Miami Dolphins’ interest in CB Logan Ryan says multiple things about team in 2020. All good
Of course the Dolphins have the NFL’s most expensive cornerback tandem in Xavien Howard and Byron Jones. Of course the Dolphins utilized a first-round draft pick on Auburn’s Noah Igbinoghene, also a cornerback. And, of course the Dolphins have shown interest in free agent cornerback Logan Ryan.
Every one of those things is true.
And let me tell you which one of those is a bad idea:
Yeah, that blank space up there is the answer. None of those things are a bad idea, per se.
The Dolphins understand, as coach Brian Flores pointed out after the draft last month, “you can never have enough cornerbacks.”
And the idea the Dolphins have two starters to man the outside spots in Howard and Jones and a first-round pick to compete in the slot position should not eliminate Ryan from consideration.
This is what would and could eliminate Ryan from consideration: Money.
As in Ryan wants a lot of it. Too much, actually.
When the Dolphins called Ryan’s agents to ask what his asking price is, the answer was borderline over the top. More than $10 million per season.
No thanks.
The Dolphins were right to back away from that price point as other teams have also done. The New York Jets, who desperately need a starting cornerback — and not a slot but an outside corner — to be able to field a defense, also are playing this cautiously. They also are interested, but they have not made an official offer because they don’t want to pay that freight.
So good for the Dolphins there.
They have an advantage in this situation because they have viable answers if they don’t land Ryan. They’re not desperate in the least, which is a reason they also have not made an official offer.
So this is likely to play out in one of maybe three ways:
The Jets get desperate and pay Ryan.
Ryan gets desperate and drops his asking price significantly.
Or nobody does anything and Ryan waits to see if an opportunity manifests through an injury to some other player whenever training camp begins.
The Dolphins, by the way, are not going to get desperate.
But here is perhaps the more interesting thing about this interest, however casual, the Dolphins have in a free agent that plays a position of relative strength for the team:
The Dolphins are looking at all avenues, searching for a possible opportunity.
They’re exploring rather than merely laying back. Current general manager Chris Grier is looking for what onetime general manager Jeff Ireland used to call “an acorn.” The Dolphins are looking for an unlikely way to what?
To get better for 2020.
That’s important to note. Because maybe you thought that work was done after the signing a binge of free agents in March and the drafting binge of rookies in April.
Nope. Not done yet.
The Dolphins, I am told, will continue to try to find players to upgrade the 2020 team. Interest in Ryan, a former New England Patriots player, is a sign the Dolphins are more than happy to chase more former New England players if they become available.
And they’re more than willing to look at the possibility of adding a player where they have already addressed the need.
This, by the way, suggests the Dolphins did their due diligence on guard Larry Warford when he became available.
Like Ryan, the price here is way. Too. High.
Warford wants something on the order of $7 million per season. That might have been a consideration at the start of free agency, but now it simply is a big ask.
[Peanut Gallery: But Mando, the Dolphins drafted a guard and signed a guard in free agency, and have guards from last year. Did you forget this while you were off editing your No. 1 Best Seller (on Amazon) book which is due out Sept. 8?]
No, Gallery frienemies, I did not forget about all of Miami’s work to upgrade the offensive line. But did you forget what you just read?
The Dolphins aren’t quitting.
It might be 5 o’clock somewhere, but not in the place where the football team was 5-11 last year and hasn’t won a playoff game in going on 20 seasons. The work continues.
One final thing: I’ve noticed on social media that Dolphins fans are willing to play the long game with this team in that, well, it’s fine if they don’t win this year. It’s fine if quarterback Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t compete for a starting job this year. It’s fine if we set sights and hopes for next year when the team has two more first-round picks and two more second-round picks.
Please, stop this madness.
The NFL is a right-now league. There is no tomorrow or next year for teams not tanking. And in 2020, the Dolphins are not tanking anymore.
Their interest in Logan Ryan in May, mild as it has been so far, is testament to that.
This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 12:10 AM.
