The Dolphins spent big resources to fix their roster. How remaining needs can be addressed
Late last month at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Mike McDaniel spoke glowingly about quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and gave more insight into his vision as new Dolphins head coach. General manager Chris Grier spoke in a measured tone about the team’s offseason plans, with more than $60 million in cap space but a litany of needs to address in the coming weeks and months.
As McDaniel, Grier, and other members of Dolphins brass gathered in Palm Beach this week for the league’s annual owners meetings, they have overseen the morphing of a roster, particularly on offense , in hopes of competing with a vastly improved AFC.
The Dolphins’ attempts at improving from a 9-8 finish in 2021 haven’t come without major costs, though. The team had to cut two players and restructure a pair of contracts to remain under the cap after the sizable contracts given to left tackle Terron Armstead and wide receiver Tyreek Hill. The acquisition of Hill also required the Dolphins give up five draft picks in the next two years and three in the 2022 NFL Draft. They will likely enter next month’s draft without a top-100 pick, which Grier admitted he’s content with after getting a player of Hill’s caliber.
Barring any major restructuring or offloading of contracts, the Dolphins’ biggest moves of the offseason are behind them. But after spending significant resources to improve their roster in the first two weeks of free agency, the team will have to find shrewd ways to fill their remaining needs between now and the start of the season in September.
Here is a list of routes the Dolphins can go to address the remaining positions of need in free agency and the draft.
Interior offensive line
▪ Skinny: The Dolphins have added two offensive lineman in Armstead and Connor Williams, the favorite to start the season at left guard. There are still questions, however, at center, where Michael Deiter started eight games in 2021, and right guard, as Robert Hunt is an option to move to right tackle after the release of Jesse Davis. Grier remains bullish on Deiter but said the team would add competition at center.
▪ Free agency: One of the top options at center is still available in J.C. Tretter, who was released by the Cleveland Browns two weeks ago. He’s a scheme fit in McDaniel’s zone running scheme and at 31 would provide more veteran leadership to a young offensive line. Tretter made $9 million in 2021 and was graded the No. 6 center by Pro Football Focus, so landing him might require more cost-cutting moves. Signing Tretter also probably wouldn’t align with Grier’s comments about adding “competition.” Tretter would likely come to Miami as the appointed starter.
▪ Draft: The Dolphins are without their top two picks in the NFL Draft and barring any trades won’t make their first selection until late Friday night with the No. 102 overall pick. This means they aree all but certain to miss out on the top three interior linemen prospects: Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum, Boston College’s Zion Johnson and Texas A&M’s Kenyon Green.
Memphis’ Dylan Parham is a late Day 2 to early Day 3 prospect who has versatility across the offensive line but his size — 6-3, 311 pounds — will likely limit him to center or guard in the NFL. He performed well at the Combine and has the speed and agility to thrive in a zone running scheme.
Right tackle
▪ Skinny: The Dolphins signed Armstead to man the left tackle position but right tackle is unknown after the team released Davis. The 2022 Week 1 starter very well could be on the roster, though, with Hunt, Austin Jackson and Liam Eichenberg all candidates for the spot.
▪ Free agency: Many of the top right tackles available, such as La’el Collins, Morgan Moses and Trent Brown, have been signed. The remaining next-best options, such as David Quessenberry, Cornelius Lucas and Riley Reiff, would all likely come relatively cheap but have questions — age, durability, poor recent production — that might force the Dolphins to look in-house or to the draft.
▪ Draft: This year’s offensive tackle class is viewed as a deep one, so while the Dolphins won’t get a blue-chip prospect, there should be legitimate options to add depth and maybe compete for a starting spot. Lousiana’s Max Mitchell was Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded tackle in the country and has a refined technique in pass protection. At 307, he’s on the lighter side for someone who’s 6-6, though, and his athletic testing did not stand out at the Senior Bowl and Combine to perhaps justify the weight.
Inside linebacker
▪ Skinny: Despite notable inside linebackers — Bobby Wagner the most prominent — available, the Dolphins opted to re-sign all their lower-profile players at the position to fit niche roles.
▪ Free agency: It was telling that the Dolphins quickly re-signed their own instead of aggressively pursuing a player of Wagner’s caliber, and unless his asking price significantly drops, Miami doesn’t seem like a landing spot. The Dolphins have their starters and depth filled out, so any signing would be a marginal player such as Vince Biegel, who has yet to be re-signed.
▪ Draft: Far out of the range of the draft’s top two linebackers, Nakobe Dean and Devin Lloyd, the Dolphins will have to settle for a player who, like many of their returning players, fits a certain role and can potentially develop over time. Georgia’s Channing Tindall is a Day 2-Day 3 prospect whose speed — he ran a 4.47 40 at the Combine — could fit perfectly in the Dolphins’ aggressive defense.
Punter
▪ Skinny: The Dolphins did not re-sign Matt Palardy, currently leaving them without a punter. Grier said the team is still looking through free agency and the draft.
▪ Free agency: The best remaining veteran punters are the likes of Kevin Huber and Thomas Morstead, who are serviceable but on the far side of 30 and not long-term options.
▪ Draft: After the Hill trade, the Dolphins still have one of their fourth-round picks, which might be the perfect spot to select San Diego State’s Matt Araiza, the draft’s top punter. Araiza, known as the “Punt God,” set an NCAA record this past season with a 51.19 yards per punt average and would come with a cheap four-year contract as a rookie.
This story was originally published March 29, 2022 at 11:24 AM.
