4 Overpaid Miami Dolphins Who Deserve to Be Cut

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Just because all of the NFL's marquee free agents have signed with their respective teams does not mean all transactional activity will cease. 

In fact, quite the opposite will happen.

Teams will begin trimming the fat off of their rosters as they attempt to secure the best 53-man roster possible. During that process, some notable veterans will be cut, primarily for cap reasons. 

The Dolphins have a handful of overpaid veterans who might be on their way out of Miami sooner rather than later. We can only hope that the Dolphins sense up, cut these few, and free up some cap space to help fill out the roster (swing a trade for Dennis Dixon maybe?).

Benny Sapp

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When Dolphins cornerback Will Allen fell victim to a season-ending knee injury last summer, the secondary was immediately deprived of depth and veteran presence. Because the free agency pool had already dried up, Miami swung a trade with the Minnesota Vikings for cornerback Benny Sapp.  

Sapp performed serviceably in 2010, but now that Will Allen is healthy and Nolan Carroll is maturing, the Dolphins do not need to pay a dime cornerback $1.9 million. 

Having such great depth is invaluable, but unless Sapp really amps up his play, Miami might be better suited giving Carroll more playing time and allocating that money elsewhere. 

Lousaka Polite

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One year after famously converting all of his third and fourth down short yardage attempts, Lousaka Polite's play declined steeply. His yards per carry average dropped from 3.3 to 2.4 and he failed to provide the blocking prowess he once did.

Entering the final year of his contract, Polite is slated to rake in $1.35 million. This would have been an acceptable figure for the 2009 version of Polite, but not the 2010 version.

Fullbacks are a dime a dozen in the NFL, and Miami could find a much cheaper option on the market somewhere. That being said, Polite has been a fixture in the 'Fins offense, and there is a good chance he rebounds in 2011. However, if he is not back up to par during camp, he should be cut.  

Anthony Fasano

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Anthony Fasano will not and should not be cut this season for obvious reasons. He is the number one tight end on a team with arguably the weakest tight end corps in the entire league. Cutting Fasano would leave a gaping hole on Miami's roster.

However, the Dolphins will pay Fasano roughly $9 million over the next three seasons. Ridiculous. Fasano is a number two tight end who has produced as such. While the NFL's most successful offenses invest in athletic tight ends, Miami continues to neglect the position.

If Fasano does not up his production this season, the Dolphins absolutely must pursue a seam-threat tight end next summer—and should part with Fasano unless he is willing to take a pay cut. 

Joe Berger

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Last season, Tony Sparano embarked on his now-infamous offensive line purge, replacing three synchronized and proven veterans with a trio of castoffs. One of those castoffs was center Joe Berger.

Berger played under Tony Sparano in Dallas, but the 'Fins coach clearly overestimated his lineman's abilities. Throughout the course of the 2010 season, Berger proved to be a serious downgrade, and his play prompted Miami to draft Mike Pouncey.

Berger is projected to make $1.5 million this season. Sure, that's not a hefty contract, but why continue to pay a player who has proven to be ineffective?