What was discovered about Dolphins’ free agency, surprise retirement and more
A six-pack of Dolphins notes on a Thursday:
▪ One fascinating discussion point about the Dolphins in recent days has been whether they’re better off spending what it takes to add several top remaining free agents or whether they should simply play their young guys and veterans and add only a couple of cheap, decent veterans at need positions.
Last month, general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan downplayed the likelihood of headline-grabbing signings.
“I don’t think we have any tricks up our sleeve, to be honest with you,” he said. “We’ll probably sit tight with that [post-June 1 cap space]. We need the money to sign our draft class, and we need to be disciplined with the finances and get back to a healthy spot. So I do not foresee [an aggressive pursuit of free agents] happening.”
When I investigated this week, I found no evidence to indicate that Sullivan’s position has changed.
Per a source, the Dolphins have not reached out about two of the best remaining free agent safeties (Dallas’ Donovan Wilson, who had two interceptions in 15 starts last season, and Buffalo’s Taylor Rapp, who has 12 career picks).
They have shown no interest in re-signing Rasul Douglas, their best cornerback last season and rated by Pro Football Focus as the No. 21 corner in the league in 2025.
They haven’t called about Keenan Allen, perhaps the most accomplished free agent receiver among those who have not had any legal issues.
(Stefon Diggs is better at this stage of their careers, but Diggs has had plenty of legal issues. This month, he was acquitted on felony strangulation and misdemeanor assault charges involving his personal chef. In February 2026, he was named in a civil suit alleging that associates of Diggs assaulted a man at a Miami cabaret over unpaid gifts. Bottom line: He likely wouldn’t be a good fit on a noncontender looking to establish a culture.)
Deebo Samuel is probably the best available free agent receiver, and it’s unknown if there has been contact with Miami. But national insiders have traditionally linked him to contenders.
The Dolphins brought in edge player AJ Epenesa for a visit last month, and he remains a possibility. But his workout with the Bears this week suggests there’s no deal in place with Miami.
The Dolphins’ cap space will grow from $645,000 to $21 million after Bradley Chubb’s’ release is processed on Monday. About half that $21 million is needed to sign the draft class. Using creative cap tools — including void years — the Dolphins probably could sign three marquee names if they surprisingly chose to do so.
But would that even make sense?
The upshot of doing that: Perhaps this team can win seven games, even eight, by adding Douglas, Allen and Mitchell, but even that sounds like a stretch and would rely on many other things happening (Malik Willis flourishing; Chop Robinson and Kenneth Grant blossoming; the young corners and safeties emerging).
The downside of doing that: You’re taking away snaps from young players who need to be evaluated, and you’re potentially hurting your chances of landing a high pick in a loaded 2027 draft.
If it was realistic to think that any of these players could make the Dolphins a wild-card contender, I would try to sign three of the best available at need positions when cap space arrives next week. But even with those players, it’s easy to come up with at least 11 AFC teams better than Miami.
So if the Dolphins largely bypass what’s left of neon names on the free agent market, it certainly can be justified. And even though there’s a good chance one or two veteran signings will be recognizable names and upgrades, there’s no need — in our view — to go on a spending spree and clutter your 2027 and 2028 cap in an attempt to win seven games, instead of five games, this season.
The one exception I would make is at receiver, where a veteran who can still play (not just lead, but play) would be helpful in assessing Willis.
The listing of remaining veteran free agent receivers includes Tyreek Hill (coming off major knee injury), Samuel, Brandin Cooks, Tyler Lockett, Diggs, Curtis Samuel, De’Andre Hopkins, Noah Brown, Allen, Josh Reynolds, Zay Jones, Tim Patrick, Hunter Renfroe, Braxton Berrios, Sterling Shepard and Ju-Ju Smith Schuster.
▪ Why did talented former Texas A&M running back Le’Veon Moss retire days after signing with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent?
According to a source with direct knowledge, several injuries “made him fall out of love with the game.”
Moss sustained two major leg injuries in college — a torn ACL and MCL in November 2024, and a significant ankle injury last October, which forced him to miss the final six games of the regular season. He returned for the UM-Texas A&M playoff game but re-injured the ankle, and his draft stock fell.
