Insight on Dolphins’ looming cap issues and ways to fix it. And Taylor, personnel updates
A six-pack of Miami Dolphins notes on a Monday:
▪ With the Zach Sieler extension, the Dolphins now find themselves more than $38 million over the 2024 salary cap.
So is their cap situation as problematic as it appears? Not completely. But difficult decisions will be required.
A few things to keep in mind:
1). If the Dolphins cut edge player Emmanuel Ogbah after June 1, his 2024 cap hit shrinks from $17.8 million to $2 million.
2). While cutting cornerback Xavien Howard next spring would be painful and hurt the team if he has a good year, his 2024 cap hit shrinks from $25.9 million to $7.4 million if he’s cut or traded after June 1 next year. The cap savings would be negligible if he’s cut or traded before June 1.
3). If the Dolphins move on from linebacker Jerome Baker before June 1, via trade or release, his 2024 cap hit shrinks from $14.9 million to $4.9 million.
4). Cutting receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. — if he’s even on the team this year — would drop his 2024 cap hit from $8.3 million to $1 million.
5). None of these four players is due any guaranteed money in 2024. So even before the restructuring of any contracts, moving on from those four would save $52 million in cap space, turning cap hell into a modest surplus. But that won’t be an attractive path with Howard or Baker if both play well this season. And money would be needed to replace both, anyway.
6). Another $15 million can be shaved off by cutting several backups.
7). Keep in mind that Bradley Chubb’s entire $19.7 million salary is guaranteed for 2024. So he’s not going anywhere, though a restructure is possible to lower his $26.9 million cap number in 2024.
8). Also keep in mind that potential 2024 free agents Christian Wilkins, Raekwon Davis, Connor Williams, Robert Hunt and Austin Jackson would need to be re-signed or replaced.
9). One other cap issue to cover: What if Terron Armstead is injured a lot this season and Miami surprisingly decided to move on? Keep in mind that he is guaranteed $5 million of his $13.2 million in 2024, and there would be a big cap hit if he’s cut, whatever the timing. Plus, finding a replacement would be costly. So the Dolphins must hope that Armstead remains healthy.
10). If the Dolphins trade for Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, they likely would need to give him a deal in the $10 million to $14 million range annually, which would create additional challenging cap gymnastics.
▪ The Dolphins remain in the mix in trade discussions for Taylor, as we’ve been told and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Monday. The Miami Herald, Outkick and The Athletic all have reported that the Dolphins have made at least one trade offer for Taylor. On Monday, ESPN also reported continued Dolphins interest.
But the Dolphins, as of Monday morning, appeared disinclined to meet the Colts asking price of a first-round pick or a sizable package equivalent to that. Outkick reported no team has offered a first round pick.
Indianapolis would like to resolve the matter before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline to set its 53-man roster. Taylor remains on the physically unable to perform list and is seeking a contract extension; he’s earning $4.3 million in the final year of his rookie deal.
Rapoport and The Athletic reported that beyond Miami, a mystery team is pursuing Taylor. Miami has shown willingness to be flexible on a Taylor trade, but nothing so far has led to a deal. Rapoport said it’s more likely than not that the Colts will trade Taylor somewhere.
▪ Not only has Kendall Lamm emerged as the Dolphins’ most reliable backup offensive tackle, but credit him for asking offensive line coach Butch Barry to give him more snaps at right tackle so that he’s prepared to fill in on either side if needed.
“Like I was telling Butch in OTAs, during OTAs I took the majority of [snaps on the] left, which was cool with me,” Lamm said. “It didn’t bother me. But I always ask them, ‘please, please, please, let me get some right.’ Because I know as the season progresses, you snap your fingers and when it’s called upon, it’s called upon…
“If I get into the game — I mean God-willing, and whatever’s going to come — we get into the game and something happens, you can’t say ‘oh my God, I don’t want to go to right now.’ You have to be able to do that. So why would I not ask to be able to do certain things? Even if you’re swinging in practice, put me in uncomfortable situations so I can try to work through those and build the process in my mind and go from there.”
Lamm, who started the Houston and Jacksonville preseason games while Terron Armstead recovers from a leg injury, added: “This my ninth year. This is not my first rodeo. I’ve seen the multitude of defenses from the various teams I’ve been on.... If they tell me to play left the next, it’s what we do. That’s kind of my journey and what I have to do, so it doesn’t bother me at all.”
▪ DeShon Elliott looks like the favorite to start opposite Jevon Holland, in part because Brandon Jones remains limited after last October’s knee injury.
“Brandon is an established pro and phenomenal talent,” safeties coach Joe Kasper said. “He pushes himself so hard. If anything, I’ve got to do a good job to rein him in and make sure he’s fully ready to go out and compete. We’re at an exciting juncture with him now.”
Kasper said of Holland: “His knowledge is so outstanding. His tactical and technical understanding of the game is so strong, that our ability to be able to manipulate that will be everything. I hope offenses will have to note where he is on the field. That only helps the guys next to him.”
▪ Rookie cornerback Cam Smith said his shoulder “felt good” and he will be fine for the Sept. 10 opener at the Chargers.
Smith said Jalen Ramsey’s job “is up for grabs right now” with Ramsey out until at least November.
Smith has made several very good plays on the ball but was beaten for a long touchdown during Saturday’s game against Jacksonville, after he bit on a fake.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said last week: “We’ve got to feel like we can trust him to do the right thing. We’re all going to get beat some, but we don’t want to get beat by self-inflicted wounds.”
Smith said in this defense, “there are a lot of moving pieces. Having a corner like me with the instincts to go get it, you can have a lot more pass breakups, picks with the defense we’re running.... A lot of stuff not coming to me when I first got here is coming to me now.”
▪ Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is tinkering with the way he handles replays.
“Ultimately that decision always is mine,” McDaniel said Sunday. “But in terms of the streamline of the information given to me, we have adjusted how we do things on a game day, being able to streamline the voices and having very valuable people in the box, making sure that their voices are heard, but then delegating one person to make sure that their eyes are on television copies and all the replay access that we have at all times.”
Last season, the Dolphins threw the replay challenge flag six times and only one call was overturned in their favor.
This story was originally published August 28, 2023 at 1:23 PM.
