Day one of free agency was not bad for the Dolphins. Unless you listen to the national media, or majority of twitter, who also happens to listen to the national media. For the past couple of years the Dolphins have been big players come day one of free agency. Dating back to the 2013 offseason the Phins have made the money rain on free agents, from Mike Wallace to last years big fish, Ndamukong Suh.
While the moves were flashy and brought hope, the results left fans wondering when will it ever change. Going into this offseason, the general consensus was that the Dolphins needed to be smart and don’t fall into the temptation of being the big winner in March. That made sense, to try a different approach. There is nothing wrong with being players in free agency as long as you are smart about it.
Lets love on.
The Dolphins entered free agency with four young players set to test the free agent waters. Lamar Miller, Vernon, Derrick Shelby and Rishard Matthews. Many felt it was a given that Miller would be back. Both sides seemed to want to continue their marriage, they just had to agree on the money. Vernon was initially given the transition tag. For those that aren’t familiar, the transition tag amount is less than the franchise tag and allows the Dolphins to match another teams offer. However if they choose not to match an offer they get no compensation pick in return.
Tuesday, was a big day for the Dolphins. They landed former all-pro defensive end, Mario Williams. Williams is coming off a down year in which he only produced 5 sacks. Much can be attributed to how he was used and the defensive scheme moving from a 4-3 to a 3-4 under new head coach Rex Ryan. Initial reports had Williams wanting somewhere around $10 million a year. The Dolphins were able to ink a deal that will pay him roughly $8 million a year.
If Williams can regain form, this is an absolute steal for the Dolphins. He produced double digit sacks in his first 3 years with Buffalo. Compare that to what Vernon got, as he signed with the New York Giants for 5 years, $85 million, with a bigger guarantee than JJ Watt at $52.5 million. But the naysayers will say Tannebaum is playing to win now and not building to the future. While that is totally false, if that is the narrative, I’m totally onboard with it, because there is no way under any circumstances ever should a mediocre player who has produced only 1 season of double digit sacks be given that kind of contract.
The disgruntled Dolphins fans will point to PFF (Pro Football Focus) and talk about pressures and that they had him ranked this and that and blah blah. The simple fact of the matter is that the edge rusher is a premier position.
That position is judged off of the sacks produced. The pressures are great if the sacks are there. If a player is consistently in single digit sacks year in and year out, then no the sacks are not there. Also, I haven’t even mentioned the first half of the season when he was nonexistent and the late hit penalties, in which one of those effectively cost Miami the Jacksonville game.
Lets move on and address the elephant in the room. The trade with the Philadelphia Eagles in which we acquired former DPOY Kiko Alonso and cornerback Byron Maxwell. Initial reports were inconsistent. Some said we were receiving a 4th rounder and switching 1st round picks. Some reports said we were giving up a 4th and switching 1st round picks. On top of that, there were injury concerns about Maxwell’s shoulder and the deal was almost off. The medical staff finally cleared him. Final compensation ended up being the swapping of 1st rounds picks, so the Dolphins move down 5 spots from 8th to 13th.
This was a very good low risk trade. At the 8th pick it was a toss up if the Dolphins would get a player they LOVED. So they move back 5 spots, they will get a player of almost equal talent at #13 and a starter at that and gain 2 more starters. Please tell me how that is a bad move. Maxwell is an upgrade over Taylor and the McCain boys. Plus a zone scheme suits him better than the man scheme he was in Philly. Alonso right now is better than Shepherd. If he gains his form, just like as I mentioned with Williams earlier, then the Dolphins got a steal.
They did lose out on the Lamar Miller sweepstakes. That was a tough loss. But it’s just hard to pay a running back in today’s league. Only one running back has been in the top 10 in rushing yards in each of the last 3 seasons (Frank Gore) and only 4 others were in the top 10 in 2 of the last 3 years. They are expendable. Some are better than others. Unless your name is Adrian Peterson, it’s hard to justify it. Also leaving is fan favorite Rishard Matthews who signed with the Titans. Lets be real, he is a #3 on this team and at best a #2 on someone else’s team. Emotional attachment aside, this is nothing to be upset about.
Moving on…….
There are still holes on the team. The interior offensive line must be addressed, they must find a #1 corner and add a running back. There are still options in this first wave of free agency. The draft will approaching and then there will be a second wave of free agents come June. So it’s not time to panic yet.
Before rushing to a final judgment and stringing up Tannebaum by the neck put into context.
1.They didn’t spend big on anyone. They resisted the temptation.
2. They effectively replaced Vernon with someone is superior and cheaper.
3. The pulled off a trade that will net them 3 defensive starters without giving up a pick.
4. It’s only day 2 of free agency.
5. The draft hasn’t even arrived yet. Holes can be filled there
6. There is still one more wave of free agency in June to take place.
7. Everything is still fluid.
8. Breathe. Let everything play out and judge after the process is over.
As always PhinsUp!!!!!!!!!
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