MIAMI – The Miami Dolphins have re-signed linebacker Kelvin Sheppard to a one-year contract, signed safety Michael Thomas and placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on defensive end Derrick Shelby, the team announced today.
“I am pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement to keep Kelvin and Michael with the Miami Dolphins,” said General Manager Dennis Hickey. “Kelvin and Michael both played important roles for the team last season, filling in on defense as well as being key contributors on special teams. Additionally, we placed a restricted free agent tender on Derrick with the hope to retain him as a member of the Dolphins.”
The 6-2, 252-pound, Sheppard is entering his fifth NFL season and second with the Dolphins after spending one season with the Indianapolis Colts (2013) and two seasons with the Buffalo Bills (2011-12). He was originally a third-round selection (68th overall) of Buffalo in the 2011 NFL draft. In his career, Sheppard has played in 61 games with 32 starts and recorded 201 tackles (127 solo), three sacks, three passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. In 2014, after joining Miami in Week 2 of the regular season, he saw action in 14 games with one start and recorded 20 tackles (14 solo); one forced fumble and four special teams tackles. In his one start of the season at New England (Dec. 14), he notched the second double-digit tackle output of his career with 10 tackles (seven solo), including one tackle for loss and a forced fumble.
Sheppard played collegiately at Louisiana State where he played in 53 games with 30 starts. He finished his career at LSU ranked ninth in school history with 311 tackles. He posted back-to-back 100-plus tackle campaigns in both his junior and senior seasons. As a senior in 2010, he earned All-SEC first-team honors when he started all 13 games and led the Tigers with 116 tackles, the third-most in the SEC. He also added 11 tackles for loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Born January 2, 1988, Sheppard attended Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Ga.
The 5-11, 201-pound Thomas played in eight games with two starts for the Dolphins in 2014 prior to being placed on injured reserve on Nov. 3. He originally joined Miami on Dec. 10, 2013 from the San Francisco 49ers practice squad and played the final three games of the season with the team. He spent the entire 2012 season on San Francisco’s practice squad where he was initially signed as an undrafted college free agent on May 4, 2012. In his career, he has played in 11 games with two starts and recorded 10 tackles (eight solo), one interception and two passes defensed as well as 10 special teams tackles. In 2014, he recorded eight tackles (six solo) and was second on the team with nine special teams tackles, despite missing eight games due to injury.
Thomas played collegiately at Stanford where he played in 51 games with 24 starts. He finished his career with 189 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, five interceptions, 30 passes defensed, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Born March 17, 1990 in Houston, Texas, Thomas attended Nimitz High School.
The 6-2, 282-pound, Shelby is entering his fourth season in the NFL in 2015, all with the Dolphins. In his career, he has appeared in 47 games with one start and recorded 66 tackles (49 solo), 5.5 sacks, one interception, one pass defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. In 2014, he appeared in 15 games and recorded 26 tackles (21 solo), a career-high three sacks and his first career interception.
Shelby played collegiately at Utah where he played in 47 games with 40 starts and was a four-year academic all-conference selection. A senior, he started all 13 games and recorded 55 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, five sacks and seven pass breakups, and was named as a first-team all-Pac-12 selection. Born March 4, 1989 in Houston, Texas, Shelby attended Hightower High School.
