Dolphins Sign Safety T.J. McDonald
CBS Miami: The Dolphins added another free agent piece to its defense Friday, announcing the signing of safety T.J. McDonald.
McDonald's contract with Miami is reportedly a 1-year deal, but the amount was undisclosed.
McDonald, 26, spent the first four years of his career with the St. Louis (now Los Angeles) Rams. A third-round draft pick out of USC, McDonald registered 285 tackles, five sacks, and four interceptions during his career.
McDonald has had two separate stints on the IR – in 2013 with a fractured right leg and in 2015 with a shoulder injury – but when healthy, he played in all 16 games in both 2014 and 2016.
Miami fans won't like to hear that McDonald has been suspended without pay for the first eight games of the 2017 regular season for violating the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse.
McDonald had an incident this past May, in which he was suspected of driving under the influence of prescription drugs. He pleaded no contest to a lesser charge in January 2017.
Still, the former college All-American will provide Miami with quality depth in its secondary once he's eligible to return. The Fins signed Reshad Jones to a $60 million dollar contract extension and brought in free agent Nate Jones, who is expected to start.
"For me, definitely this is something that will never happen again," McDonald said on a conference call Friday. "I've learned, I've owned up to it, and I definitely want to grow from it. Priorities change. Everything has changed. I'm coming back [after the suspension] against the wall. I'm just happy to go move forward with this and being able to get back to playing ball. It's all about ball for me right now."
