Third and final part of a free agency weekend Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:
From maytar gold:
Is Miami currently discussing with free agents on the O-line and D-line ?
Whether they do anything else in free agency, rest assured the Dolphins are constantly looking for ways to improve the roster and at this time, they’re in need of players on the defensive line.
From Andy Bunting:
Hi Alain, really appreciate all your free agency Dolphins content, here in UK only the big moves or Aaron Rodgers seems to get highlighted… Have the Dolphins just hired their next GM in Champ Kelly??
Hey Andy, the Dolphins’ new senior personnel executive most definitely would be considered a candidate if Chris Grier no longer were the GM, but the next in line is Marvin Allen, who’s the current assistant GM. I would think he’d get first shot at the job.
From some dude:
Why do you think Cam Smith isn’t ready to contribute to the team? What went wrong?
Injuries were a factor in 2024, but I think we’re also looking at a case of a player with some athletic ability, but not enough to overcome a lack of attention to detail. Without providing specific details, a couple of Dolphins assistant coaches since he arrived have suggested he has yet to do everything he can to give himself the best chance to succeed.
From Jon Pack:
What do you think the plan is at DT? I understand that we still have the draft and there are some FAs out there. Hoping Campbell comes back, but his age has to be a concern. I’m a little queasy thinking about the DT situation.
Hey Jon, that chapter has yet to be written. I think the Dolphins will sign at least of couple of veterans in the second wave of free agency and I would suspect we could see the first- or second-round pick come at that position as well. Having Campbell back would be great, but I don’t think necessarily are planning things as though it’s a certainty, nor should they.
From Adnas:
Who do you think was the most vilified Dolphin over the entire playoff win drought? Eichenberg, Jesse Davis, Clabo, Tannehill, Joe Philbin, Wallace? Other?
That is a very good question, partner. I’d hesitate to say Eichenberg because I don’t want to be guilty of recency bias, but he’s up there. Same with Jesse Davis, two guys who lined up everywhere for the team, played hurt but simply weren’t great players. At this time, I think the answer probably has to be Tannehill, but Chris Grier is gaining ground.
From Justin:
What positions do you still consider are biggest areas of need, and do you think it’s better to look to the draft or free agency to address them? Also, if we are low on cap space, why haven’t we restructured Tua’s contract to make about 19 million in cap space?
Hey Justin, I addressed this very topic in a story Saturday, and it’s easily (to me, at least) defensive tackle and cornerback. The Dolphins also still could use a starting-caliber safety, and maybe another guard. I think I’d look to the draft for a defensive tackle because I don’t see a front-line free agent still available. I might be the same at corner, though I see maybe a couple more appealing options.
From Fleming:
What week will Grier get fired?
See what I was saying, Adnas. Chris Grier is not a very popular man among Dolphins fans these days.
From Pete Tako:
Why re-sign Liam?
Hey Pete, as I addressed in my column on the topic, why not re-sign him if the idea is to make him a backup when he provides tons of versatility and you know he’ll play hurt and is the ultimate team player. Particularly if the price is right, which I suspect is the case even though the contract details haven’t come out. I don’t believe the Dolphins signed him with the idea of automatically putting him back in the starting lineup, and if they did, I certainly would get the frustration from fans.
From SciGuy17:
Do you believe there will be true competition at backup QB for Wilson? If not, they still haven’t learned.
After they guaranteed him $6 million for his one-year contract (with the possibility of it going up to $10 million), there is practically zero chance a healthy Zach Wilson is not the backup quarterback at the start of the 2025 season. That’s just the way it is. While there’s risk involved in this move, I have a hard time thinking the Dolphins are not in a better place at that spot than they were at this time last year.
From Dave:
Alain, could you define in layman’s terms what “restructuring” a contract exactly means? Do players actually give up money? Or does it just push more credit card debt down the road for the team to deal with later?
Hey Dave, restructuring usually involves converting a player’s salary for a certain season into a signing bonus that can be spread out over a few seasons to bring down the cap number for that first year. It rarely involves a player giving up money, though there are instances (such as Terron Armstead this year) where the player will accept a pay cut to bring down his cap number. But it also happens that teams will ask a player to take a pay cut, the player will refuse, and he will get released as a result. Those discussions usually depend on the player’s standing and what kind of market he could have.
From Thomas Hudson:
Hi Alain, thank you again for the mailbag, always an interesting read. I have a procedural question or two based on someone’s suggestion to sign a slot corner. The Dolphins tagged Kohou. I believe the franchise tag is basically a tender, and until the player signs it, the team can rescind it. Do you know if the RFA tags work the same way? Do the Dolphins have the option of rescinding Kohou’s tag at some point if he has not signed the contract? In the event another corner they like falls in their lap.
Hey Thomas, yes, per NFL Operations, a team can rescind a restricted free agent tender. As it applies to the Dolphins and Kader Kohou, I don’t see why they would do that because I thought he played very well last season and gives them a solid nickel corner. But the answer to the question is yes. And, as a bonus, the deadlines for teams to sign restricted free agents to an offer sheet is April 18. Past that date, Kohou either would have to sign the tender or sit out as long as the Dolphins hung on to his rights. As I’ve said all along, offer sheets to RFAs are pretty rare, so you can basically count on Kohou being with Miami in 2025.
From Mike M:
Hello Alain, with the Dolphins bringing in Zach Wilson as the backup QB, what’s the chance they draft a QB on day 2 who might have a decent chance to contribute soon?
Hey Mike, first off, let’s define “soon,” because Zach Wilson wasn’t given $6 million guaranteed to not be the No. 2 in 2025. So “soon” would be no earlier than 2026. I wouldn’t eliminate the idea of drafting a quarterback, but I’d still put it below 50-50.
From Brandon:
So not at least attempting the transition tag at $15.6 million or maybe even the franchise tag and a trade for Holland was a mistake, right? Only got 15/yr for 2 guaranteed. Seems it was worth a shot to me. Not like we used our cap space to make a big splash.
Hey Brandon, what happens if you transition-tag Holland and you don’t find a taker in a trade (because they’d have to give draft pick compensation plus a new contract)? The Dolphins would have had to carry the $15 million tag on the cap until a trade was consummated. I see the validity in having gone that route for the Dolphins, but not sure I’d classify it as a “mistake” that they didn’t.
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