Friday Dolphins Notebook: Tua's Madden Rating; FA Updates; Cook Complication?; and More

The unveiling of the annual Madden player ratings, which always spur a lot of conversations, involved the quarterbacks Friday and the Miami Dolphins' own Tua Tagovailoa came in at number 10 overall among his position peers.

Tagovailoa came in behind Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins.

In specific categories, Tua came in third in medium accuracy rating and fourth in short accuracy.

Tua's overall rating was 83, which is tied for eighth on the Dolphins with Jaelan Phillips, behind Tyreek Hill (98), Jalen Ramsey (97), Terron Armstead (91), Jaylen Waddle (88), Christian Wilkins (86), Jevon Holland (84) and Xavien Howard (84).

RELATED: TUA'S PLACE AMONG NFL QBs, ACCORDING TO OMAR KELLY

COOK COMPLICATION?

There was a twist in the Great Dalvin Cook Watch on Friday, with a report from the Star Tribune in Minnesota (based on a court filing) suggesting he offered $1 million to an ex-girlfriend to write a letter to the NFL exonerating him of any wrongdoing after she testified under oath he had physically abused her.

Cook is the subject of a personal injury lawsuit from Gracelyn Trimble, while he has filed a defamation lawsuit against her, with both cases pending.

A hearing regarding the most recent court filing in the case is scheduled for Monday, according to the Tribune report. In that filing, Trimble's attorney objected to Cook's request to bar testimony at trial of his offers of $800,000 to deny abuse claims or $1 million to send a letter to the NFL.

Cook's attorney told ESPN in 2021 that the player was assaulted by the woman after she broke into his residence and later tried to extort him.

Despite not being criminally charged, Cook could find himself subject to NFL discipline based on its personal-conduct policy, though the personal injury lawsuit isn't scheduled to begin until next year and the league tends to let the judicial process conclude before imposing sanctions.

FREE AGENCY UPDATE

Among the long list of veteran free agents still on the market days before every team opens training camp are 11 players who were with the Dolphins last season, and one of them got a look Friday when linebacker Sam Eguavoen worked out for the New York Giants.

Also still without a team are CB Byron Jones, QB Teddy Bridgewater, LB Melvin Ingram, T Eric Fisher, TE Cethan Carter, TE Adam Shaheen, LB Trey Flowers, S Clayton Fejedelem, DT Justin Zimmer and OLB Porter Gustin.

With Jones, his Twitter comments early in the offseason suggested his career might be in jeopardy, if not over, because of the lower-leg issues that sidelined him for the entire 2022 season.

HALL OF FAME NUGGETS

When Zach Thomas gets inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in two weeks, he'll be doing so in front of a handful of former Dolphins greats who will be in Canton to attend the festivities.

The list of Hall of Famers who will be back in Canton to attend the ceremonies are Larry Csonka, Larry Little, Dan Marino, Dwight Stephenson and Paul Warfield, along with Coach Jimmy Johnson, who will be Thomas' presenter.

Before the induction ceremony this year, the Hall will honor the 1993 Class on the 30-year anniversary of their induction. That group includes Little, along with Walter Payton, Dan Fouts, Bill Walsh and Chuck Noll.