Examining the free agent options if Miami Dolphins go shopping. Interesting names remain
There are at least a handful of veterans remaining in free agency who likely would make the Miami Dolphins better.
But whether the Dolphins believe they are worth the salary cap space and financial investment — or whether they would possibly stunt the growth of key young players - is another story entirely.
Examining some of those players who remain unsigned, with the Dolphins now standing at the maximum 90 players under contract and Miami $9 million under the cap, according to the players union:
LINEBACKERS
▪ K.J. Wright: Pro Football Focus rated him seventh among all linebackers last season, a year in which he had 86 tackles, two sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception. But the 6-4, 246-pound linebacker is 31, has had only two sacks since 2016 and hasn’t attracted big offers in free agency.
The Dolphins, Colts, Eagles and Packers are among the teams that have spoken with him, according to nflrumors.net.
This is a difficult one: On one hand, Wright could be among Miami’s top three inside linebackers if signed (behind Jerome Baker and Benardrick McKinney).
But because of his age, there’s no way of knowing whether he would perform at a higher level than Elandon Roberts (off a knee injury) or former Falcons third-round pick Duke Riley (who can play inside or outside).
A case could be made to sign him if the Dolphins want to give McKinney a lot of time as an edge player.
But the Dolphins mostly have shied away from 30-plus free agents, with Jason McCourty and Ryan Fitzpatrick the most glaring exceptions.
Pro Football Focus notes “Wright has been one of the league’s most consistent linebackers over his NFL career, and as he gets toward the end of it, he still provides a lot of value as a solid all-around player at the position....His 59.9 coverage grade in 2019 was his worst since his rookie season in 2011, so playing closer to the line and setting the edge in run defense works for him at this stage of his career.”
Also still available: De’Vondre Campbell (90 tackles, two sacks in 16 starts for Arizona last season); Kwon Alexander (seven starts for Saints, five for 49ers last season) and B.J. Goodson, who started 15 games for Cleveland last season and can play multiple linebacker spots.
Alexander is 26; Goodson and Campbell 27.
PFF ranked Goodson 24th among all linebackers last season, but he hasn’t generated a big offer in free agency.
PFF said “Goodson was best suited for an early-down run-stopping role in his first few years, but he rounded out his game with a career-high 66.1 coverage grade to go with four pass breakups last season.”
Alexander, 26, “when healthy, flies around the field mixing high-end plays with one of the league’s highest percentages of negatives among linebackers,” PFF said. “Since entering the NFL, Alexander has forced an incompletion on 7.3% of his targets, 14th-best among linebackers. But he’s also missed 18.5% of his tackle attempts during that time, 107th out of 108 qualifiers.”
EDGE PLAYERS
The Dolphins have considered adding another to complement a group including Emmanuel Ogbah, Jaelan Phillips, Andrew Van Ginkel, Vince Biegel, Brennan Scarlett, Riley and inside/outside backer McKinney.
Ogbah would love a contract extension (he’s due $7.5 million in 2021 after a breakout season) and was absent from at least one of the voluntary sessions (potentially more) for reasons that might or might not be related to his contract; nobody is commenting about it.
The two best options remaining:
▪ Melvin Ingram: The Dolphins brought him in for a workout last week, but nothing has materialized. He has 49 sacks in seven seasons, but none in seven games for the Chargers last season.
Pro Football Focus rated Ingram the 63rd-best player in this free agent class and noted that he “racked up three straight seasons with 70 or more total pressures before injury broke that streak, and 2020 featured the best PFF pass rushing grade he has posted since 2017, even if the sacks never materialized.
“Ingram is a productive pass rusher, but he was limited to just 361 snaps [last] season. And at this point in his career, he isn’t going to be the primary source of pass rush for anything other than a bad pass-rushing football team. Teams that already have that primary stud up front could dramatically improve their rush with the addition of Ingram as a second threat, however.”
▪ Justin Houston: Considering both are 32, it’s somewhat surprising that the Dolphins brought in Ingram but not Houston, who had eight sacks for the Colts last season.
“The big question for Houston is what he has left at this point after 10 years in the league,” PFF said. “He doesn’t have the same burst and power that made him the fifth-best pass-rushing edge defender in the NFL during the last decade, and he finished 2020 with the lowest pass-rush grade of his career.
“Houston still flashes his ability, as he can get offensive tackles off balance with his length and good technique, but the days of accumulating 50-plus pressures in a season appear to be in the past. Even in the run game, Houston took a step back in 2020.”
▪ Vic Beasley is another intriguing name available; the former Falcons first-rounder had 15 sacks in 2016 and five, five and eight the following three years. But he was waived by the Titans (who gave him $9.5 million for one year) last November after producing only three tackles in five games, then had one tackle in five games for Las Vegas.
PFF notes Beasley “will be 29 years old at the start of the 2021 campaign, and he’ll get a shot as a No. 4 rusher in the hopes of recapturing some of his early-career potential.”
▪ Olivier Vernon — the former Dolphins and Hurricanes standout — is worth monitoring. He tore an Achilles tendon during the Browns’ regular-season finale and likely will miss at least part of the 2021 season. He’s 31 but had nine sacks last season and could provide help at some point depending on his progress medically.
