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Typically, I ask in your opinion, however tonight, I’m going to share mine and see should you assume I is perhaps onto one thing or simply out of my thoughts. It is a little bit of what I count on and/or hope to occur with our Miami Dolphins. First, the workforce 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 workforce faces challenges with the wage cap, however I’ll return to the cap points later. Subsequently, the opposite possibility is thru the draft. In the event that they don’t mess it up or determine to spend one other first-round decide on a “project,” they need to be capable to discover a viable starter at guard with the thirteenth decide 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 answer for a backup QB, however they will not know if their decide is a viable long-term possibility as a backup QB till they carry 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 consider the draft decide is sweet sufficient. After all, 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 rather a lot to hope for, and as historical past suggests, it is unlikely.
The wage cap is once more a major difficulty 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 highway. However, in a transfer that solely made it worse, they gave Tua sufficient cash to purchase a small nation whereas additionally giving extra money to gamers like Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey. Most of these three offers large 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 possible be right here. For instance, Xavian Howard is costing the workforce almost 16 million {dollars} in useless cap area for 2025 after costing greater than 11 million towards the cap final season.
For my part, the best way to reach the NFL is to develop your individual draft picks, hold your individual guys, and once you consider your roster is able to make a run on the Tremendous Bowl, you add a number of key free brokers. Generally you let a man stroll however an excellent entrance workplace ought to have anticipated it and drafted the alternative beforehand usually. Or if you wish to be sensible, when you’ve gotten 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 supplying you with ammunition for the subsequent spherical of gamers to develop and netting you extra worth than you’ll have acquired through comp picks. They cannot proceed this behavior of growing 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 large offers to different groups’ gamers.
Do I feel this can work and get us moving into the appropriate route? No. I count on Grier and/or McDaniel shall be gone if we wrestle via one other season or are one-and-done within the playoffs after barely making it in. Both approach, the cap scenario will hold over this workforce, however 2025 is just not the yr to dump offers. That can are available 2026, once they can transfer on from most of their large offers and attempt to begin anew, hopefully with a brand new normal supervisor on the very least. The workforce must also cross on a brand new deal for Jevon Holland, as he has regressed over the past couple of seasons and seemingly has forgotten sort out, which looks like a horrible factor for a security. For some motive, he’s rumored to be due an enormous payday in free company, so no, thanks. After this season, in the event that they determine Tua is just not 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 if I wish to win now. Sure, in fact I do, however I’ve misplaced all confidence on this entrance workplace and perhaps even the teaching workers. Sadly, I feel it’s time for a teardown and a rebuild, however a part of that can require that we get out from below these huge 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 making a gift of packages of draft picks to commerce for gamers, for which you’ll then give an asinine amount of cash. I simply sat on my couch final week and watched the championship video games, and I assumed that we could not have presumably 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 our subsequent rebuild but once more? A part of me sadly hopes so!