Usually, I ask in your opinion, however tonight, I’m going to share mine and see for those who suppose I is perhaps onto one thing or simply out of my thoughts. This can be a little bit of what I anticipate and/or hope to occur with our Miami Dolphins. First, the crew should do its due diligence this offseason earlier than free company and the draft. The offensive line wants consideration at guard and by way of total depth. I’m undecided that free company would be the best choice for a starter at guard, because the crew faces challenges with the wage cap, however I’ll return to the cap points later. Subsequently, the opposite choice is thru the draft. In the event that they don’t mess it up or determine to spend one other first-round choose on a “mission,” they need to have the ability to discover a viable starter at guard with the thirteenth choose and even with a second. Simply don’t screw it up (they very effectively could)!
Subsequent, we now have the backup quarterback. They should discover one thing higher than what that they had final season throughout free company. I absolutely help drafting a long-term resolution for a backup QB, however they will not know if their choose is a viable long-term choice as a backup QB till they bring about him into camp and have him play in a few preseason video games. They will all the time launch their free-agent signing in the event that they imagine the draft choose is sweet sufficient. In fact, I’m unsure if I can belief their judgment on this, however that is what I’m hoping for. There are a lot of different gaps to fill, however I hope they’ll discover some bargains in free company and carry out REALLY effectively within the draft this yr. I do know that’s so much to hope for, and as historical past suggests, it is unlikely.
The wage cap is once more a big subject this offseason. Final yr, they managed it by letting their beforehand drafted and developed gamers stroll in free company, creating extra roster gaps and kicking different big-dollar contracts down the street. However, in a transfer that solely made it worse, they gave Tua sufficient cash to purchase a small nation whereas additionally giving more cash to gamers like Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey. Most of these three offers massive cash is due later, however that’s not all the time a good suggestion, particularly for Hill and Ramsey. The important thing factor they should do is cease deferring cash for older vets who will not probably be right here. For instance, Xavian Howard is costing the crew practically 16 million {dollars} in useless cap house for 2025 after costing greater than 11 million towards the cap final season.
In my view, the best way to reach the NFL is to develop your personal draft picks, preserve your personal guys, and once you imagine your roster is able to make a run on the Tremendous Bowl, you add a couple of key free brokers. Generally you let a man stroll however a very good entrance workplace ought to have anticipated it and drafted the alternative beforehand typically. Or if you wish to be clever, when you may have a man who’s about to hit free company however goes to value an excessive amount of, do what the New England Patriots did efficiently greater than as soon as: commerce them away to a different contender for extra draft picks, thus providing you with ammunition for the subsequent spherical of gamers to develop and netting you extra worth than you’d have acquired by way of comp picks. They can’t proceed this behavior of creating their very own drafted guys for different groups after which singing different groups’ free brokers to massive offers or buying and selling for after which giving big offers to different groups’ gamers.
Do I feel this may work and get us stepping into the proper route? No. I anticipate Grier and/or McDaniel will probably be gone if we battle by one other season or are one-and-done within the playoffs after barely making it in. Both manner, the cap scenario will hold over this crew, however 2025 just isn’t the yr to dump offers. That may are available in 2026, after they can transfer on from most of their big offers and try to begin anew, hopefully with a brand new basic supervisor on the very least. The crew also needs to go on a brand new deal for Jevon Holland, as he has regressed over the past couple of seasons and seemingly has forgotten learn how to deal with, which looks like a horrible factor for a security. For some motive, he’s rumored to be due a giant payday in free company, so no, thanks. After this season, in the event that they determine Tua just isn’t the man, they’ll additionally transfer on from him. As for Tyreek, I’m over his drama. Let him go in 2026 when it makes extra sense.
So all of it comes down as to whether I wish to win now. Sure, after all I do, however I’ve misplaced all confidence on this entrance workplace and perhaps even the teaching employees. Sadly, I feel it’s time for a teardown and a rebuild, however a part of that may require that we get out from underneath these large contracts, a few of which ought to have by no means been handed out within the first place. Get somebody right here who can reliably draft yr in and yr out, develop, after which maintain onto our personal guys. Cease giving freely packages of draft picks to commerce for gamers, for which you’ll then give an asinine sum of money. I simply sat on my couch final week and watched the championship video games, and I believed that we could not have probably gotten previous any of those 4 groups within the playoffs, and I don’t see how we are able to subsequent offseason both.
So, am I out of my thoughts, or are we taking a look at our subsequent rebuild but once more? A part of me sadly hopes so!
