Best and Worst Moves the Miami Dolphins Have Made in Free Agency
In their seemingly never-ending quest to get over the hump and into the playoffs, the Miami Dolphins have made big splashes year after year in free agency.
This offseason was no different, with the "Suhpersized" contract for defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, but this offseason may be remembered more for the mass exodus of 2013 free-agency failures in wide receivers Mike Wallace and Brandon Gibson and linebackers Philip Wheeler and Dannell Ellerbe.
The Dolphins' actions have been smart, and their inaction has been foolish. Here's a look at some of the best and worst moves and non-moves the Dolphins have made this offseason.
Best: Re-Signing Louis Delmas
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When the Dolphins signed Louis Delmas to a one-year deal last offseason, they were hoping to see whether he could be the long-awaited answer at safety next to Reshad Jones. One year later, they are still waiting for their answer to that question. But thanks to another one-year deal, they have another 12 months to figure it out.
And it appears as though Delmas will be able to fully participate this season, despite a season-ending ACL tear in the final month of the 2014 regular season.
"The knee is great," Delmas said on a conference call Friday. "My doctors and my training staff have been doing a great job of managing me and making sure I'm doing everything protocol-wise to be able to play the first game of the season. I definitely know that I will be ready for the first game of the season."
Delmas was lined up at strong safety for most of the 2014 season and held up well in yielding one reception per 36 snaps in coverage—the 10th-best ratio in the league, according to ProFootballFocus.com. If he can continue to play up to that level, perhaps the Dolphins will sign him for more than one year next time around.
Worst: Not Signing a Guard
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Rome was not built in a day, and the Dolphins offensive line was not built in one offseason.
After their pass protectors yielded a Dolphins-record 58 sacks in 2013, also a league high that year, they blew the whole thing up with the exception of stalwart Mike Pouncey. They were quick to address the left tackle spot by adding Branden Albert and first-round draft choice Ja'Wuan James. Their answers at guard, however, were less inspiring.
Unless the Dolphins have some grand vision of dramatic steps forward from young guard Dallas Thomas, they should be feeling a little greater sense of urgency to address the offensive interior.
Veteran guard Dan Connolly is still available on the open market and could fill in at either left guard or right guard, having played both positions for the New England Patriots. On that note, the Dolphins would not only be strengthening their own roster, but weakening the roster of a division rival if they were to sign Connolly.
Best: Signing Ndamukong Suh
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The Dolphins had to pony up for the prize pony of the 2015 free-agency class, but even at a gaudy $60 million guaranteed in the first three seasons, the Dolphins may make out like bandits in signing defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.
After parting ways with both Jared Odrick and Randy Starks, the Dolphins needed to supplement their defensive line with a quality starter on the interior. Odrick and Starks combined for 34 sacks over the past four seasons and an average of 8.5 combined sacks per season. On his lonesome, Suh has generated 6.5 sacks per season over the past four seasons—and that's not including his dominant 10-sack rookie campaign.
A defensive line that features Suh, Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon could be one of the most disruptive units in the NFL, and in a division that features one of the best pure pocket passers of our generation, a fierce pass rush is a must.
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Worst: Not Re-Signing Knowshon Moreno
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The Dolphins had one of the most efficient rushing attacks in the league in 2014, and that was without very much production from running back Knowshon Moreno.
The team signed him to a one-year deal last offseason, hoping he could latch on in its system and prove that he wasn't simply a product of the brilliance of future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. Unfortunately, injuries derailed him (an elbow to start, an ACL to finish) and as a result, he's received little to no interest on the open market.
The Dolphins could still bring him back, and it would be wise to do so. Their depth chart right now is lacking in firepower, with only Lamar Miller as a proven NFL commodity (and even that's a stretch, as Miller has only one year under his belt as a true top back, and that was by accident thanks to Moreno's injuries).
Best: Signing Jordan Cameron on a Low-Risk Deal
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Question: What's better than a high-upside tight end?
Answer: Getting him on a low-risk contract.
The Dolphins improved their red-zone offense by adding a 6'5", 254-pound tight end to their pass-catching group, and they did so at the low cost of only $5 million guaranteed over the next two seasons. That low figure is thanks to a troubling history of concussions that have forced Cameron to the sideline all too frequently—not to mention an overall injury history that has held him out of 17 games in his four-year career (four games per season).
But when he's been healthy, he's been productive. He notched 80 receptions for 917 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games during the 2013 campaign. In the past three seasons, he's averaged 13 games, 41 receptions, 522 yards and three touchdowns per season. If he stays healthy for the full season, his production could easily surpass those numbers.
Worst: Not Using the Franchise Tag on Charles Clay
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The Dolphins made the wise move to sign Jordan Cameron as an insurance policy against losing Charles Clay, but they could have taken a measure that would have prevented them from losing him while also not hamstringing them against the salary cap.
If they had used the franchise tag instead of the transition tag, they would not only have increased their chances of retaining him, but they would have also increased the draft pick compensation they would have received if another team wanted to poach him. It would have only cost them an extra few million dollars to put the franchise tag on him than it did to put the transition tag on him.
In the end, the Dolphins did not end up too hurt by the loss of Clay, and transitioning him was better than just letting him walk, but can you imagine a two-tight end offense featuring both Clay and Cameron? Good luck with that, opposing defenses.
But unfortunately, that will always be nothing more than a dream now.
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained via team news release.
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