The Facts: The Dolphins announced that they have placed the transition tag on Clay, who was set to become a free agent next week.

Diehards Line: The transition tag differs from the non-exclusive franchise tag in that it offers teams a chance to match other offers for the player without any compensation coming their way in the event they choose not to match the offer. It also pays the player the average of the top 10 players at the position from the previous year rather than the top five salaries covered by the franchise tag. For Clay, that salary would be $7.071 million although he’d have to sign the tag to eliminate the possibility that the Dolphins rescind it and move in a different direction. Clay had 58 catches for 605 yards in 2014 and was expected to be one of the top tight ends on the open market. Julius Thomas and Jordan Cameron now look like the best players at the position who will be set free on March 10.