‘Dolphin for life’ Pouncey changes tune on Miami exit
Mike Pouncey said he was heartbroken when he and the Dolphins were parting. Now, it seems he’s bitter. Pouncey, a Pro Bowl center, was released by the Dolphins last month after declining to take a pay cut. He quickly joined the Los Angeles Chargers.
Speaking to reporters in Southern California on Monday, Pouncey said he was unhappy that the Dolphins texted his agent, Joel Segal, to let him know he was being released instead of calling Pouncey directly. “They have added fuel to the fire,” Pouncey said.
The comments were tweeted by Fernando Ramirez, a reporter for the NBC affiliate in San Diego, and Dan Woike, who covers the Chargers for the Los Angeles Times. Segal did not immediately return a message from The Post. The Dolphins declined to comment.
But Pouncey’s comment likely surprised some in Davie. For one, his release came only after the Dolphins asked him to take a pay cut. After declining, Pouncey asked to be released, so the move couldn’t have come as a surprise.
Second, Pouncey at the time put an upbeat face on his departure, saying he gave Miami everything he had and was “heartbroken” to be moving on.
“At the end of the day I’m a Miami Dolphin for life,” Pouncey told The Post. “This city gave me an opportunity to play in the NFL. I think it was awesome. I had a hell of a ride here.”
Is Anderson in Dolphins’ plans? Running back C.J. Anderson has publicly stated his desire to play for Dolphins coach Adam Gase. That opportunity may come to fruition once again.
The Broncos are releasing Anderson, and Miami could use another highly skilled running back to pair with Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore.
In 2016, the Dolphins gave Anderson a 4-year, $18 million offer sheet, which the running back signed. But to the surprise of some, the Broncos chose to match the offer.
Anderson, 27, was due to count $4.5 million against the cap in each of the next two seasons. He rushed for a career-high 1,007 yards last season, but his touchdowns have decreased for four straight seasons and his yards-per-carry are down significantly from two seasons ago.
Anderson, 5-foot-8, 225 pounds, averaged 4.7 yards per carry in 2014 and 2015 and 4.0 and 4.1 the last two seasons. He also has 103 career catches, so he’s a versatile talent. Gase was Anderson’s offensive coordinator in Denver in 2013 and 2014.
Dolphins sign tight end: The Dolphins announced the signing of tight end Gavin Escobar on Monday. Escobar, 27, 6-5, 250, has played in 64 games with seven starts during his NFL career. He was Dallas’ second-round pick in 2013.
His most productive season was his first. He caught nine passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns for the Cowboys in 2013. He has a total of 12 receptions over the past three seasons, including zero last year.
‘He’s a guy that we’ve counted on for two years and he just keeps getting better.’