Top 10 Free Agents Miami Dolphins Must Sign
The Miami Dolphins have a lot to do this offseason, and the work starts in free agency.
They must fill holes at cornerback, defensive tackle, offensive line and running back in free agency, which would allow the Dolphins to go for the best available players in the draft.
How can they do this? By shedding salary to create some cap room for starters, but that's another article.
Today, we're going to talk about the players the Dolphins should sign once they clear said cap room.
Some of the players on the list are Miami's own free agents. The players are ranked on positional need, their importance in terms of said position and how much they can help improve the team.
You'll be surprised by a few of the names too, so let's dive in.
10. Jason Trusnik, Linebacker
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How is Jason Trusnik a must-sign player?
He's a career special teamer who plays decently, but not great, at linebacker, and he isn't a threat to take anyone's starting job.
However, when he's on the field on special teams, he makes a big difference.
The good thing for the Dolphins is Trusnik should be affordable for all of the reasons I mentioned above.
9. Jason Fox, Offensive Lineman
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The Pro Football Focus numbers don't favor Jason Fox.
There's no way to defend a minus-7.2 grade (minus-4.6 pass blocking and minus-2.0 run blocking). By no means is that good.
So why must they re-sign him?
The reason is depth at a position where the Dolphins need as much of it as possible. On top of that, Fox played well toward the end of the season, grading out at 2.0 against Minnesota.
That's an upgrade over Dallas Thomas.
Miami should still draft a guard early and a tackle late in the draft and move Billy Turner into the starting lineup. Along with that, the team should keep Fox as an effective backup.
8. Jake Locker, Quarterback
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I've always been a Jake Locker fan, and I'd be excited to see him backing up Ryan Tannehill on the Dolphins.
Locker would only be seen if the worst of the worst happens to Tannehill, but if the Dolphins choose to sign him (which they should), Locker would be a great fit.
You wouldn't have to change the playbook too much for him, as his athletic ability is on par (or slightly below) with Tannehill's.
His arm strength is a little bit better than Tannehill's, while Tannehill is the better decision-maker, but they won't compete for the job.
Locker could use some time working with Bill Lazor, who so far is two-for-two in helping NFL quarterbacks improve. Could he do that for Locker? Let's find out.
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7. Stephen Gostkowski, Kicker
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Let's not go through the nonsense of a "competition" between Caleb Sturgis and Kicker X; the Dolphins should just sign the best kicker available.
Two of the NFL's best kickers will be available this offseason, and while Justin Tucker might be the better pick, he's a restricted free agent, which means Baltimore could (and would) match.
Instead, go with Stephen Gostkowski of the New England Patriots. He has made 86.8 percent of his kicks in his career and hit 35 of 37 field goals in 2014.
He'll be more expensive than Sturgis, but his reliability is worth the cost.
6. Chris Culliver, Cornerback
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The Miami Dolphins already have one elite cornerback.
Why not add another in Chris Culliver?
Yes, Culliver is elite: He has improved in every season, leading to a 2014 season where he recorded 38 tackles and four interceptions and graded out on Pro Football Focus at 8.5 (8.2 vs. pass, 0.2 vs. run).
He might not be a Joe Philbin-type player though, as he does have an off-the-field issue pertaining to possession of brass knuckles and a collision with a bicyclist last year, but I wouldn't be too worried about the outcome of this case.
Culliver has been known to learn from his mistakes too. After stating in 2013 during Super Bowl week that he would not accept a gay player in the locker room, he reached out to the Trevor Project (an organization that provides support for LGBT young people) and volunteered to help.
Culliver has had his run-ins in the past, which could preclude the 49ers from holding onto him.
If that's the case, the Dolphins should take advantage and get a dramatic upgrade at their second cornerback slot.
5. Tom Johnson, Defensive Tackle
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One Dolphins player who should go is Randy Starks.
His decline in 2014 was noticeable enough for everyone to agree that whether the Dolphins re-sign Jared Odrick or not, defensive tackle is a position of need.
