Projecting Miami Dolphins Depth Chart After Peak of Free Agency

The Miami Dolphins went to work during free agency, doling out $128 million in contracts to eight players, with $64 million guaranteed, per Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel. 

The Dolphins spent that money in the hopes of helping to rebuild their offensive and defensive lines as well as improving their overall depth. We still have the draft, as well as the possibility of some more signings as the offseason progresses, but it's fairly safe to say that the peak of Miami's free-agent spending has now passed. 

Now comes the question of what Miami's depth chart looks like as of right now, which we will be looking at with this slideshow. Every position will be discussed, and through this we shall see which holes Miami will have to fill come draft day. 

Quarterback

Chris Trotman/Getty Images

QB1: Ryan Tannehill

QB2: Matt Moore

QB3: Pat Devlin

Right now there's no argument, as Ryan Tannehill is Miami's starting quarterback. 

The question this offseason should center around the backup quarterbacks Matt Moore and Pat Devlin. Moore might seem like a bit of a salary-cap anchor this season, as he's due to make $5.5 million (compare that with Tannehill, who will be making $3.445 million), but he is a reliable backup in case the worst-case scenario comes to pass with Tannehill. 

Despite being reliable, the price for Moore is extravagant, especially since he really wouldn't push Tannehill the same way a quarterback the Dolphins might draft could. For this, Miami would be wise to spend a mid-round pick on a quarterback (San Jose State's David Fales comes to mind, as would Eastern Illinois' Jimmy Garoppolo if he is available at the time), which would give Miami not only some competition for Tannehill but also a cheaper backup option. 

At the very least, drafting a quarterback allows Miami to move on from Pat Devlin, who in three years has shown that he can be the teacher's pet, but not much else. 

Running Back

Patric Schneider

RB1: Knowshon Moreno

RB2: Lamar Miller

RB3: Mike Gillislee

RB4: Marcus Thigpen

Daniel Thomas hasn't been released by the Dolphins yet, but as his non-placement on our projected depth chart shows, I'm going to speculate that he will be. 

I already like Knowshon Moreno's attitude coming into Miami. While most free-agent signings who started with their previous team would likely expect to start upon signing their name on the dotted line, Moreno expects to compete, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald: 

"

[I’m] definitely competing. Compete and the best man will win. We’ll learn from each other. And the same time, we’ll go out there and compete and do what we have to to help this team win.

"

That's the attitude of a winning culture, and will not only serve Moreno well, but will also help out Lamar Miller. You will see the two backs splitting carries next season, with Moreno more likely to be in the game on passing downs and in short-yardage situations, which Miami struggled with last season. 

Miami is still likely to sign a running back, as they only signed Moreno to a one-year, $3 million deal. What the signing does do for the Dolphins is it allows them to wait until the middle rounds to draft a back instead of spending a second or third-round pick on a Carlos Hyde or Tre Mason. 

Wide Receiver

Alan Diaz

WR1: Mike Wallace

WR2: Brian Hartline

WR3: Brandon Gibson

WR4: Armon Binns

WR5: Rishard Matthews

Miami's wide receiving unit is awfully troubling to me right now, with three of their receivers recovering from knee injuries suffered last season. 

The Dolphins should draft a wide receiver, preferably a big red-zone target that can complement Mike Wallace's speed and Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson's dependability. 

Tight End

Lynne Sladky

TE1: Charles Clay

TE2: Dion Sims

TE3: Michael Egnew

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that the Dolphins might be open to re-signing Dustin Keller, but since that hasn't happened yet, he's not on the projected depth chart. 

Keller would provide Miami with a redundancy at tight end with Charles Clay, who last season broke out and gave the Dolphins the type of production they expected from Keller when they signed him. Their styles of play are about the same. 

What Miami needs is a tight end that can be a red-zone target and a good blocker, and depending on where they look in the draft, that type of player will be available. 

The question is will Miami pull the trigger on drafting said tight end, something that they never seem to do in the draft despite it being a need for the team since 2009. 

