The Dolphins plan to hold onto Jake Long despite a report suggesting that his time with the team may be ending soon. "I'd like to clear the air on an article," general manager Jeff Ireland said. "I don't normally go overboard on media speculation. But last night I saw an article about Jake Long. I have plans to keep Jake Long here for a long time. So, let's don't get ahead of ourselves. ... We drafted Jonathan Martin to be a tackle on this football team, a right tackle on this football team. Let's don't speculate any further than that."

The Dolphins drafted Stanford lineman Jonathan Martin in the second round of the NFL Draft, the latest sign that Jake Long may not be long for Miami. "The more I do the calculations, the more it seems Jake Long is about to get caught in the vortex of this sweeping Dolphins overhaul," writes Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "It might not happen this offseason, but the massive left tackle -- whose massive contract runs out after next season -- is on shaky ground just the same."

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has gone on the record refuting reports that he is pushing the team to draft Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Despite the owner's attempts, teams around the NFL aren't buying into the belief that Miami could pass on Tannehill. "People know Miami's going to take (Tannehill)," said Jaguars director of player personnel Terry McDonough. "If a team wants a quarterback, they're going to have to come in front of Miami," McDonough said. Jacksonville has the seventh overall pick in Thursday night's first round.

Jeff Ireland will have the final say on who the Dolphins draft during this week's NFL Draft. It has been reported that Miami owner Stephen Ross is leading the charge for the team to take a quarterback with the eighth overall pick, specifically Ryan Tannehill. "Jeff Ireland will make the call who we draft, with input from Coach (Joe) Philbin and the football staff," Ross wrote in a note to Pro Football Talk. "They're the ones who have spent months reviewing tape, scouting, and gathering information from every source available to them. They have kept me fully informed about their draft analysis, and they have my full support and backing whoever they decide to pick. I know they will select the players they think can best help this football team win."

The Dolphins have released defensive end Phillip Merling. A second-round draft pick in 2008, Merling has shown a lack of discipline that has worn thin with the team, according to sources.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is the driving force behind the team's interest in selecting Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill with the No. 8 overall pick, according to a league source. Offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, who joined the Dolphins this offseason, was Tannehill's college coach at Texas A&M.

All signs point to the Dolphins picking Ryan Tannehill in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft, but Fletcher Cox might be a surprising option. Like Tannehill, the defensive lineman would fill a need because the Dolphins are looking for pass-rush help and lost Kendall Langford to free agency. Unlike Tannehill, Cox would play right away because he is NFL-ready now.

The Dolphins are believed to be open to anything heading into next week's NFL Draft, including trading their first-round pick. "Anything is possible," general manager Jeff Ireland said when asked about dealing the eighth overall selection. "Trading back, trading up."

After spending the last four seasons with the Patriots, Gary Guyton has signed on with the Dolphins. Guyton started 32 games for New England and has career totals of 4.5 sacks, three interceptions and three fumble recoveries.

Former Dolphins quarterback Bob Griese said there were no bounties on quarterbacks in his day, according to an ESPN.com report on Thursday. That's because back in the 1970s, knockout attempts were so routine they didn't merit extra payment. "Everybody would try to get the quarterbacks out of the game back then," Griese said. "They weren't getting paid for it. They would just try to knock you out."