Cap space no excuse for Dolphins’ quiet free agency, as teams with less are doing more
The Tennessee Titans began the week with $19 million of cap space, and yet found a way to sign Bud Dupree to a five-year, $82.5 million contract.
There was a real chance Romeo Okwara would not return to Detroit because the Lions had roughly as much space as the Titans. And yet, the two sides were able to agree on a three-year, $39 million deal.
As for the Raiders? They had barely eight figures’ worth of available funds, and yet landed Yannick Ngakoue on a two-year deal worth $26 million.
All three organizations believed that paying for pricey edge defenders who get to the quarterback was worth cutting into their future cap space, and rearranged their books accordingly.
The Miami Dolphins, meanwhile, have so far been unwilling to make such a trade-off. While teams around the league have been restructuring contracts and cutting their own to sign top-end players, the Dolphins have barely opened the wallet. As a result, their 2021 roster so far looks a lot like their 2020 roster, with better depth.
Could that change in the coming days?
Perhaps.
But it doesn’t seem super likely.
Instead, general manager Chris Grier and coach Brian Flores appear unlikely to sacrifice tomorrow for today — even though tomorrow (2022) looks to bring more than $50 million in cap space they could borrow against at any time.
In fact, there might be just one player the Dolphins are willing to bust their budget to acquire: Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who for two months has been trying to force his way out of Houston.
The Texans have, so far, been unwilling to entertain trade proposals, but perhaps that stance is softening. John McClain, the dean of Houston sports writing, reported Wednesday that he expects Watson will eventually be traded.
So maybe the Dolphins are hoarding their resources to make way for Watson. Should the Dolphins trade for him, they would have to both absorb Watson’s contract and the cap hit that would come with dealing Tua Tagovailoa, which would be all but certain after the team added Jacoby Brissett as its backup Tuesday.
But that’s a mighty big gamble, and if the Dolphins are ultimately unable to land Watson, they might regret being so thrifty.
Their cost-consciousness might have cost them Ted Karras, Miami’s 2020 center who wanted to return. The Dolphins expressed interest in having Karras back, but not before pursuing David Andrews, who wants to get paid. Perhaps growing tired of waiting, Karras agreed to return to New England on a one-year deal Wednesday.
Andrews remains the best center available, particularly after the Raiders traded Rodney Hudson to the Cardinals instead of cutting him, and the Dolphins remain interested. But he is said to want a contract that pays him upwards of $10 million annually and the Dolphins, as of now, remain unwilling to meet that demand.
As for receiver — perhaps the most important position for the Dolphins this offseason — it’s been more of the same. The Washington Football Team, with no more cap space than the Dolphins, found a way to sign Curtis Samuel to a three-year, $34.5 million deal late Wednesday.
That could be spark needed to thaw the frozen wideout market. Kenny Golladay, the best receiver available, has multiple offers and is reportedly visiting the Giants, a team that from the beginning has been seen as a front-runner for his services. Contracts for JuJu Smith-Schuster and Will Fuller might not be far behind.
Dolphins moves
While they avoided signing any big names Wednesday, the Dolphins didn’t sit on their hands.
They added two ex-Patriots who played for Flores: defensive tackle Adam Butler and cornerback Justin Coleman. Butler agreed to a two-year contract worth in excess of $7 million, while Coleman’s deal is for one year and $2.75 million.
Butler, 26, fills the spot vacated when Davon Godchaux bolted for Boston. The 6-5, 300-pound defensive tackle has appeared in 63 games in his four-year career, starting 12. He has 15 sacks and 20 tackles for loss in that time.
Coleman, who turns 28 next week, has appeared in 79 games, starting 29, in his career with four interceptions, four forced fumbles and two defensive touchdowns. He’s expected to compete for the Dolphins’ slot cornerback job.
One more new face: Wide receiver Robert Foster, who will be part of what looks to be a pretty strong training camp competition.
Foster has 32 career catches for 642 yards and three touchdowns in three seasons spent with the Bills and Washington Football Team.
This story was originally published March 17, 2021 at 8:50 PM.
