Keep or Cut Decisions for Miami Dolphins' 2015 Free Agents
The Miami Dolphins face a tough offseason filled with tough decisions.
One of their toughest decisions will be looking at their impending free agents and deciding whether said free agents are worth keeping or not keeping.
Today, we're going to go through some of Miami's big, impending free agents and decide if the Dolphins should keep them or let them find greener pastures while replacing them through free agency and the draft.
Jared Odrick: Keep
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Defensive tackle Jared Odrick should be Miami's priority this offseason. That's why he kicks off this list.
Odrick turned 27 on December 31 and is coming off one of his best seasons, recording 23 tackles, one sack and a forced fumble while being graded out by Pro Football Focus (subscription required) at 9.0, including a grade of 1.0 against the run.
Odrick is a force up the middle in pass rushing, despite his one sack in 2014, as Pro Football Focus credited him with nine quarterback hits and 18 hurries. His presence allows for Miami's quick pass-rushers to do their job properly and effectively.
Odrick can also transition into being a 3-4 defensive end if necessary—a position he played for the first three seasons of his career, including in 2011 when he recorded six sacks.
His versatility will make him a target in free agency and a possible consolation prize for any team that loses out on the Ndamukong Suh sweepstakes. Because of that, it would behoove the Dolphins to act quickly on a deal.
Most importantly, the Dolphins are thin in their interior defensive line, as Randy Starks has shown sharp signs of decline in 2014.
A long-term deal would be best for both parties, giving the Dolphins financial freedom while providing Odrick with stability. Though the franchise tag numbers for 2015 won't be released until March, based off of 2014's franchise tag numbers, Odrick would get $9.654 million—and that number will surely go up in 2015.
Matt Moore: Cut
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It's time for the Dolphins to find a new backup quarterback. It's time for them to truly hand the keys over to Ryan Tannehill without hanging the Matt Moore threat over his head.
Moore will be 32 next season, and while he is on his way to being a career backup, it's time he does this somewhere else.
Why let go of a quality backup quarterback in a league where your backup is just one hit away?
Because, as good as was in 2014, Ryan Tannehill needs true competition—which something he wasn't ever going to get from Moore.
True competition would come from drafting a quarterback—not in the first three rounds (too many holes), but somewhere in the draft. The Dolphins would be better off picking up someone late who they feel could compete with Tannehill and fill in for him if the worst case scenario comes to pass.
Louis Delmas: Keep
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One of the toughest positions to find in the NFL is safety.
The Dolphins took a gamble in signing Louis Delmas in 2014 to replace Chris Clemons. It was a gamble that paid off for 14 games, as Delmas was productive (58 tackles, two fumble recoveries and an interception).
Unfortunately, the Dolphins lost Delmas in Week 14 due to a torn ligament in his right knee. He should be back on the field in 2015, but should he be back on the field with the Dolphins?
Yes, and it shouldn't even be a question.
Delmas provides the Dolphins secondary with toughness and leadership that we can all agree was missing when he was out the last three weeks of the season—a stretch that saw the Dolphins go 1-2 and get eliminated from the playoffs.
While he shouldn't be signed for the long term, he should at least get one more year in Miami, if for no other reason than to give Walt Aikens or Will Davis another season of grooming to take over the spot.
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Samson Satele: Cut
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I'm going to make the explanation for this as simple as possible.
Mike Pouncey should be Miami's center.
We learned this in 2014 through Pouncey's lacking play at guard next to Samson Satele's up-and-down play at center.
Was Satele a good fit for the Dolphins in Pouncey's absence? Absolutely. He helped steady an offensive line in the first quarter of the season that featured five new starters who needed all the help they could get.
However, as the season wore on, Satele's flaws became more evident, as he was often dominated up the middle.
While the Dolphins should thank Satele for his services on his second go-round with the team, it is also time to move on. They have a Pro Bowl center already, so it's time to put him back there and surround him with good guards.
Jimmy Wilson: Keep
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I'm not as low on Jimmy Wilson as many Dolphins fans are.
Like Daryn Colledge, I don't see him as a starter—not at safety and not at nickelback.
I do see him as a quality piece for depth, and other NFL teams likely see him the same way, which is why it should be easy for Miami to retain him in the same role.
Wilson will continue to get plenty of snaps and continue to be a productive (but at times maddening) player, but he's worth keeping around.
Knowshon Moreno: Cut
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Knowshon Moreno gave the Dolphins one heck of a game.
In the only full game he played, Moreno ran for 134 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 against New England.
That was the peak of his Miami Dolphins career. He got hurt in Week 2 against Buffalo, then he came back in Week 6 against Green Bay only to injure himself for the season.
The reasons to let Knowshon walk are many. His age (28 at the start of next season), position (running back) and injury history are among them.
The other reason, though, is that he and Lamar Miller are fairly redundant in running style. What the Dolphins need is a back who can compliment Miller and be a battering ram. While Moreno is up for the job, there will be better options both in the draft and in free agency who better fit that profile.
Daryn Colledge: Keep
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It's odd for me to suggest the Dolphins keep a guard who Pro Football Focus graded out at minus-22.9 for the season, but here I am making that suggestion.
Why should the Dolphins keep Daryn Colledge? It's for depth.
Colledge shouldn't be starting for Miami in 2015. The Dolphins should sign a guard in free agency (the best options would be Kansas City's Jeff Linkenbach, Denver's Orlando Franklin or San Francisco's Mike Iupati), then draft one in the third or fourth round to compete with Dallas Thomas and Billy Turner for the second guard spot.
How would Colledge fit in? He'd provide leadership from the bench and serve in the Nate Garner role for the Dolphins—albeit with a little bit less versatility.
Charles Clay: Keep
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Charles Clay didn't have a great year, ending the season with 58 catches for 605 yards and three touchdowns.
At times throughout the season, he seemed invisible as well—the product of a breakout 2013 season.
This should make his price tag more enticing for the Dolphins to keep, which is something they should do.
For most of the season, Clay was hampered by injuries that had him on the Dolphins' injury list every week and forced him to miss games against the Denver Broncos and New York Jets.
Clay did heat up toward the end of the season. He had 19 receptions for 259 yards and a touchdown in his final four games.
What would help Clay and the Dolphins offense out the most would be if he were paired up with a bigger tight end who could be a bigger red-zone threat.
This is the route the Dolphins should take.
Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com and Pro Football Focus, which requires a subscription.
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