The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because there had been no announcement about the visit by Williams, 31, who was cut by the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday.
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Safety Michael Thomas started 13 games for the Dolphins last season, but he hasn’t accrued enough time over his career to avoid being an exclusive rights free agent for the second straight year.
But even if Miami doesn’t retain some key players in free agency, Williams could wreak some real havoc working beside defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. The Dolphins also placed the transition tag on defensive end Olivier Vernon and will have to wait and see what offers he receives around the league. The sack total for Williams was his lowest since 2011, and it created questions about a potential lack of effort at times. He has made the Pro Bowl four times, most recently in 2014, when he had 14½ sacks. Pass rusher Cameron Wake has resisted a complete overhaul of his contract and, especially if Williams comes on board, is a strong candidate to be released.
It didn’t take long for Mario Williams to drum up interest.
That tag allows Vernon to negotiate with other teams, but Miami will have a chance to match. The team is closely monitoring the entire defensive end market with their two starters from last season set to become free agents next week.
Mario Williams is already getting plenty of interest as a free agent. He finished the year with a career high 3.5 sacks, giving him 9.0 for his career.
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Ian Rapoport was the first to report the visit between the player to the team.
