Miami Dolphins' 2015 Offseason To-Do List
It seems like the Miami Dolphins organization is starring in a sequel to Groundhog Day.
Year after year, the Dolphins enter the season with high expectations only to fall woefully short in the end. The 2014 season was the team's sixth straight year missing the playoffs, and also represents the sixth straight non-winning season.
There's no doubt that some things need to be changed in Miami Gardens, and if the fans are lucky, it will start this offseason.
The Dolphins have a number of decisions to make with impending free agents, have plenty of players under contract that should be cut and also have holes to fill on both the offense and defense.
Despite all that, it should be noted that things aren't all bad for the Dolphins.
The one bright spot that can be taken from this dreadful season is that for the first time in a long time, the team looks like it has found a franchise quarterback in Ryan Tannehill.
The third-year player took a massive step forward this season, posting career highs in yards (4,045), completion percentage (66.4 percent), touchdowns (27) and passer rating (92.8) while also throwing for a career low in interceptions (12) as well.
With Tannehill continuing to progress, the Dolphins can make a serious run next season—provided Dennis Hickey can fill a number of holes this offseason.
With that in mind, let's go through the Dolphins' offseason to-do list, taking a look at each thing the team can do to improve their chances in 2015.
Reconsider the Coaching Staff
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This may be more wishful thinking than anything else, but hearing owner Stephen Ross say that Joe Philbin is returning as head coach in 2015 seems more like a bad dream than anything that should actually happen.
For Dolphins fans, it's easier to hope that Ross was reacting after an emotional win against the Minnesota Vikings than it is to think that the owner has no idea what he is doing with his own franchise.
Because if Ross truly believes that Philbin is a good head coach and is the right man to lead this Dolphins team, then this franchise is in serious trouble.
Just as a reminder, here are some of the things that Philbin has accomplished as head coach of the Dolphins in three seasons:
- 23-25 record
- 7-8 career record in December
- 0 playoff appearances
- 0 winning seasons
Combine these pitiful statistics with the Bullygate scandal last season and a number of other locker room incidents and it's clear that Philbin has no control or leadership of this football team.
We can only hope that this New York Jets loss (and ensuing embarrassment afterward) makes Ross rethink his initial decision.
But regardless of whether Philbin stays or not, he isn't the only Dolphins coach that should be relieved of his duties.
Defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle shouldn't have even been allowed back in the locker room after the way his defense performed on Sunday against that woeful Jets offense.
The Dolphins defense has been mishandled all year, and their play over the last six weeks of the season—where they allowed over 32 points per game and 403 total yards per game (165 rushing)—cannot be accepted.
According to Pro Football Reference, the Dolphins defense was the sixth-ranked scoring defense in 2011 under defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and has progressively gotten worse each and every year since Coyle took over, falling all the way down to 20th in the league this season.
While it seems highly likely at this point that Joe Philbin remains the head coach of the Dolphins, bringing in a new defensive coordinator to replace Coyle would at least represent some form of progress.
Make Decisions on Impending Free Agents
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Like every other team, the first major player personnel decision that must be made involves the team's own free agents.
Defensive tackle Jared Odrick is Miami's best player who is ready to hit the open market, but tight end Charles Clay is another guy that is likely high on the list of players the team wants to bring back.
QB Matt Moore should be a goner, as he will most likely look for a starting role elsewhere and doesn't warrant such a big contract as a backup.
Meanwhile, safety Louis Delmas and running back Knowshon Moreno are two interesting names, as both players performed well when they were healthy but suffered season-ending injuries and remain question marks entering next year.
Offensive linemen Jason Fox, Samson Satele, Sam Brenner and Daryn Colledge are also set to be free agents, with Fox seemingly the best player of the bunch.
Then you have defensive players like defensive end Derrick Shelby, linebacker Jason Trusnik and safeties Jimmy Wilson and Jordan Kovacs that will need to be looked at as well.
Cut the Dead Weight
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One way for the Dolphins to afford some of their impending free agents and open up cap space for other players is by getting rid of the dead weight holding down this team.
The Dolphins have a number of players that were overpaid and underperformed this year and, as a result, should be cut to free up some money this offseason.
Players like LB Dannell Ellerbe, CB Cortland Finnegan, OG Shelley Smith, OT Nate Garner and WRs Brandon Gibson and Brian Hartline are each no-brainer cuts the team should make to open up a ton of cap space.
According to OverTheCap.com, the Dolphins would save $5.65 million by getting rid of Ellerbe, $5.475 million by dumping Finnegan, $3.26 million by cutting Gibson, $3.15 million by releasing Hartline, $2.75 million by dumping Smith and $1.65 million by cutting Garner, totaling over $21 million in savings.
Each of those players made little to no impact on the team this year and could be easily replaced in the offseason.
Meanwhile, there are other tougher decisions to be made when it comes to cuts, namely players such as DT Randy Starks and LB Philip Wheeler.
Starks has been a productive player over his career with Miami, but he didn't play up to his $4 million contract this season and will be owed even more money next year. Cutting him loose would save the Dolphins $5 million in cap space, which could be used to upgrade the position with a player that isn't such a liability against the run.
Releasing Wheeler would only save the team a mere $200,000—although that would jump up to $3 million if it came after June 1—but it would also free up a roster spot for a player much more deserving of being on the team.
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Bolster the Offense
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For the first time in a long time, the Dolphins offense proved to be better than its defense.
While much of that had to do with the emergence of Tannehill, it also had plenty to do with the fact that the offense simply has fewer holes than the defense.
Make no mistake, this offense is extremely close to being elite and could very well get there next season if Hickey can make the right moves.
For starters, the offensive line should make major improvements with the core of a returning Branden Albert at left tackle, Mike Pouncey at center and Ja'Wuan James at right tackle for (hopefully) a full season. Billy Turner should also work his way into one of the starting guard spots, with the other being filled either through free agency or the draft.
Provided Clay is brought back, the team will have a solid tight end core of Clay, Dion Sims and a returning Arthur Lynch.
Lamar Miller proved to be a very good player this season, rushing for 1,099 yards and eight touchdowns while ripping off an impressive 5.1 yards per carry.
Adding a power running back like Justin Forsett—or even bringing back Moreno if he's healthy—to complement the speed of Miller would give the Dolphins one of the best backfields in the league.
From that point, the only area of need on offense would be at wide receiver, which the team could either address in the draft or by splurging to sign a top free agent like Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, Jeremy Maclin, Michael Crabtree or Randall Cobb—provided they all aren't hit with the franchise tag or re-signed before free agency begins.
Of course, a lot could change if the Dolphins decide to part ways with Mike Wallace—a definite possibility considering how Philbin has handled outspoken players in the past.
Rebuild the Defense
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While the offense continued to get better as the season went on, the defense seemed to get more incompetent with each passing game.
At this point, there's no ignoring the fact that the unit which has carried the Dolphins for the past decade needs a serious overhaul.
There are certainly pieces there to build around—players like Cameron Wake, Olivier Vernon, Brent Grimes, Reshad Jones, Jelani Jenkins and Dion Jordan will all but certainly be back next year—but there are also a number of major holes to fill as well.
For starters, middle linebacker is a position that needed to be addressed last year and cannot be ignored this time around.
Strong safety also needs to be filled with Delmas likely gone, and the same goes for cornerback with Finnegan a likely cap casualty.
The Dolphins are also in major need of a big run-stuffing defensive tackle and must add more depth along the rest of the defensive line as well.
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