The Miami Dolphins have gone a bit under the radar since the start of NFL free agency — outside of South Florida or their fan base, that is — because they have yet to make a splashy move.
But should that have come as any surprise?
And the reason isn’t simply that it wasn’t considered a particularly impressive class of free agents or that the Dolphins didn’t have a ton of wiggle room under the salary cap.
There was something else at play here.
Put simply, the Dolphins just haven’t made it a habit since Chris Grier became GM of the team in 2016 of handing out huge contracts in free agency.
Yes, you read that right.
The Dolphins are known for their big splashy moves, but those almost invariably have come in the trade market.
Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb, Jalen Ramsey all were big acquisitions, but those again all were trades, and not free agent signings.
And for those who want to say, what about Mike Wallace? What about Ndamukong Suh?
Yes, those were major free agency moves, but they also happened in 2013 and 2015, respectively.
Since then, the Dolphins have made what could be considered big free agency moves twice, for cornerback Byron Jones in 2020 and for tackle Terron Armstead in 2022.
We could haggle and debate whether the ill-fated signing of wide receiver Will Fuller to a one-year, $10 million qualifies, but even if you include that one, it’s clear the pattern has been getting volume, quantity over quality, if you will.
Looks at the nine free agent acquisitions so far this offseason.
Zach Wilson, Alexander Mattison, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Pharaoh Brown, James Daniels, Larry Borom, K.J. Britt, Ashtyn Davis, Ifeatu Melifonwu.
The highest annual average for any of the contracts handed out is the $8 million for Daniels. According to the folks at overthecap.com, it’s tied for 71st-highest annual average among free agents whose contract info has been revealed.
The biggest annual average for a Dolphins free agent acquisition last year was the $8.7 for linebacker Jordyn Brooks, a former first-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks.
In 2023, the biggest free agent contract went to linebacker David Long Jr., who got $11 million over two years.
No, the Dolphins have reserved the big money in recent years for contract extensions, whether it be Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle or Hill and Ramsey after they were acquired.
There was a time when the Dolphins sometimes were said to “have won the offseason,” but nobody said that in the spring of 2023, last offseason and they likely won’t be saying it this year.
But history has shown that simply making a lot of big moves in the offseason doesn’t necessarily equate to success.
For anyone who immediately would counter by saying the Dolphins made the playoffs in 2022 after acquiring Hill and Armstead that offseason, we’ll point out that the team finished with the exact same record as it did in 2021 — except they were lucky enough to get into the postseason.
When the Dolphins made the playoffs in 2016 to end a seven-year drought, the three unrestricted free agent acquisitions that year were Isa Abdul-Quddus, Andre Branch and Sam Young.
When the Dolphins ended another playoff drought in 2008, they signed 10 unrestricted free agent that year, but the biggest name was guard Justin Smiley, a longtime starter in San Francisco who had battled injuries. The best free agent pick-up was Randy Starks, but he wasn’t a household name when he was signed.
The moral of the story just might be to not overreact to what the Dolphins have done (or haven’t done) in free agency because the exercise has been about building some depth as opposed to remaking the roster.
The real key to Dolphins success in 2025 will be for the front-line players to deliver and maybe for some of the biggest-impact newcomers to come through the draft.
The Dolphins might not be wowing anybody with their free agency haul, but they maybe didn’t need to and they certainly shouldn’t be expected to.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
