Reassessing Dolphins' Offseason Plan and Breaking Down What's Left to Address

For years, the Miami Dolphins' offseason plans have been predictable predicated on their permanent fixture on getting over the hump and into the postseason for the first time since 2008.

It's been one big splash here, one shifting of key decision-makers there, and for years, all it's brought them is a steady stream of .500 seasons. 

In 2015, the Dolphins shook it up by tearing it down, cutting ties with many of their recent bad investments/potential future bad investments and moving in a new direction.

Out with wide receivers Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson, cornerback Cortland Finnegan, linebackers Dannell Ellerbe and Philip Wheeler, defensive tackles Randy Starks and Jared Odrick and tight end Charles Clay. In with wide receiver Kenny Stills, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, cornerback Brice McCain and tight end Jordan Cameron.

Suddenly, the Dolphins roster is taking a brand-new shape. 

Here's a look at the Dolphins' offseason plan to date, how they've executed it and what remains on the docket.

The Plan

It didn't take long for the green curtain to be pulled back on the Dolphins' plan. As they began unloading big-money contracts one by one, it became more and more clear that they were going to make a splash and that they wanted to rebuild a few key positions: wide receiver, linebacker and defensive tackle. 

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

The Dolphins did a salary dump by cutting Hartline, Gibson, Starks and Wheeler, but they got creative with their other salary-cap moves by trading Wallace and Ellerbe to the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints respectively. That they were able to acquire anything at all is something of a miracle, considering the amount of coverage pertaining to Wallace's falling-out with the team and the obvious upcoming decision on Ellerbe's contract.

That they acquired Stills, a highly talented and young receiver, in the process is almost unbelievable. 

Rebuilding is all well and good, but the Dolphins are still under construction on the offensive line—as they have been for more than a full year at this point. There are one or two spots on the line they need to fill, and those spots will vary depending on who plays where. 

The Dolphins made some headway on their plans, but work remains to be done.

The Execution

As mentioned above, the Dolphins were able to execute their plan better than expected. There were rumors circulating that the Dolphins were trying to trade Ellerbe in a last-ditch effort, per Fox Sports, and one Ian Rapoport reported on NFL Total Access that Wallace was on-and-off the trade block, but with their albatross cap hits of $9.9 million for Wallace and $8.475 million for Ellerbe, they were seemingly stuck. 

That's when the Vikings and Saints swooped in as the heroes of the Dolphins' offseason, helping them free up the money that it would take to make sure they landed their prize pony.

Landing Stills in the trade with the Saints doesn't make up for the losses of the three veteran receivers, but it helps steer the Dolphins in the right direction. 

We've thrown bouquets all over the Dolphins' offseason, and we haven't even gone into detail about the signing of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh yet. Yes, they spent a ridiculous amount of money, penning him to a six-year deal worth nearly $115 million with nearly $60 million guaranteed. The three-time All-Pro may never live up to that exorbitant sum, but that's the price of admission when signing the prize pony of free agency.

After losing both Jared Odrick and Randy Starks this offseason, the Dolphins may still have one hole to fill at defensive tackle, but they're off to a fantastic start with the signing of Suh.

The signing of former New York Giants center J.D. Walton makes for some interesting debate on the offensive line. There's a chance they signed him to provide depth at his original position; there's also a chance they signed him to start there, with Mike Pouncey moving over to guard permanently; there's also a chance that they want him to kick out to guard so that Pouncey can remain at center.

Part of the plan was also to retain Charles Clay or at least to find some form of starting-caliber tight end. Putting the transition tag on him was a wise move because it gave the Dolphins a chance to match the offers being made by the Buffalo Bills, but they missed an opportunity to receive draft-pick compensation by not using the franchise tag. That being said, they were never going to match the massive numbers. 

In either case, their execution turned out to be just fine, as they landed Jordan Cameron on a team-friendly deal.

All in all, the Dolphins checked off nearly all their boxes on the offseason to-do list. 

The Remains

The only parts of the Dolphins' offseason plan that remain unfinished—or at least haven't been addressed just yet—are at linebacker, wide receiver and guard. Adding Stills was a great first step, but the Dolphins are considered to be in the running to draft a wide receiver with their first-round pick.

Louisville's DeVante Parker is one great prospect who fits their needs, and he has pretty much all the skills that the Dolphins currently lack at receiver. He has all the tools in terms of size (6'3", 209 lbs) and athleticism, and you simply can't teach that. 

They appear a bit more content to sit on their hands at linebacker and guard, though. They are loaded with young talent at the linebacker spot. Koa Misi will start somewhere, but where will he start? That depends on who of Dion Jordan, Kelvin Sheppard and Jelani Jenkins ends up in a starting spot.

Jordan has been primarily used as a defensive end since entering the NFL, but he could return to his original spot as a stand-up outside linebacker. Jenkins took on a huge role in 2014 after the injury to Ellerbe, and he could be in line for a continuation of that role on the outside. There's also Sheppard, who has primarily been used as a middle linebacker in his previous stops with the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts.

At least there, the Dolphins have given themselves multiple players who could potentially fill those roles. They can't say the same at guard and wide receiver just yet, though.

At guard, it looks like the job will be left in the uneasy hands of Dallas Thomas or Billy Turner, two former tackles hoping to transition to guard—the latter of whom has not played enough to show that he can, the former of whom has played just enough to show that he can't.

With the draft only a few weeks away, those questions could be answered soon. If not, those questions will continue through the offseason and into opening day.