Monday Dolphins Notebook: New CB, Bowden Update, Ryan Reflections, and More

The big news with the Miami Dolphins on Monday involved the official signing of tackles Isaiah Wynn and Cedric Ogbueghi, but there was another player transaction.

Although the move has yet to become official, the Dolphins also signed former XFL defensive back Bryce Thompson, according to multiple reports.

Thompson had two interceptions with the Seattle Sea Dragons in the just-completed season after playing eight games with the New Orleans Saints the past two seasons.

Thompson went undrafted out of Tennessee in 2021 and will have to make a quick impression if he hopes to earn a roster spot.

LYNN BOWDEN UPDATE

Wide receiver Lynn Bowden once was viewed as a promising young player for the Dolphins, but his NFL career is at a crossroads after he was released last week by the New England Patriots.

Bowden caught 28 passes as a rookie for the Dolphins in 2020 after being acquired in a trade with the Raiders, but he appeared in only one game the past two seasons and didn't even make through the offseason program this time.

The Patriots signed Bowden to their practice squad last year after the Dolphins waived after the preseason after he had spent all of 2021 on IR, but he was activated for only one game in 2022 and played 14 snaps on offense in a 26-3 victory against Indianapolis in November.

The question now is whether Bowden, a third-round pick of the Raiders in the 2020 draft, will get another shot this season.

MATT RYAN REFLECTIONS AND THE 2008 DRAFT

The playing career of quarterback Matt Ryan sure appears to be over after he revealed Monday he would become a game analyst for CBS, perhaps finally closing a chapter in Dolphins history.

Yes, in Dolphins history.

If indeed is done, Ryan will be ending a 15-year career that began when the Atlanta Falcons made him the third overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft, two spots after the Dolphins selected tackle Jake Long with the No. 1 pick.

The decision obviously was a controversial one because the Dolphins passed up on the opportunity to land a franchise quarterback, but it says here it wasn't that simple because Long was a much better tackle than Ryan was a quarterback and Long would be headed to the Hall of Fame had it not been for injuries.

The other question is whether Ryan was such a slam-dunk choice. Remember, it wasn't just the Dolphins who passed him up but also the L.A. Rams, who took defensive end Chris Long second overall and ended up with Marc Bulger as their starter in 2008.

Let's be honest, Ryan had a very good NFL career, but this wasn't Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck the Dolphins bypassed.

With Ryan as their quarterback, Atlanta made the playoffs six times in 15 seasons and really should have won the Super Bowl in 2016 — with Mike McDaniel on their staff. In that same time span, the Dolphins made the playoffs twice, so playing the results would make it easy to say the Dolphins messed up by not taking Ryan.

In hindsight, sure, the Dolphins should have taken them because their quest for a QB continued long after they took Jake Long, but maybe that speaks more to a bigger overall problem that than a clear mistake in not taking Matt Ryan.

It says here that the decision to take Jake Long over Ryan didn't pan out because of bad luck, not because it was a bad decision.

THE ATLANTA FLORIDA DOLPHINS

This is for those who missed the brilliant Tennessee Titans' schedule release video, where they asked fans to reveal each opponent week by week by identifying a logo.

Oh, we should point out those were Tennessee Titans fans and clearly not NFL fans. This is how we wound up with the Lightning McQueen (Chargers); Boston Bobcats (Bengals); and, yes, the Atlanta Florida Dolphins.

We asked people on Broadway to help us with our 2023 schedule release. 🤣

📺: 2023 Schedule Release on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/31LsUUDn3O
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) May 12, 2023

NUMBERS GAME

For those wondering about such things, the three new veteran newcomers the Dolphins officially have signed have yet to be assigned a jersey number.

Those three are tight end Tyler Kroft, and offensive linemen Isaiah Wynn and Cedric Ogbuehi.

Wynn wore 76 during his time in New England, but that number was assigned to rookie seventh-round pick Ryan Hayes.

Ogbuehi has had four different numbers during his NFL career — 67, 70, 74 and 77. All four of those numbers currently belong to other players — Dan Feeney, Kendall Lamm, Liam Eichenberg and Kion Smith, respectively.

Finally, Kroft has worn mostly 81 in his NFL career, along with a brief time wearing 47. He won't get 81 because that's the number Durham Smythe has worn since 2018, and 47 currently belongs to new linebacker Malik Reed.