The Miami Dolphins have been quiet this free agency period. Quiet for them at least. It has left many fans wondering what exactly their off-season plan is and will they be active.
So what exactly are they doing? For starters, they’re not in a “WIN” now, they haven’t taken that approach given the choices they have made so far. If they are building for the future, then their decisions to let players leave comes into question. If they are rebuilding then they have done nothing to show that is the case. Really hope the decisions they’re making isn’t going to cost them in the long run.
The Dolphins decided to let Lamar Miller, Olivier Vernon, Derrick Shelby, Kelvin Sheppard, and Rishard Matthews leave free agency. They also released Brent Grimes. The release of Grimes was kinda of a no brainer in my opinion because there was a lot more going on behind the scenes than simply a refuse to restructure his contract. The removal of the transition tag on Vernon was smart, it should be comped with a compensatory pick next year. Investing in your team’s future is one thing, investing alot of money such as 85 million on a player who really has only had 8 stellar games is throwing your future away. That was a easy decision to let Vernon walk. The Dolphins did offer Vernon a contract 9 months but he declined it. Not surprised that he did that. He wants to get paid as one of the elites DEs!
Lamar Miller was a different story. The Dolphins probably should have kept him. They have the money and keeping him shows the team developing talent from within. The same can be said about Rishard Matthews. Matthews contract was nothing out of this world but Matthews wanted to be paid like a No. 2 receiver but the Dolphins will start Landry and Parker. Derrick Shelby’s contract was another one that could have been matched. The Dolphins easily could have kept all three players for the foreseeable future.
The trade for Bryon Maxwell and linebacker Kiko Alonso looks really good on paper. A drop of five spots in the draft for two starters. Both at positions of need. But. There is always a but. Maxwell is coming off a bad season in 2015 and carries a big 2017 contract number. His reported restructure was small. Small to the point no one can find out what it was. Alonso could be a big addition if he can stay healthy but he is playing on a one year deal that will pay him less than a million in 2016. In other words, the Dolphins are renting him with an opportunity to offer him another deal if he works out.
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