearly looking for faster, leaner players all across the board on defense. Based on film review, Shelton has an effective bull rush, but struggles to incorporate other tools in his arsenal. He demonstrated solid lower-body strength and is rarely manhandled by opposing offensive lineman. He did struggle to perform consistently against elite offensive linemen and he should be considered a two-down nose tackle in most NFL defensive schemes."