More insight on the Barrett retirement as edge players audition. And Dolphins notes

A six-pack of Dolphins notes on a Monday, on the eve of veteran players reporting to training camp:

▪ A bit more insight into Dolphins linebacker Shaquil Barrett’s surprising retirement was gleaned Sunday night when his agent Drew Rosenhaus said the news was a “surprise” to him.

Barrett’s decision wasn’t something that his agent or the team apparently knew was brewing.

“I was surprised,” Rosenhaus said on his weekly Sunday night segment on WSVN-Fox 7. “He gave me a call and said he had been thinking about it for quite awhile and talking it over with his family and decided he wanted to spend his time in the future as a father and as a husband.”

The 2023 death of Barrett’s 2-year-old daughter Arrayah then was mentioned in Rosenhaus’ conversation with WSVN’s Donovan Campbell.

Arraya drowned in the family’s pool on April 30, 2023.

“He told me he is very committed to being the best father he can be, and he thought this was the time to step away from his commitment of professional football and dedicate himself to being a full-time dad,” Rosenhaus said.

“He told me this decision is final. But it wouldn’t surprise me [if] in a couple weeks or a month or two he may decide he is able to balance his family and profession. I wouldn’t be shocked, but that’s not based on any feedback I received from him.”

Rosenhaus also represents two of the edge players who are working out for the Dolphins on Monday — Emmanuel Ogbah and Yannick Ngakoue.

▪ The Dolphins never could have known that Barrett might retire, so they deserve no criticism for that.

But in a piece in the Miami Herald’s print editions in April, I questioned whether signing Barrett was sensible instead of paying a bit more to retain Andrew Van Ginkel, who left for Minnesota.

Ultimately, just $3.25 million was the difference between the guaranteed money that the Dolphins were due to pay Barrett ($6.75 million guaranteed in a one-year, $7 million contract) and what Minnesota is paying Van Ginkel ($10 million guaranteed in a two-year, $20 million contract, with another $3 million guaranteeing next March).

Miami will recoup Barrett’s salary in the wake of his retirement.

The question is whether the Dolphins — who currently have well more than $10 million in cap space — would have been better off accepting the extra cap allocation in 2024 and 2025 and bringing back Van Ginkel.

The Van Ginkel of 2023 was a better player than the Barrett of 2023 in most every measurable way.

PFF rated Van Ginkel seventh among 113 qualifying edge players, compared with 42nd for Barrett.

▪ Here’s why Pro Football Focus picks the Dolphins to win the AFC East:

“People love to talk about the offense, but the defense was also very good last season, finishing top five in both team pass rush grade (84.1) and team run defense grade (89.1). They also have the easiest strength of schedule in the division.

“It’s close between the Jets and Dolphins for me, but a more favorable schedule setup gives the Dolphins the edge.”

▪ PFF ranks Jevon Holland the sixth-best safety in football, behind Tampa Bay’s Antoine Winfield Jr., Baltimore’s Kyle Hamilton, Atlanta’s Jessie Bates III, Pittsburgh’s Minkah Fitzpatrick and Baltimore’s Marcus Williams.

PFF said of Holland: “Although he recorded a career-low 707 snaps due to injuries, Holland was playing his best football in what could be considered a breakout season for the Oregon product.

“His 90.4 PFF overall grade ranked third among safeties. Holland played only 434 coverage snaps, but his three forced fumbles following receptions led the position.”

Dolphins left tackle Terron Armstead, when asked by Kay Adams who’s a star on the team, said:

“Jevon Holland. He has a name already for sure, but not... big enough yet. He’s a special young man. He’s wise beyond his years.

“He’s a leader, to be as young as he is. He makes plays, puts people in position. He wears a lot of responsibilities that people on the sideline have no idea he will be in control of.

“This year will be huge for him. With coach Weav [Anthony Weaver] coming over, using his skill set and his abilities to being in different spots and cover different people. He will have more opportunities to make splash plays.”

▪ PFF, ranking the top 32 players at every position, slots Jalen Ramsey as the sixth-best cornerback, behind the Jets’ Sauce Gardner, the Chiefs’ Trent McDuffie, the 49ers’ Charvarius Ward, Denver’s Pat Surtain II and Chicago’s Jalen Johnson.

PFF notably ranks new Dolphins cornerback Kendall Fuller eighth, just behind Ramsey and Green Bay’s Jaire Alexander, with this comment:

”Fuller has been excellent for several years now, putting up an 85.0 grade over the last two seasons and preventing separation at a very high level. While he won’t wow on the stat sheet with gaudy interception or forced incompletion numbers, he’s as reliable as they come when it comes to making tackles and being sticky in coverage.”

▪ Unless the news leaks before, how Tua Tagovailoa plans to handle training camp amid ongoing contract negotiations will not become clear until Mike McDaniel’s Wednesday morning news conference and the first training camp practice a half hour later.

Packers quarterback Jordan Love — who, like Tagovailoa, is a 2020 draft class quarterback seeking a lucrative contract extension — won’t participate in practices or games until a deal on a new contract has been struck, Green Bay management disclosed Monday. Love will attend meetings and be present at Packers’ training camp.

The Dolphins and Tagovailoa have discussed a contract extension for months, but no deal was in place by Monday morning. The Dolphins and Tagovailoa are not as far along in discussions as Green Bay and Love are, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday.