Here are the pending free agents who Miami Dolphins have shown interest in or fit needs
The so-called legal tampering period in the NFL, which allows teams to contact the representatives for impending free agents and negotiate contracts, begins Monday, and it’s quite clear the Miami Dolphins are going to be active.
No, it won’t be 2020 active, as the team spent $117 million in guaranteed money on seven free agents last spring.
But active.
Think maybe two to four new players and perhaps more if the salary cap environment presents the opportunity for a couple of one-year prove-it deals that typically include some sort of discount or bargain rate.
So what to do...
Well, the Dolphins will want to address needs they’re probably going to also think about in the draft — such as wide receiver. In the past the club has used free agency to bring flexibility so that it doesn’t have to necessarily address “must-haves” in the draft.
The needs?
Wide receiver.
Running back.
Center.
Edge rusher.
Linebacker.
Perhaps safety.
The Dolphins honestly can stand an upgrade at slot cornerback and some depth at defensive line, but there’s only so much cap space — and Miami is expected be at around $34 million with the salary cap set at $182.5 million on Wednesday and once Kyle Van Noy is indeed cut or traded.
Remember, no salary cap conversation can happen in a vacuum. The NFL is a competitive league and other teams also have cap space; a couple have nearly double what Miami is expected to have. The New York Jets, for example, will have $69.3 million in cap space per overthecap.com.
Miami’s cap space offers some but not a ton of operating room for free agency, the draft and some holdback for emergencies or unexpected opportunities (like Chad Pennington in 2008) if they present.
And now the players ... Here are the top few available players at each Dolphins position of need:
Wide Receiver
Curtis Samuel, Carolina.
Nelson Agholor, Las Vegas.
Kenny Golladay, Detroit.
Will Fuller, Houston.
Marvin Jones, Jr., Detroit.
Corey Davis, Tennessee.
Comments: The Dolphins have done due diligence on Golladay, as colleague Adam Beasley reported Tuesday, but — reality time incoming — so have the New York Jets and Giants and others. He’s expecting to get paid, and it’s a realistic expectation considering the level of interest. Don’t be surprised if even the Lions, who do not love the idea of losing him, drive up the price.
Does Golladay fit the Dolphins? He’s not a burner, he was injured much of 2020, and did I mention expensive?
Agholor is probably a cheaper Golladay, and he put together a nice season in 2020 but he did experience some drop issues.
Samuel, 24 years old, makes a ton of sense for the Dolphins. He is a burner, having run a 4.31 in the 40. He had something of a breakout season last year for the Carolina Panthers. And if you watch his tape, he spent the previous couple of seasons not producing as well as he could because there were a lot passes that would have been long completions had, you know, Carolina’s quarterback gotten him the ball on target.
Samuel is from Brooklyn. Dolphins coach Brian Flores is from Brooklyn.
Just saying.
Jones is productive and durable but he’s 30 years old now. He’s not a four-year contract type of commitment. Fuller is a burner, is excellent at tracking deep balls and has been productive as a No. 2 receiver, but he did have a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs last year. Davis is not a WR1 so he’s not going to get paid like it but he is big and athletic and not afraid to go across the middle.
Running back
Aaron Jones, GB.
Chris Carson, Seattle.
LeVeon Bell, Kansas City.
James White, New England.
Comment: The Dolphins love Jones.
Everyone loves Jones which is great. And everyone loves Jones, which is terrible, because he’s probably going to be in demand. He’s a fine outside zone runner and a weapon in the red zone but he has benefited from playing with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who defenses don’t often challenge with eight-man fronts.
Carson is a load and he’s physical but not the most durable, having missed 19 games the last four seasons.
The Dolphins had interest in Bell last year when he was cut by the Jets so he has to make an appearance here as a possibility. He’s also living in South Florida already. But is he ready to carry a running game like he once did in Pittsburgh?
White is on this list because he’s a fine and dependable pass-catching threat out of the backfield, he’s from South Florida, he played in New England so, you know, the pipeline thing, and he’s great to have on the team.
Center
Joe Thuney, New England.
Corey Linsley, Green Bay.
David Andrews, New England.
Ted Karras, Miami.
Comment: Yeah, Thuney is actually a guard and last year he kicked out to tackle, but I just love this player so he’s on my personal wishlist even if he might not be on Miami’s.
Linsley is a very good zone blocker and has always had a lot of range and ability to get out in space when needed, which is rare for a center. He’s also a great presence in the locker room. But he’s going to be 30 so he’s probably not a long-term commitment type signing -- maybe a four-year deal that has an out after two years.
Andrews had a nice comeback season in 2020 after missing 2019 with a blood clot issue. He was the glue of New England’s line and would probably be an upgrade over Ted Karras. Also, probably not too, too, too expensive.
Karras was good enough. He wisely wants to see if he can find a willing suitor who will make a commitment to him after the Dolphins signed him for one year. The Dolphins are not writing him off their list.
Pass rusher/edge
Shaquil Barrett, Tampa Bay.
Bud Dupree, Pittsburgh.
Trey Hendrickson, New Orleans.
Carl Lawson, Cincinnati.
Haason Reddick, Arizona.
Yannick Ngakoue, Baltimore.
Comment: You want to know what I would do this free agency? Spend on a great pass rusher, not a receiver or running back or top tier center.
I would address center and receiver but not with a big-money spend.
Pass rusher would be my thing because this is a nice class that offers opportunities.
Dupree is my favorite. Smart, tough, physical. He’s a beast. Unfortunately he suffered an ACL injury in December, but that’s an opportunity. Maybe he will go for a one-year deal. Maybe he won’t break the bank, given his recovery timeline.
Dupree is going to give you six to 10 sacks, and the Dolphins could certainly use it.
And, yes, Barrett is the more productive pass rusher. He’s also healthy. But I simply don’t believe Tampa Bay will let him walk without driving up the price before next week. The sides are reportedly talking.
Each one of the other guys on my list are productive — for one year in Reddick’s case — and have great pass rush ability even if they might be limited in other areas. Ngakoue, for example, has at times been a run-down liability.
Hendickson, who played at Florida Atlantic University, is also a one-year wonder but what a year — 13.5 sacks, 25 quarterback hits and 12 tackles for loss. He’s a defensive end.
I think you get my drift here ... The Dolphins defense is a premier pass rusher from being very, very good -- even if organizationally they’re more about creating “team pass rush” disruptions.
Linebacker
Matt Milano, Buffalo.
Comment: He was very good in pass coverage last year. He had be a good replacement in that job for Van Noy, who struggled in pass coverage last year.
Also, Milano played for the Bills and weakening them helps the Dolphins.
Safety
John Johnson, Los Angeles Rams.
Malik Hooker, Indianapolis.
Comment: Hooker is coming off a ruptured Achilles so buyer beware, but if he’s right he is a fine center fielder. He might be amenable to a one-year deal.
Johnson is another single-high safety type who easily roams the deepest parts of the secondary. He is an upgrade over Bobby McCain but that feels like something of a luxury Miami might not be willing to afford.
This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 12:00 AM.