“A healthy Vernon graded at 74.6 last season to go with 51 pressures, so he is still a capable No. 2 rusher assuming a return to health,” PFF said. “It could work out all right for him if he can get back on the field toward the end of the year, show he has no lingering issues from the injury and then hit free agency in a potentially better market.”
Adrian Clayborn, 32, played for Flores in New England in 2018 and had 3.5 sacks for Cleveland last season.
Former Hurricanes standout Allen Bailey, 32, also remains available: He had six sacks in 2018 but a combined 2.5 the past two seasons.
The Dolphins don’t particularly need another defensive tackle; Sheldon Richardson, Jurrell Casey, Corey Peters and Kawann Short are the most accomplished available.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Tackles Russell Okung, Rick Wagner and Morgan Moses are available and all have been quality starters in the league.
Moses, recently released by Washington, should still be in his prime at 30 and is probably the most intriguing of this group but the Dolphins hadn’t reached out as of last week. He was scheduled to visit the Bears this week after visiting the Jets last week.
Okung, 32, made the Pro Bowl in 2017 but made only seven starts for Carolina last season because of injury.
Though this could change, it would surprise me if the Dolphins pursue any of these tackles, because all would be viewed as progress stoppers, or potential obstacles, to the Dolphins’ set of young tackles (Austin Jackson, Liam Eichenberg).
Austin Reiter, who started 12 games for the Chiefs last season, is the best center available, but the Dolphins appear content at this point with Matt Skura, Michael Deiter and Cameron Tom at the position.
PFF noted “Reiter is a better pass blocker than he is in the run game. In 2020, he allowed just seven total pressures and wasn’t flagged for a penalty all season.”
SAFETY
Several 2020 starters remain available, including Malik Hooker (the former Colts starter who was limited to two games last season because of injury), Tre Boston (16 starts for Carolina last season), Kenny Vacarro (13 starts for Tennessee last season) and Jeff Heath (13 games, five starts for Las Vegas in 2020).
Hooker reportedly continues dialogue with the Dolphins, two weeks after his visit, with Dallas reportedly also in the mix.
The Dolphins want to give rookie Jevon Holland every chance to win the free safety job, and Jason McCourty is decent depth if he doesn’t. Eric Rowe is the incumbent starter at strong safety and Brandon Jones also will play a lot. So that’s four safeties, with special teams ace Clayton Fejedelem standing fifth.
Keeping six safeties isn’t an appealing option from a roster management standpoint, though McCourty could always be counted as a cornerback.
The question is whether Hooker - or the other options - would be worth adding as protection if Holland isn’t ready and if McCourty - who had poor metrics last season - doesn’t play well or is needed at cornerback if there’s an injury.
That would be the case to add Hooker.
Here was PFF’s March assessment of Hooker:
He “has dealt with significant injury after significant injury, and this concern existed even before the 2020 season, which was lost to a torn Achilles. He’s never really provided the intended playmaking ability in the middle of the field, but he’s also played in a Colts scheme that has been heavy on two-high safety coverages.
“Hooker still may be a better fit in a true single-high safety role where he takes good angles on downfield throws. He’s worth a look in a new system that could get the most out of his downfield playmaking skill set.”
PFF said of Boston: “Has been one of the better free safeties in the league in his seven years. Last season, he produced a career-low 53.8 grade that included a career-high 16 missed tackles.”
RUNNING BACK
To this point, the Dolphins have resisted the more than half dozen “names” left in free agency, the established veterans whose 2017-18 production far exceeds their most recent work. That group includes:
Todd Gurley, who averaged just 3.5 yards on 195 carries in 15 starts for Atlanta in 2020... Le’Veon Bell, who averaged 4.0 per carry on 63 rushes in nine games and two starts for the Chiefs after picking Kansas City over Miami when the Jets released him last October… Duke Johnson, who averaged just 3.1 per carry on 77 carries in 11 games and five starts for Houston last season, after averaging 5.0 and 4.9 per carry his previous two seasons….
Former All-Pro Adrian Peterson, who averaged 3.9 per carry on 156 attempts in 15 games and 10 starts for Detroit in 2020…. Devonta Freeman, a former Miami Central star who averaged 3.2 yards on 54 carries for the Giants in 2020.... T.J. Yeldon (10 carries for 70 yards last season).. LeSean McCoy, who averaged 3.1 yards on 10 carries for Tampa last year, 4.6 on 101 for Kansas City in 2019... And Alfred Morris, who ran for 4.3 per carry on 55 rushes for the Giants last season.
Of that group, Johnson — at 27 — remains the most intriguing to me because he’s a skilled receiver (307 career receptions, 9.2 average per catch) and because last season’s 3.1 per carry average wasn’t reflective of his career work (4.2 average).
PFF said Johnson “epitomizes what the modern running back should look like as he’s an excellent receiver who can create mismatches in the pass game. Johnson can create on his own as a runner and add value to the pass game, so teams in need of a pass-catching complementary option should take note.”
Here’s one web site’s ranking of the top 100 free agents remaining.
Here’s my Tuesday Miami Hurricanes 6-pack.
Here’s my Tuesday Miami Heat piece with a look of all of the Heat’s draft inventory - and what can and cannot be traded - over the next eight years.
Please follow me on Twitter: @flasportsbuzz
This story was originally published June 1, 2021 at 4:49 PM.
