Dolphins moving on from a starting lineman and team leader. Who will replace him?
Just six month ago, the Dolphins named veteran center Daniel Kilgore a team captain.
But come Thursday, he will be looking for another team.
The organization has decided not to pick up the 2020 option on Kilgore’s contract, making him a free agent at the start of the league year.
Kilgore was set to earn $3.5 million this year, but the Dolphins decided to move on after two seasons with the team. That entire sum will be saved against the cap, giving the team close to $100 million in space at the start of free agency.
But it also means the Dolphins will need to find a starting center (and veteran leadership) in the coming days, particularly since Evan Boehm — who also can play the position — will likewise become a free agent in a week.
The Dolphins decided to trade for Kilgore in 2018, ending Mike Pouncey’s time with the team, but a triceps injury caused him to miss most of his first season in Miami. In all, Kilgore appeared in just 17 of a possible 32 games with the team.
So who will replace him?
The Dolphins have options.
Among them: Denver’s Connor McGovern, New England’s Ted Karras and San Francisco’s Ben Garland. They could also re-sign Boehm, who had encouraging moments on the field in 2020.
Or they could address the position in the draft. Options include Washington’s Nick Harris, Western Michigan’s Luke Juriga and Arizona State’s Cohl Cabral.
The Dolphins have a league-high 14 draft picks, including six in the first two days.
By letting Kilgore despite his low salary, it’s safe to assume they have a plan to replace him. We just might not know that plan for some time.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 9:32 AM.
