Graphic by Pat Pryor
Written By: Jake Leicht
The Miami Dolphins were one of the most surprising teams in the NFL last season. On September 2nd of last season, BetDSI Sportsbook gave the Miami Dolphins the worst odds of winning the Super Bowl. The Dolphins went on to have an impressive 7-9 record in 2018, including a huge 34-33 win over the New England Patriots in Week 14. Miami decided to part ways with Adam Gase, and they hired Patriots’ “Defensive Play Caller” Brian Flores to take over as head coach. Flores was given a 5-year guaranteed contract, pointing to the fact that they understand that they are going to have to go through a thorough rebuilding process. Team management has already leaked that Ryan Tannehill will not be back, and there has been reports that they are already looking at the 2020 NFL Draft Class to possibly find their next franchise signal caller. With little cap space available, the Dolphins are going to have to cut some players and get out of bad contracts, even if it means eating some money in the process. If the Dolphins play this right, they could have a quick rebuild.
Available Salary Cap Space- $10.75 Million
Free Agents
UFA
Cameron Wake- Edge Rusher
William Hayes- Defensive End
Ja’Wuan James- Offensive Tackle
Stephone Anthony- Inside Linebacker
Frank Gore- Running Back
Ziggy Hood- Defensive End
Sam Young- Offensive Tackle
Marqueis Gray- Tight End
Brock Osweiler- Quarterback
David Fales- Quarterback
Brandon Bolden- Running Back
Travis Swanson- Center
Wesley Johnson- Center
Sylvester Williams- Defensive Tackle
A.J. Derby- Tight End
RFA
Jake Brendel- Center
Leonte Carroo- Wide Receiver
ERFA
Senorise Perry- Running Back
Jonathan Woodard- Defensive End
Isaac Asiata- Offensive Guard
Maurice Smith- Safety
Jesse Davis- Offensive Tackle
Zach Sterup- Offensive Tackle
Potential Cap Casualties (Bold = Dead Money, Italics = Cap Gain)
Ryan Tannehill- Quarterback ($13.23 mill) ($13.2 mill)
Robert Quinn- Edge Rusher ($0) ($12.9 mill)
DeVante Parker- Wide Receiver ($0) ($9.4 mill)
Andre Branch- Defensive Tackle ($2 mill) ($7 mill)
Kiko Alonso- Outside Linebacker ($3.5 mill) ($4.63 mill)
Danny Amendola- Wide Receiver ($0) ($6 mill)
Ted Larsen- Offensive Guard ($417,000) ($1.85 mill)
*All figures for cap purposes are taken as pre-June 1st, unless otherwise stated. All cap figures courtesy of Overthecap.com, unless otherwise stated*
Team Needs
5-7 Needs
Quarterback
Edge Rusher
Offensive Guard/Center
Interior Defensive Line
Wide Receiver
Defensive Back
Draft pick Allotment
1st Round #13 (13)
2nd Round #16 (48)
3rd Round #15 (79)
4th Round #14 (110)
5th Round #113 (141)
6th Round #16 (176)
7th Round #15 (207)
EDIT DISCLAIMER BELOW BASED ON SOURCE
*Compensatory Pick Projection courtesy of Nick Korte of Overthecap.com
Mock Offseason
Coaches Hired/Fired
Brian Flores- Head Coach
Players Re-signed
Stephone Anthony- Inside Linebacker
Ziggy Hood- Defensive End
Travis Swanson- Center
Brock Osweiler- Quarterback
Cap Casualties
Ryan Tannehill- Quarterback ($13.23 mill) ($13.2 mill)
DeVante Parker- Wide Receiver ($0) ($9.4 mill)
Andre Branch- Defensive Tackle ($2 mill) ($7 mill)
Kiko Alonso- Outside Linebacker ($3.5 mill) ($4.63 mill)
Danny Amendola- Wide Receiver ($0) ($6 mill)
Ted Larsen- Offensive Guard ($417,000) ($1.85 mill)
Trades
Miami gets: 4th Round Pick (Pick 100 overall)
Oakland gets: Kenyan Drake
Note: If the Cardinals are really interested in taking Kyler Murray at #1, I would have no problem with the Dolphins trading #13 overall for Josh Rosen.
Free Agent Targets
Rodger Saffold- Offensive Guard (Los Angeles Rams)
Ideally, the Dolphins would have an offensive line in place for their potential next franchise signal caller. I believe the Dolphins could use a proven player like Rodger Saffold to solidify their offensive line.
Deone Bucannon- Defensive Back (Arizona Cardinals)
Brian Flores is one of the brightest young defensive coaches in the league, and if the Dolphins could grab a dynamic talent in the secondary like Deone Bucannon they could be dangerous. Having Bucannon AND Minkah Fitzpatrick would cause mass confusion for offensive coordinators around the league.
Ronald Darby- Cornerback (Philadelphia Eagles)
The Dolphins have a sellar young defensive back in Xavien Howard, but they desperately need depth at the position. Ronald Darby is young, physical, and has the tools to be a nice piece in Brian Flores’ defense.
Trevor Siemian- Quarterback (Miami Dolphins)
Due to the fact that the Dolphins were the only team in the NFL to hire a head coach and give him a guaranteed 5 year contract, I believe they are acknowledging that they will be rebuilding for a year or two. With that being said, the Dolphins will need a placeholder at quarterback. Trevor Siemian has started games in the NFL before, and he will not garner a big contract this offseason.
Mock Draft
*Mock Draft completed on Fanspeak with Matt Miller’s Big Board.
1st Round: Rashan Gary, Edge Rusher (Michigan)
2nd Round: Dalton Risner, Offensive Guard (Kansas State)
3rd Round: David Montgomery, Running Back (Iowa State)
4th Round (via Oakland): Dakota Allen, Linebacker (Texas Tech)
4th Round: Andy Isabella, Wide Receiver (UMass)
5th Round: Jace Sternberger, Tight End (Texas A&M)
6th Round: Gardner Minshew, Quarterback (Washington State)
7th Round: Ken Webster, Cornerback (Mississippi)
Keep a lookout for more offseason blueprints as we get closer to the start of the new league year!