Nevertheless, he had more than a small chance to unseat Jaylen Wright or Ollie Gordon II if he had stuck around and impressed all summer. Moss, who is 5-11 and 203 pounds, averaged 5.5 yards per carry on 321 career carries at Texas A&M and ran for 22 touchdowns. NFL.com called him a fifth-round talent in the months before the draft.
Legally, he’s not entitled to the $258,000 in guaranteed money that the Dolphins gave him days earlier. If he changes his mind and decides to come out of retirement, he would need to petition commissioner Roger Goodell for reinstatement by filing paperwork. The Dolphins would retain his rights for the next three seasons.
▪ Moss was given the second-most guaranteed money among the Dolphins’ 11 undrafted free agent signings.
Here were the other guarantees given to the Dolphins undrafted rookies, per both sources and overthecap.com:
Louisville defensive lineman Rene Konga: $10,000 signing bonus, plus $247,500 guaranteed.
Wisconsin edge player Mason Reigor: $8,333 signing bonus, plus $150,000 guaranteed.
Michigan receiver Donaven McCulley: $3,333 signing bonus, plus $50,000 guaranteed.
Iowa State center Jim Bonifas: $3,333 signing bonus, plus $25,000 guaranteed.
Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski: $1,666 signing bonus, plus $10,000 guaranteed.
Western Michigan edge player Rodney McGraw: $3333 signing bonus, with nothing else guaranteed.
Indiana safety Louis Moore: $1,666 signing bonus, with nothing else guaranteed.
Oregon State running back Anthony Hankerson: $1,666 signing bonus, with nothing else guaranteed.
Kentucky defensive tackle Kahlil Saunders: $1,666 signing bonus, with nothing else guaranteed.
Boston College offensive lineman Kevin Cline: $666 signing bonus, with nothing else guaranteed
▪ Zach Sieler, who turns 31 on Sept. 7, was asked this week if he thinks about how he fits in, in the years to come, on a team that’s rebuilding.
“I don’t think about that,” he said. “I told Zeek [Biggers and others on] Day 1, ‘You all are here to take my job and that’s my job not to let you.’ And there’s no hard feelings... I love it here. My home is here. My wife and I love it down here. We want to make a name and I want to retire a Dolphin, so I’ll do whatever it takes to stay here.”
Sieler is due $44 million between 2027 and 2029, but none of that money is guaranteed.
▪ Sullivan continues to reshape the team’s front office, parting with several scouts and hiring several to fill out his inner circle.
Among the newcomers:
1). Former Browns senior personnel advisor Shaun Herock, who was the Raiders’ interim general manager in 2018 and spent 18 years with the Packers, including 11 years as their director of college scouting, a job that allowed him to work with Sullivan. He has spent more than 30 years in the NFL, including tenures with the Raiders and Browns. He’s the son of Ken Herock, a former personnel executive with the Raiders, Buccaneers and Falcons.
2). Scout Jack Schneider, who worked in personnel for four years with Boise State.
Sullivan previously hired new assistant GM Kyle Smith, new senior personnel executive Jon Robinson (the former Titans GM), new assistant director/player personnel Josh Scobey (a former Cardinals and Jaguars executive) and former Packers scout Venzell Boulware (for a scouting role with Miami).
Several longtime Dolphins front-office officials have remained with the organization, including executive vice president/football operations Brandon Shore, director of college scouting Matt Winston and senior national scout Ron Brockington.
▪ NBC’s Chris Simms, who consistently ranked former Dolphins player Tua Tagovailoa among the bottom third of starting quarterbacks, is bullish on Malik Willis, ranking him 19th and asserting that he has “superstar talent. I know the film is limited, but the film is superstarish, too. I’m just going to say it… Malik Willis’s best throws are up there with the superstars of the sport. And then, of course, his athletic ability and what he does there is incredible.
“His playmaking, his running, his extending, all of that. This year on film was borderline perfect. He never missed a throw. And then of course he hit throws where I’d go, ‘Only like Josh Allen and the top quarterbacks in the sport [can make that throw].’ So he’s got some plays like that where you just go, ‘That’s special.”
Simms rates Willis directly ahead of Houston’s C.J. Stroud and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts.
.
This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 1:22 PM.
