Ronnie Brown Rumors: Resigning with Dolphins or Joining Bucs in Free Agency?

The Miami Dolphins entered this offseason understanding that both Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown were going to become unrestricted free agents. They have addressed this sufficiently so far by drafting Daniel Thomas and trading for Reggie Bush.

Bush and Thomas complement each other very well.

Bush is a scat back who can barely be described as a running back at all. The likelihood is the Dolphins will look to use him in a variety of ways just as the New Orleans Saints did.

Thomas is a different type of back and should receive the bulk of the carries. At 6'0" and 230 pounds, Thomas excels in running between the tackles. He is a powerful back who could excel behind fellow rookie Mike Pouncey mauling opposing defensive linemen.

Thomas and Bush will be used similarly to Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones in Kansas City as the Dolphins will hope that Thomas' abrasive running will wear down opposing defenses before Bush comes in and electrifies the offense with his pace and agility.

There is still one major issue however. Many rookies often struggle with injuries. Running backs like Thomas will be repeatedly exposing themselves to abuse from opposing defenders.

Reggie Bush is not a bell cow and is unlikely to be able to carry the load without Thomas. This means that the Dolphins will likely look to bring a veteran in who can back up Thomas and even spell him at times.

Realistically Ronnie Brown is not a good option to do that. His former teammate Ricky Williams would be best suited to go back to Miami.

Brown has never been a durable player and while he is very talented, he and Bush together wouldn't be a good combination if Thomas went down. Significantly Ricky Williams will also be a lot more cost effective to re-sign and at this stage in his career—34 years old—he will be much happier to accept the role that the Dolphins are offering.

Not many teams will be offering Williams a significant role in their offenses but there are a few that will look to bring in Brown and actually make use of him.

One such team would be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers have an abrasive runner in LeGarrette Blount who was brilliant in a Bucs uniform after being claimed off of waivers last year. There is little doubt over who is the starter in Tampa but that offense is such that it would make use of multiple backs.

Last season Carnell Williams returned from some serious injuries to carry the ball 125 times for 437 yards. Williams is a very good third-down back but doesn't offer the same versatility as Brown.

It is conceivable that the team could re-sign Williams—who is also a free agent—and still pick up Brown. At 29 years of age, the former second overall draft pick still has something to offer to teams but would be well advised to be part of a backfield manned by committee.

With seven to nine carries per game and three to four more touches, Brown could become a very valuable role player on a ship that looks set for the playoffs. Brown's experience would be very valuable not only to Blount but the whole of the youthful Buccaneers roster also.

The Buccaneers re-signed Ronde Barber on the defensive side of the ball but the offense has very few players who have been in the league for six years.

In my mind it is very doubtful that the Dolphins re-sign Ronnie Brown. That may be a shock to some considering how important a player he has been over the years. When healthy Brown was the focal point of that offense but the Dolphins have made some stellar additions over the last year or two to move on from those days.

Should the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pick up Brown it would be a very astute signing that would help them on their journey to the playoffs.

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