Finally, Dolphins fans, we’re close to the start of NFL Free Agency. Very close.

The legal tampering period begins Monday, March 15th at 4 pm eastern, and teams can officially announce signings on the 17th. While Coach Flo and GM Chris Grier don’t have bottomless pockets this year as they did in 2020, the Dolphins sit in a decent spot with $33 million to spend (this thanks in large part to the almost ten million created by the Kyle Van Noy cut).

Internally, reports a few weeks ago surfaced that the Dolphins wanted to be aggressive once again in free agency. Now it seems like the team might be a touch more frugal once the 15th hits; in his press conference on Thursday, Flores seemed to hint that the Dolphins won’t be overzealous in pursuing free agents in the coming days. And after a conversation with DolphinsTalk’s very own Kevin Dern this past week, I’m starting to believe that the team could definitely be a bit less aggressive this time around.

What does this all mean? It means that while I’d love to add every big free-agent name to the list of players, the Dolphins should chase, I can’t. This isn’t a wish-list. This is a realistic (and very smart, I might add) plan for what the team should do starting on Monday.

With $33 million in cap space — some of which will need to be saved for the 2021 draft class and reserves during the season — Miami will have to be smart about their business.

I’d expect the Dolphins to free up some extra space through cuts (Clayton Fejedelem, Allen Hurns, maybe Albert Wilson or Jakeem Grant) and restructures (Byron Jones, Bobby McCain), which will create some added flexibility but also some create some holes. Either way, Miami has some money they can spend.

How can they best use that money? Well, allow me…

Step One: Sign ONE of, OL Corey Lindsley/Joe Thuney, David Andrews, or EDGE Shaq Barrett/Bud Dupree

These are your big fish. The cap-eaters. The prizes of free agency. Last season the Dolphins captured a number of these guys — Kyle Van Noy, Byron Jones, and maybe even Shaq Lawson and Ereck Flowers could be counted here because of their contracts.

This season the Fins have only got room for one such player. To claim the AFC East title over the Bills next season, though, a move like this might be necessary.

Getting one of Lindsley, Thuney, or Andrews helps bolster an O-line’s interior that should improve by default next season because of its youth. It also adds some security in case someone regresses. Any of these three is an upgrade over in-house free agent Ted Karras, and the latter two have the Flores connection from New England. They’re just a little pricey.

Looking to the defensive side, Barrett or Dupree would be talented additions to an already impressive unit. Kyle Van Noy filled several roles in Miami’s style of defense, so either of these may not be a one-for-one replacement, but they each are dynamic playmakers. Plus, the draft has an array of talented linebackers, so a perfect partner for incumbent Jerome Baker could be found there if the Dolphins’ brass so pleases. The only concerns here are that Barrett won’t be cheap, and Dupree is coming off of an ACL injury.

There is one huge caveat to this first step in my free agency plan. Just to make it official, watch this:

**CAVEAT ALERT**

The Dolphins could do none of these things.

They could completely spurn all the big-money FA’s this year and instead save the money. And I know this seems lame, and you might be saying, “but GM Evan! This team is so close! Why shouldn’t they be aggressive???”

Here’s why: This season, the salary cap dropped because of league revenue shrinkage from COVID-19. Just about every team has got a little belt-tightening to do, and spending money is more scarce. But next offseason? COVID is looking like it could feasibly be headed the way of the dodo in the U.S. thanks to vaccine efforts, so the regular season should look more like normal.

For the NFL, normal equals more money. Lots more money. And for NFL teams, this means the usual jump in the league salary cap in 2022 as opposed to this year’s rare reduction.

So, the Dolphins could save money this offseason given circumstances, roll-over that money to next offseason to pair with free money from a salary cap jump, and then go bonkers again as they did in 2019.

You dig?

I like this approach because the Dolphins have lots of draft picks again this year and can build that way cheaply for one more year. Then, assuming all goes well with Tua and the team continues on its current trajectory, a spending spree headed into the 2022 season could patch any holes and put Miami in the Super Bowl conversation at that point.

That’s right, I said it. So think about it, Chris Grier and Brian Flores.

Step Two: Sign WR Curtis Samuel

The Dolphins’ offense needs help. Tua, or whoever is the week one starter, needs help.

Allen Robinson and Chris Godwin each got the franchise tag, but there are still some top receiver options out there on the market. There are just a few things…

Kenny Golladay’s likely price tag scares me. Will Fuller’s durability and off-field questions scare me. And Juju Smith-Schuster’s TikToks really scare me. But there is one guy I’ve got my eye on who could help, a guy who doesn’t scare me at all.

Enter Curtis Samuel; Dolphins Twitter’s free-agent darling and budget option compared to other wide receivers on the market.

The dude is fast — like 4.31 on the 40-yard dash fast — and incredibly versatile. He’s shifty, dynamic, and also just not as expensive as those other guys. He won’t be your number one, but he’s a playmaker in space that the Dolphins so desperately need. No offense to Jakeem Grant, but signing Samuel to make him expendable would make me one happy camper. He’s the first concrete signing of my master plan.

Step Three: Sign LB Denzel Perryman

Anyone else remember this guy? 

Drafted in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, this is a guy I wanted coming out of the University of Miami (unrelated: the fact that that draft was now six years ago makes me feel old). He went to the Chargers and was an asset primarily against the run even though he missed time here and there due to injury. He’s never been every-down backer and he’s a little small-ish in terms of length for getting off blocks, so why would the Dolphins want him?

Because he’s perfect to replace Elandon Roberts, pair with Jerome Baker, and complement with a linebacker in the draft. And, he won’t be expensive. 

The Dolphins’ defense was great last year, but one area that could use improvement is defending the run. Perryman immediately helps that effort, and he fills some of the void created by the departures of Van Noy and Roberts.

*update: following the Benardrick McKinney trade, this step probably changes to targeting an edge rusher like Carl Lawson or Melvin Ingram rather than someone like Perryman. Moving on…

Step Four: Sign the cheaper option between DT’s Adam Butler and Lawrence Guy

    You ever like a guy in free agency or the draft because you think he’d look good in aqua and orange? Or maybe just because his name would look nice on the back of a Dolphins jersey? 

That’s how I am with current Patriots free agent Lawrence Guy. Just picture a big ‘ol D-lineman with the three letters G-U-Y emblazoned in aqua on his back. 

In all seriousness, if Davon Godchaux doesn’t return the Dolphins would do well to add one more body to the interior D-line rotation. And this draft class is pretty defensive tackle-poor. At this point in my plan, Chris Grier and Brian Flores could be pretty strapped for cash depending on which way step one went, hence the recommendation to sign the cheaper option. 

My gut tells me Guy will be a tad more expensive, but Butler also played well last year for the Patriots. And like so many people have pointed out, Flores loves him some ex-Pats for their common leadership abilities and scheme familiarity. 

Neither Butler nor Guy would be asked to play a massive amount of snaps alongside the young defensive tackles the Dolphins already have, so if a contract can be worked out that would reflect that reality, I say do it. At best one of these guys ends up being a playmaker, and at worst he keeps the other linemen fresh.

Step Five: Win the Super Bowl in the 2022 season

You heard it here first — Chris Grier and Brian Flores, I hope you were taking notes.