Since the league’s legal tampering window opened on Monday at noon, the Dolphins have been one of the most active teams in agreeing to terms with new player additions.
Here’s a quick list of Miami’s acquisitions as of March 18:
- OG Ereck Flowers – 3 years, $30M
- S Clayton Fejedelum – 3 years, $8.55M
- LB Kyle Van Noy – 4 years, $51M
- EDGE Shaq Lawson – 3 years, $30M
- CB Byron Jones – 5 years, $82M
- C Ted Karras – 1 year, $4M
- EDGE Emmanuel Ogbah – 2 years, $15M
- LB Kamu Grugier-Hill
- RB Jordan Howard – 2 years, $10M
- LB Elandon Roberts
Chris Grier and Brian Flores talked about how they planned to spend their copious amount of cap space wisely, and on players who fit their vision going forward. They have done exactly that by adding multiple players with high ceilings and at moderate price tags. Byron Jones was a somewhat unexpected snag by Miami, but it now has the league’s two highest-paid cornerbacks as Jones joins Xavien Howard. The pairing of Jones/Howard has the potential to be the most lethal in the league.
***NEW*** https://t.co/jTLjtUE3tr Daily Podcast for Wednesday, March 18th. We go over the Karras and Roberts signing from today. And Mike has a rant about fans complaining the Dolphins are signing too many Patriots. https://t.co/sDEkpvzpJk
— DolphinsTalk.com (@DolphinsTalk) March 19, 2020
Miami has shown which areas of need that they plan to address in the draft. The Jordan Howard signing was cost effective and brings a veteran RB into Miami’s locker room, but the team will likely still look to draft a back in the early rounds next month. J.K. Dobbins, Jonathan Taylor, and D’Andre Swift are all prime targets for the Dolphins toward the end of the first round.
Ted Karras and Ereck Flowers were both signings that will add depth and experience to the offensive line at modest prices. Karras has been a solid Center in the NFL since being drafted in the 6th round by the Patriots in 2016. Miami will hope that Karras can turn in better production than they got from Daniel Kilgore last season.
Flowers is a former 9th overall pick and though his career got off to a rocky start with the Giants he has had a sort of rebirth. In his one season with the Redskins in 2019, Flowers played as a Guard rather than at the Tackle position he was drafted as. He will certainly provide an upgrade over the Guard options that the Dolphins sifted through last season.
Miami landed Kyle Van Noy and Shaq Lawson, both of whom should be great additions to Flores’ defense. Van Noy and Flores worked together in New England, so there was a clear connection heading into free agency. The Lawson signing not only adds a versatile edge rusher to Miami’s team, but it also weakens a division rival. Adding these two, along with Emmanuel Ogbah, gives you an idea of what Brian Flores wants to do with his defense.
Obviously QB will be the number one need for this Dolphins team, but they will be able to take care of that rather easily with the amount of draft picks that they have stockpiled. It seems likely that Miami will move up from 5th overall to put them in a spot to take either Herbert or Tua.
As of right now, the Dolphins hold 14 picks in this year’s draft. Expect the Dolphins to be moving all over the board throughout the draft process. This approach to free agency should be admired by Dolphins fans, as the team is putting itself in a position to take the best player available after getting their future QB, whoever that may end up being.
The rebuild is beginning to take a different shape, and it seems to be in good hands.
I will stick my neck out and say we will go with the trenches instead of what many think it’s going to be a QB. Why, the QB position is looking good with Fitz and with Rosen learning on the side lines. QB position is Differently the strongest part of the team! In reality, Fitz could play until 2023. Now, there’s so many holes still leftover after FAs being signed. Go heavy in the draft on OL, DL, Big RB from BC, WR and more attention to special teams in the late rounds. Special teams is a squad that no one talks about and can make or break a team.
You are so dumb. We want a QB that we can put a franchise tag on. Fitzpatrick won’t last very long and Rosen is a huge bust. The Dolphins are strong at WR and the special teams is good. We need linemen, a solid young RB, and a long term great QB.
Speacial teams as I said is being looked at and they signed two good ones in FAs.
Dolphins will draft a WR and TE!
It’s well known, that this staff will only take a QB if they are very sure he’s the man and I’m ok with that. That means a lot considering the high percentage of draft BUSTs, which they are trying to avoid. 2021 they draft their QB and hopefully its Lawrence.
Fitzpatrick (tough basterd) could very well play until 2023 and teach that young QB the ropes. You watched Rosen and say hes a bust. There’s very few seasoned QBs that couldn’t done much of anything with that horrible OL in Arizona or Miami. So you’re saying Rosen is a bust? Then what about the next QB they pick?