The Miami Dolphins made some notable signings and re-signings of players thus far in the 2022 free agency period. And although I like their signings, I still cannot convince myself to believe that it’s enough on paper to make them big-time playoff contenders for this upcoming season.
Even with the abundance of cap space, GM Chris Grier seemed to go about his usual routine — signing a handful of contributors, but no game-changers — and in doing so, expects that continued strategy to be enough for a young QB in Tua Tagovailoa to take the team to the big dance which is the NFL playoffs.
Yes, the Dolphins addressed their weaknesses at offensive line, running back, and wide receiver by adding OG Connor Williams, RB Chase Edmonds, and WR Cedric Wilson.
BUT…
Williams has been a solid guard throughout his tenure with the Cowboys and has gotten better since being drafted in 2018. He may be an upgrade compared to what the Dolphins currently have, but is he a Pro Bowler? No.
Does it help that his weaknesses of committing 15 penalties and making mistakes in his assignments are overshadowed by playing amongst a highly-talented and notorious Cowboys offensive line? Yes.
Edmonds is talented and versatile. He is a solid runner with vision, can catch out of the backfield, and can line up as a slot receiver for Tua to dump off to. He’s an ideal player for what HC Mike McDaniel wants to do in his run-scheme and offense.
But has Edmonds ever been trusted to be a lead back and “the guy” for an entire season? No. The Cardinals, who gave him plenty of touches through the ground and air, let him walk to keep a more injury-prone and more traditional back in James Conner.
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Cedric Wilson? Yeah. It’s easy to make plays after the catch when you are the 4th receiver on the Cowboys playing behind Amari Cooper, Ceedee Lamb, and Michael Gallup. Someone had to be open after those three were covered. Not to mention you have one of the league’s better QBs throwing to you in Dak Prescott.
Like I said earlier, I LIKE these signings. I think they are upgrades. But are they enough? Are these the superstars Miami needs to fix the offense and be contenders in 2022 with a defense on the other side?
Williams will probably step in immediately at LG and solidify it. But the offensive line still needs a lot of work at both tackle positions, and I’m still not happy with what’s at center. Michael Deiter improved enough to be a starter but was an afterthought for his first two seasons until 2021 came. Then he got hurt and missed a few games (Personally, I don’t think he had any realistic competition for the starting position and was anointed after former starter Ted Karras left for New England in 2021 free agency, but I digress).
In Edmonds case, he will have the opportunity to prove that Grier’s philosophy of not investing highly in running backs (via the draft or free agency) works — a philosophy that has failed since Jay Ajayi was traded in 2017.
During the previous Flores regime, Jordan Howard, Matt Breida, and Malcolm Brown have all come and went with little impact. And the Dolphins continue to look for more than just their retainees — Myles Gaskin, Salvon Ahmed, and free-agent Duke Johnson.
Wilson seems to fit what McDaniels wants at wide-receiver — a quick-cutting, run-after-catch option for Tua’s accurate quick-passing — which is a good thing since Albert Wilson, Allen Hurns, and Isaiah Ford don’t seem to be getting the job done as the team’s lesser options there.
But Cedric Wilson isn’t going to solve the entire WR unit whose major players have been full of disappointment throughout the years:
—DeVante Parker will never develop into that elite option the Dolphins hoped he’d be. He still gets banged up and misses games.
— Preston Williams has been on the team since 2019, and although he looks like a WR-1 at times, he misses too many games due to injury. This past season wasn’t around at all due to a combination of a slow start coming off the PUP, durability, and disciplinary issues.
— Albert Wilson? The man who returned from a 2018 hip injury in 2019 and opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID pandemic was also a non-factor during the regular season. A 2021 training camp standout but couldn’t turn it on when the games mattered.
Just total unreliability all-around from this unit. All the talent, with all the frustration attached to it. And it’s been the same faces and the same names for a few years now. They’ve shown Grier who they are.
YET…
DolphinsTalk Podcast with Mike and @DolphinsTalkTom: Dolphins Free Agency Recap Day 1 – Bridgewater, Wilson, Edmonds, & Ogbah #AudibleApp https://t.co/duQeVKaVk8
— DolphinsTalk.com (@DolphinsTalk) March 15, 2022
Chris Grier still hangs onto them, just so the team and fans can go through the same annual headache. This was clear by his action of re-signing Preston Williams.
Grier didn’t trade for a stud in Amari Cooper who was bought for peanuts by the Browns, even though the Fins have plenty of draft picks to spend and cap space to inherit Cooper’s contract. Not to mention a young QB who is widely under scrutiny and could use the supporting cast. No.
He decides to re-sign an injury-prone, undisciplined receiver who has a case of the drops.
Nice. *slow clap*
(Speaking of former Cowboys players, isn’t OT La’el Collins available for trade? Where’s the Dolphins deal to acquire him? HE’s the good one!)
What this team needs is a TRUE No. 1 wide receiver. Someone who the Fins can pair with Jaylen Waddle to be an elite duo, who is going to overshadow the rest of the depth chart, and be that reliable staple and playmaker when the rest of the unit falters (which they probably will again in 2022. Sorry for my negativity, but we’ve been on this ride too many times).
Think about this…
The Chargers are literally stacking their offense and defense with players for Justin Herbert:
—They have RB Austin Ekeler and WR Keenan Allen.
— They tagged & re-signed WR Mike Williams.
— They signed DTs Austin Johnson and Sebastian Joseph-Day, who have some of the best run-stopping metrics.
They acquired cornerback J.C. Jackson, a ballhawk who gives some of the worst passer ratings to QBs.
— They traded for pass rusher Khalil Mack, who is older now, but can still be effective with Joey Bosa on the other side.
The Browns —who probably know that Baker Mayfield isn’t the answer anymore and are pursuing Deshaun Watson— are STILL trying to give whichever QB remains weapons to work with (hence, Amari Cooper). And bless them, they’ve done that since the conclusion of Baker’s rookie season. They’ve given him RBs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt and receiving options Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, David Njoku…etc.
They TRY. They GO FOR IT.
But the Dolphins don’t do enough, even with all the assets at their disposal. They still want to get by and believe they can go the distance with just a group of “good players.” This has been Grier’s mantra since he took over as GM in 2016.
The draft picks, the cap space, the upper-echelon players who are available for a cheap trade… still aren’t good enticing opportunities for this team to cash in on.
And maybe the Dolphins don’t have the right QB at the moment (for the record, I’m a Tua-defender. But even I can’t say that he’s shown enough to convince me that he’s the team’s franchise quarterback). But that shouldn’t be an excuse for not being able to build a roster.
The Broncos haven’t had a QB since Peyton Manning retired, but that didn’t stop them from acquiring talent throughout the years. Now, they’ve found their missing piece in Russell Wilson and are ready to make a push.
I wouldn’t expect McDaniel to come in as a first-time head coach and take the league by storm overnight. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
But I’ve been hearing that saying for over 20 years now.