Offensive Line

Aaron M. Sprecher

Starters

LT: Branden Albert

LG: Shelley Smith

C: Mike Pouncey

RG: Dallas Thomas

RT: Jason Weaver

Reserves

T: Will Yeatman

T: Michael Ola

G: Nate Garner

G: David Arkin

G: Danny Watkins

C: Sam Brenner

The left side of the offensive line is in fairly good shape with incoming free agents Branden Albert and Shelley Smith. 

Center is obviously fine with Mike Pouncey, who will be the lone starter on the offensive line from last season (barring Miami bringing back Tyson Clabo and Bryant McKinnie to play right tackle since both players are still on the market). 

The right side of the offensive line could use a lot of work. Miami can still find a decent right guard if they sign former Texan Wade Smith (they could put him at left guard while shifting Smith to right guard, or just plug Smith in at right guard), and there are plenty of veteran right tackles available as well. 

Both of those positions will get some attention in the draft as well—or at least they should. Miami has already started the offensive line rebuilding process, but it's far from complete. 

Defensive Tackle

Steven Senne

DT1: Randy Starks

DT2: Jared Odrick

DT3: Earl Mitchell

DT4: A.J. Francis

This is as solid a unit as you will find on the Dolphins, as Miami was able to get younger at defensive tackle while maintaining it as a strength of the defense. 

While Starks and Odrick will likely be the two starters, the Dolphins like to rotate their defensive tackles in and out, so you will see a lot of these four players rotating in and out of the game from series to series (or even from snap to snap). 

Miami could also still go after a defensive tackle in the draft, which would be a good idea since Odrick is a free agent next season and Starks is only signed for two years and is 30 years old. Giving said late draft pick at defensive tackle a year to work with defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers would be a smart investment in the team's future. 

Defensive End

Lynne Sladky

LDE: Cameron Wake

RDE: Olivier Vernon

DE: Dion Jordan

DE: Derrick Shelby

Will we be seeing more Dion Jordan this season? 

I'd hope so. With a full offseason to work out with the team, Jordan should have more opportunities to earn some more playing time for himself. 

It would help the Dolphins if he was on the field more too, as he created results when he was on the field in 2013. 

Linebacker

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sport

SLB: Koa Misi

MLB: Dannell Ellerbe

WLB: Philip Wheeler

LB: Jonathan Freeny

LB: Jason Trusnik

LB: Jelani Jenkins

Next to offensive line, Miami's weakest position is at linebacker. 

To make matters worse, this is also the Dolphins' most overpaid position (yes, even more so than wide receiver, Mike Wallace at least produced at times). 

Plenty will have to change at this position to truly make the Dolphins defense an elite one. However, this weak link is doing nothing but holding them back. 

Cornerback

Seth Wenig

CB1: Brent Grimes

CB2: Jamar Taylor

CB3: Cortland Finnegan

CB4: Will Davis

On paper, the Dolphins look stronger at cornerback than they have gotten credit for. 

In terms of off-man zone coverage corners, the Dolphins have a pretty good lineup. I have Taylor starting over Finnegan because I expect big things out of the second-year player from Boise State, as do the Dolphins. 

Safety

Tom E. Puskar

SS: Reshad Jones

FS: Louis Delmas

S: Jimmy Wilson

S: Jordan Kovacs

S: Don Jones

S: Michael Thomas

The Dolphins felt strong enough at safety to allow Chris Clemons to leave, and other than the injury history of Louis Delmas, it's easy to see why they felt that way. 

Miami wants a safety unit that can create big plays, and it seems like by giving up Clemons they gave up some of the consistency he brought to the table in exchange for said big plays. Ultimately, this is a gamble that I see working for the Dolphins, but the health of Delmas will factor into how much it works. 

Behind Delmas, Miami does have plenty of good options, making the position one of the deepest on the team. 

Special Teams

Don Wright

K: Caleb Sturgis

P: Brandon Fields

PR/KR: Marcus Thigpen

LS: John Denney

This unit is the one least likely to see any changes for Miami. Brandon Fields and John Denney are both reliable Pro Bowl players at their positions, so there's no reason to replace them. Caleb Sturgis will likely get another season to show more consistency as well. 

Marcus Thigpen is probably the player on special teams most likely to see competition come training camp, not just as a return man but as a backup running back as well. 

Salary information provided by Spotrac.com unless otherwise noted. Depth chart information provided by Ourlads.com. 

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