May I suggest Minnesota defensive tackle Tom Johnson to fill that void?
He is coming off a good season in Minnesota where he recorded 6.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus graded him out at 5.2; however, he was graded out at minus-0.9 against the run.
The Vikings are already attempting to re-sign him, per ESPN.com's Ben Goessling, who also brought up the Dolphins as a good fit: "Teams that play the same scheme as the Vikings—such as the Bengals and Dolphins—could have some interest, and the Vikings had cursory conversations with Johnson's agent about a multiyear deal toward the end of the season."
The Sun-Sentinel's Dave Hyde is a fan of such a signing too:
"So the Suh longshot looks gone w/Detroit saying it's close to keeping him. Plan B: Odrick and my sleeper, Tom Johnson (look up, @omarkellly)
— Dave Hyde (@davehydesports) February 19, 2015"
Odrick and Johnson? Add in Earl Mitchell and you have a great defensive tackle rotation.
4. Frank Gore, Running Back
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Even though Frank Gore is affordable now, suggesting this signing still feels like I'm playing Madden.
I've been a Gore fan ever since I saw him in high school (I went to Columbus, and he went to Coral Gables, which is in the same district), and in 2005 on MySpace I pushed for the Dolphins to draft him instead of Ronnie Brown.
Gore is a Miami football player, and the Dolphins could use more of those.
The friendship with Lamar Miller is already there, as the two have worked out together in the offseason in the past.
Gore definitely still has it, as he's coming off a 2014 season where he ran for 1,106 yards on 255 attempts, with only four touchdowns. We could blame the lack of scoring on 49ers play-calling, though.
Per Matt Miller of Bleacher Report, the Dolphins are a possibility, but Gore is leaning toward the Indianapolis Colts. The Dolphins could jump into the race but will have to be willing to pay.
They should.
3. Mike Iupati, Guard
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If the Dolphins sign Mike Iupati, there's no reason for them to draft a guard like I suggested earlier in the slideshow.
He would drastically improve Miami's run blocking with his 18.5 run-blocking grade. Pro Football Focus wasn't too enamored with his pass blocking (grading him out at minus-7.5) but overall, he's an upgrade to the offensive line, especially in between Branden Albert and Mike Pouncey (who would move back to center).
Speaking of Pouncey, he has endorsed this signing, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. "Pouncey said he would like the Dolphins to sign 'a really good veteran guard' and is recommending San Francisco impending free agent Mike Iupati. 'Good player,' he said. Pouncey said playing alongside a quality guard makes the game easier."
Having Pouncey's recommendation should motivate the Dolphins to sign Iupati, but they shouldn't even need the Pro Bowler's approval, as Iupati's performance and age (he'll be 28 at the start of the season) should be motivation enough.
2. Charles Clay, Tight End
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Bringing back Charles Clay should be a no-brainer despite his disappointing 2014.
Yes, his 58 catches, 605 yards and three touchdowns in 2014 look bad compared to his 69 catches, 759 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2013, but he was on the injury list every week in 2014, and until the end of the season, he didn't look right.
The Dolphins will be revamping their receivers in 2015, and consistency would be a nice bridge for Tannehill. Clay could provide that consistency to help carry the offense until the rest of the new receivers get acclimated.
Update (2/24): On second thought, maybe we need to re-examine this.
1. Jared Odrick, Defensive Tackle
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This is an absolute no-brainer of a signing, and if the Dolphins do not pull this off, their offseason will be a failure.
You can't let go of a 27-year-old player in the middle of his prime at a position where you already have a large hole to begin with.
Odrick graded out at 9.0 per Pro Football Focus (7.3 vs. pass, 1.0 vs. run), and the Dolphins were a better defense when he was on the field.
He was great when paired with Earl Mitchell and would be great paired with Tom Johnson (who was mentioned earlier in this list).
Rebuilding the offensive line is going to be hard enough as it is. There's no reason for the Dolphins to make it any tougher than it has to be. If they re-sign Odrick, it won't be.
Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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