{"id":31929,"date":"2025-03-10T04:04:27","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T04:04:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=31929"},"modified":"2025-03-10T04:04:27","modified_gmt":"2025-03-10T04:04:27","slug":"nfl-free-agency-3-positions-the-miami-dolphins-must-target-when-legal-tampering-opens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=31929","title":{"rendered":"NFL Free Agency: 3 positions the Miami Dolphins must target when legal tampering opens"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dolphins must strike the right balance between urgency and smart spending.<\/p>\n

After restructuring the contracts of Terron Armstead and Bradley Chubb, the\u00a0Miami Dolphins\u00a0created some flexibility and are expected to enter free agency with\u00a0roughly $25 million in cap space.<\/p>\n

While the Dolphins can restructure contracts or extend players to create even more space, they have enough room to address some of the roster\u2019s largest needs once free agency begins. Signings become official when the new league year starts on March 12, but players can begin negotiating with franchises at noon on March 10.<\/p>\n

Miami won\u2019t be a big spender, but major holes need to be addressed early in free agency.<\/p>\n

Offensive Line<\/h2>\n

Only 19 guards across the NFL have an\u00a0average annual salary of over $10 million, but that number will quickly rise once free agency begins. Trey Smith, expected to be the top guard on the market, was franchise-tagged by the\u00a0Kansas City Chiefs\u00a0for $23 million, thinning the supply before free agency began.<\/p>\n

Miami\u2019s options will include projects like Teven Jenkins and Mekhi Becton, along with established vets like Kevin Zeitler and Aaron Banks. Although players hit free agency for various reasons, the open market will drive up prices \u2014 especially when every team needs help in the trenches.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve learned\u00a0that the market is the market, and guard is one position the Dolphins can\u2019t afford to whiff on if they hope to return to the playoffs in 2025.<\/p>\n

Quarterback<\/h2>\n

Miami\u2019s plan at backup quarterback was a failure last season. The offense failed to reach 16 points in four of the six games where Tua Tagovailoa was out of the lineup. While the hope is that Tagovailoa is more available next season, the Dolphins need a solid backup plan behind a quarterback who\u2019s played 13 or fewer games in four of his five seasons in the NFL.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a position we will always focus on,\u201d\u00a0general manager Chris Grier said on Jan. 7,\u00a0\u201cand it will be a position that we will focus on this offseason. I will tell you that every stone will be unturned.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"AFC<\/picture><\/span><\/span>Photo by Elsa\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

While Grier added that they were \u201cin on a number of top-flight backup quarterbacks\u201d last offseason, he also mentioned financial restraints and \u201ccompensatory pick stuff.\u201d Considering how the position derailed the 2024 season, attempting to salvage a pick at the end of the third round doesn\u2019t justify ignoring a glaring weakness.<\/p>\n

Former\u00a0Washington Commanders\u00a0quarterback\u00a0Marcus Mariota has already been linked to the Dolphins.\u00a0Options like Zach Wilson or Cooper Rush may not sound appealing, but both have five or more games with two touchdown passes. Skylar Thompson, who started last season as the backup quarterback, has only thrown one regular-season touchdown pass across ten career appearances.<\/p>\n

Safety<\/h2>\n

The Dolphins currently have two safeties under contract. Patrick McMorris, a 2024 sixth-round pick, played 106 snaps last season. Jordan Colbert, a 2024 undrafted free agent, spent his first season on the practice squad.<\/p>\n

Miami\u2019s lack of answers creates a compelling case to re-sign Jevon Holland, but his projected salary of $15 million \u2014 or more \u2014 is a bit much to stomach in a league where six safety contracts exceed that threshold annually.<\/p>\n

The Dolphins can find a cost-effective solution if they act quickly once legal tampering begins. While a team will pay Holland to be a defensive pillar, capable starters will be available for much less. DeShon Elliot, who was stout for the Dolphins in 2023,\u00a0signed a two-year contract\u00a0with the\u00a0Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a>\u00a0worth $3 million annually before starting 14 games last season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Dolphins must strike the right balance between urgency and smart spending. After restructuring the contracts of Terron Armstead and Bradley Chubb, the\u00a0Miami Dolphins\u00a0created some flexibility and… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nNFL Free Agency: 3 positions the Miami Dolphins must target when legal tampering opens - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=31929\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NFL Free Agency: 3 positions the Miami Dolphins must target when legal tampering opens - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Dolphins must strike the right balance between urgency and smart spending. 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