On a busy day for the NFL, the Dolphins got a better sense of the free agency market
Tuesday began with most eyes directed at the 4 p.m. deadline for teams to use the franchise tag on pending free agents and by 9 a.m., the Dolphins had locked up tight end Mike Gesicki for the 2022 season.
By the time the NFL officially announced the eight players who had been designated franchise players at 5 p.m., the Dolphins’ move was merely a footnote in the day’s affairs.
Just a week before the beginning of the new league year and the start of free agency, the NFL experienced a whirlwind day with league-altering quarterback news that may set the tone for the weeks ahead. And when the dust had settled, the Dolphins not only secured one of their own but got a better sense of the free-agent market that lies ahead.
The Dolphins will enter free agency with offensive line and wide receiver as their top needs and they saw many of the premier options taken off the board Tuesday. The Kansas City Chiefs placed the tag on Orlando Brown Jr. and the Jacksonville Jaguars did the same with Cam Robinson. While Robinson isn’t regarded as a franchise tackle, left tackle is a premium position in the league, and there’s one fewer option available with several teams vying for a high-end player.
Arguably the top offensive tackle, the New Orleans Saints’ Terron Armstead, wasn’t tagged, however, and the Dolphins will have stiff competition if they want to sign the three-time Pro Bowler. The Indianapolis Colts’ Eric Fisher and New England Patriots’ Trent Brown are other veteran tackles set to hit free agency. The San Francisco 49ers’ Laken Tomlinson and Los Angeles Rams’ Brian Allen are potential additions at interior offensive line.
Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers used the franchise tag on Pro Bowl receiver Chris Godwin and the Green Bay Packers did the same with two-time All-Pro Davante Adams, keeping him with quarterback Aaron Rodgers for another year. Both moves were expected and shrunk the options for the Dolphins to add a No. 1 receiver. Los Angeles Chargers wideout Mike Williams wasn’t tagged but received a multi-year extension worth $20 million annually, giving insight to what may be the going rate for a top pass-catcher such as the Chicago Bears’ Allen Robinson. The Jacksonville Jaguars’ D.J. Chark and Arizona Cardinals Christian Kirk are potentially cheaper options who provide upside as younger receivers.
If Tuesday reminded teams of anything, though, it’s to expect anything around this time of the year. The Seattle Seahawks officially released six-time All-Pro inside linebacker Bobby Wagner on Wednesday as they begin the post-Russell Wilson era and more shocking cap casualties in the coming days are a foregone conclusion. According to ESPN, the Dallas Cowboys are “likely” to release wide receiver Amari Cooper by the start of the new league year, which would add another talented pass-catcher to teams’ wish lists.
With approximately $51 million in cap space, now second-most only to the Indianapolis Colts, the Dolphins still have the resources to prioritize their own top free agents and pursue others. General manager Chris Grier acknowledged the prime position the franchise finds itself in but seeks to find a balance between being too prudent and spending frivolously.
“I think it provides opportunities for us to do a lot of different things, whether it’s free agency, trades and stuff,” Grier said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “So I think for us, we’re also not living year to year. We’re trying to also have some perspective. So for us, the opportunity to add good players, we’ve always been that way. We’ve always pursued and tried to do it. So we’ll be aggressive still. If the right player, if Mike [McDaniel] and I feel is the right player for us to help us get better and keep us moving forward, we’ll go after him.
“But again, that doesn’t mean we’ll spend every cent right up to it because I think that leads you to not being able to do moves in season or, like we had a couple of times in the past where good players became [available] before the trade deadline and we weren’t able to, it was ‘Who are we going to cut?’ I think just doing that allows you flexibility to do things in the future for unforeseen opportunities as well.”
This story was originally published March 9, 2022 at 11:26 AM.
