Dolphins signing another defensive tackle in free agency — and another player with local ties
If the Miami Dolphins aren’t going to have Christian Wilkins alongside Zach Sieler on their defensive line in 2024, they’re at least going to have a number of bodies to throw at opponents in Wilkins’ place.
The latest defensive tackle addition in free agency is Teair Tart, who is signing with the Dolphins, according to a league source Friday afternoon.
Tart returns to play football in South Florida in his fifth professional season after he stood out for FIU in 2018 and 2019.
The 27-year-old Philadelphia native was with the Tennessee Titans for most of the past four seasons but was waived in December before getting claimed by the Houston Texans, appearing in two games at the end of the regular season. According to Bleacher Report, the Texans were interested in bringing him back, and the Minnesota Vikings also were in on negotiations.
At 6 feet 2, 304 pounds, Tart has started 36 of his 47 NFL games played in four years. Last season, eight of his 24 tackles resulted in a loss of yards. In his career, he has 79 tackles, 16 for loss, and 2½ sacks.
While Sieler will headline the Dolphins defensive line in 2024, Miami lost Wilkins, a 2019 first-round pick, in free agency to a lucrative offer from the Las Vegas Raiders. Nose tackle Raekwon Davis, a 2020 second-round pick, signed with the Indianapolis Colts.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, have made an array of additions at defensive tackle: Benito Jones from the Detroit Lions, Neville Gallimore from the Dallas Cowboys, Jonathan Harris from the Denver Broncos. The re-signed Da’Shawn Hand after he was a rotational defensive tackle off the bench last season.
Miami still has Brandon Pili, who made the initial 53-man roster last season as an undrafted rookie out of USC. He can compete for a roster spot again, along with the likes of Daviyon Nixon and Isaiah Mack.
No FIU alum has appeared in a regular-season game for the Dolphins in franchise history. Tart becomes the second Panther to join Miami in free agency after tight Jonnu Smith signed in March.
