Dolphins signing former Lions starting safety, add depth with additional moves

As the NFL’s new league year opened at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, the Dolphins made multiple moves to add to their roster.

The Dolphins are signing former Detroit Lions safety DeShon Elliott and former Denver Broncos tight end Eric Saubert, league sources told the Miami Herald. Miami is also re-signing running back Myles Gaskin and claiming wide receiver Freddie Swain off waivers, sources said.

Elliott, who turns 26 in April, appeared in 14 games and made 13 starts in Detroit last season, recording 96 tackles and one interception. A sixth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2018 NFL Draft, Elliott has appeared in 42 games (35 starts), recording 205 tackles, two interceptions and 3.5 sacks. He played college football at Texas with Dolphins safety Brandon Jones.

The Dolphins were linked to Jordan Poyer at the onset of free agency but he has reportedly opted to re-sign with the Buffalo Bills. Elliott joins a safety room that includes Jevon Holland, Verone McKinley III, Elijah Campbell and Jones, who is rehabbing from a torn ACL he sustained in Week 7.

Safeties Eric Rowe and Clayton Fejdelem, among other players, officially became free agents at 4 p.m. and are permitted to sign with new teams.

Saubert, who turns 29 in May, has spent the last two seasons in Denver. This past year, he appeared in all 17 games and made six starts, recording 15 catches for 148 yards and one touchdown. A fifth-round pick of the Falcons in the 2017 NFL Draft, Saubert spent his first two seasons in Atlanta and then one year apiece with the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars. In 74 games (15 starts) over six seasons, Saubert has recorded 33 catches for 280 yards and two touchdowns. He’s also been a consistent special teams contributor throughout his career.

The Dolphins had a need at tight end after trading Hunter Long to the Los Angeles Rams in the deal that brought All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey to Miami. Mike Gesicki is also an unrestricted free agent and is not expected to return. The only other tight ends on the roster are Durham Smythe and Tanner Conner.

Gaskin, who led the Dolphins in rushing in 2020 and 2021, only appeared in four games this past season, falling down the depth chart after the arrival of Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. He finished the season with 10 carries for 26 yards and was placed on injured reserve in December with a shoulder injury, sidelining him for Miami’s final three games.

His signing means the Dolphins have retained all four backs who were slated to become free agents. Miami reached agreements on two-year deals with Mostert and Wilson and signed Salvon Ahmed, a restricted free agent, to a one-year deal last week.

Swain, who turns 25 in August, spent the majority of the season on the Dolphins’ practice squad and appeared in one game, playing seven snaps. The Broncos signed him off Miami’s practice squad in December and he caught four passes for 74 yards. Denver waived Swain on Tuesday.