Day one of the official tampering period has come to a close, and the Miami Dolphins have made excellent signings that have strengthened the team at all three levels. If we go down the list of signings on the surface, we can say that Miami has had an excellent start to free agency.

 

  • For the Offense: The Franchise tag of Mike Gesicki ensures Tua retains one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the league for at least one more season. The signing of Chase Edmonds gives Miami a versatile weapon in both the passing and running game. The signing of Cedric Wilson Jr. offers another speedy vertical deep threat that was underrated in the Dallas Cowboys’ passing attack. The signing of Teddy Bridgewater ensures a solid backup option in the case of a Tua injury and a good locker presence.

 

 

  • For Special Teams: The signing of Keion Crossen adds depth to the special teams unit.

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On paper, these are impressive moves. You want your team to make moves when building around a franchise quarterback. You want your team to add weapons on offense, retain pieces to a good defense that gives the ball back to your offense, address special teams to ensure you have guys that don’t lose games due to special team’s errors. But, does Tua have time to utilize all of this?

I was watching a compilation of highlights with all of Tua Tagovailoa’s throws throughout the season, and the most common statement announcers made when Tua made a completion was “Tua has Time.” This is a huge statement for an offensive line core that ranked 32nd .according to PFF, allowing 235 recorded pressures and the lowest combined pass-blocking efficiency score in the NFL. It’s nice to give your franchise quarterback weapons to work with, but when the offensive line is so bad, announcers start pointing out when Tua has time to throw the ball, it’s hard to evaluate if the guy you drafted 5th overall is the guy. Fortunately, Miami still has time and money to add to a struggling offensive line.

 

  • Trades: La’el Collins has been deemed available by the Dallas Cowboys via trade or release when free agency officially begins on Wednesday. If I’m Miami, I use the draft capital acquired in previous years to explore every possibility with the Dallas Cowboys. Acquiring Collins via trade and inheriting his contract compared to waiting till free agency may be the difference between the $10m a year contract he’s under now and a possible $16-$20m contract you’d have to bid and hope you outbid other teams for. But even if a trade does not get done, it is a must to chase Collins and try to sign him. As a Right Tackle ranked 4th in the NFL by PFF ratings, this move secures Tua’s blind side as a lefty.

 

  • Free Agency: My number one priority in free agency would be Terron Armstead. According to PFFs calculations, on 468 snaps played, only had three penalties all year and allowed only one sack in 2021. In 2020 he played 857 snaps, four penalties, three sacks allowed. In 2019 he played 935 snaps, six penalties, 0 sacks allowed. Armstead is a guy who is arguably a top 5 tackle in football when healthy. Health may be a concern for Armstead, but when your team ranks 32nd as a unit in the NFL, these are some of the gambles you have to take. A talent like Armstead doesn’t come around in free agency often. Having Armstead at left tackle lets, you set the edge on offense and almost alleviate edge pressure from Tua’s left flank, giving him a clean pocket to work with.

 

I’m all for buying weapons for Tua to use, but the team has to be strengthened in those offensive trenches, or overall the team will have a low ceiling regardless of the quarterback. It’s near impossible to have consistent success without success on your offensive line. It takes time for plays to develop. That’s why I think Miami should buy Tua time with the available cap space and capital they have.