by
Chris Shashaty, Phins.com Columnist
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As expected there
have been changes, major changes, to the Dolphin roster this offseason. GM
Randy Mueller went so far as to predict 30-35% turnover once the dealing was
done.
He wasn’t kidding. Almost
two weeks into free agency, the Dolphin strategy has become clear: create cap
space for the future by flushing bad contracts, gain draft value through
trades, and sign good players at the right price.
Make no mistake:
Mueller and head coach Cam Cameron mean to clean house. Given that the Dolphins
are a collective 19-29 (.396) over the past three seasons, it’s hard to argue
against it.
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First, the notable
departures:
TE Randy McMichael: Bottom line here is that he never justified his considerable
contract (estimated $5.4 million cap number in 2007). Once the game ruining
drops and penalties were added up, with the off-the-field incidents thrown in
for good measure, the Dolphins wisely concluded that it was time to cut their
losses. Perhaps the only surprising aspect of this move is that the Dolphins
weren’t able to gain anything in compensation. McMichael is now the property of
the St. Louis Rams.
DE Kevin Carter: Carter would be a Dolphin today had he agreed to reduce
his estimated $6.48 million cap number. Unfortunately, an agreement couldn’t be
reached. Carter is a good player and would have made a positive contribution to
the 2007 team. However, as Mueller correctly judged, his salary just wasn’t
commensurate with his production. Carter is now a Buccaneer.
WR Wes Welker: Welker’s trade to division rival
RB Sammy Morris: Sammy could play both RB and FB and was a special teams standout.
However, the depth that Morris provided is no longer needed given the imminent
return of one Ricky Williams. Overpaying for a special teams contributor made
no sense…and that’s what the Dolphins would have had to do to match the Pats’
offer. Even if the Dolphins had matched, there’s no guarantee Morris would have
returned as offensive touches are very important to him. Who would you rather
have carrying the ball, Sammy or Ricky?
LT Damion McIntosh: McIntosh is a good player but he’s not worth the 6 year,
$18 million deal that the Chiefs gave him. Then again, when average offensive
linemen are getting $7 million per year contracts, one wonders where sanity has
gone.
FB Darian Barnes: His skill set wasn’t a good fit for Cameron’s system.
He’ll ply his trade for the NY Jets next season.
RB Travis Minor: Caught in a numbers game and facing a near minimum deal to
return as a Dolphin, Minor opted to sign with the Rams.
G Jeno James: Another player with a contract that wasn’t commensurate
with his production. As a Dolphin, James was average and the Dolphins will rightly
look to upgrade. As of this writing, James remained unsigned.
G Seth McKinney: Again, too much money for too little production. Another
Dave Wannstedt high draft pick goes bust. He also remains unsigned.
QB Joey Harrington: No surprise here given his estimated cap number ($3.5
million in 2007) vis-à-vis his production. Money aside, the Dolphins decided
that he wasn’t the long term answer at QB they so desperately need. Harrington
is a good guy; the NFL needs more people like him.
DT Jeff Zgonina: Zgonina was a good Dolphin, on and off the field. Age (36)
is his enemy now. He can earn a better contract elsewhere. Wish him well.
OLB Donnie Spragan: Two words…Joey Porter.
DT Dan Wilkinson: Wilkinson was traded to the Broncos for a 6th
round pick. Kindly put, the Dolphins put one over on the Broncos.
K Olindo Mare: No, he’s not officially released/traded…yet. But with the
signing of Jay Feely, Mare’s departure is a done deal. This move is surprising
to yours truly and the sole decision thus far that I find questionable. Losing
Mare could really blow up in Mueller’s face. The Giants, Falcons, Saints and Browns are reportedly in the running for his
services.
Moving on to the new
faces:
FB Cory Schlesinger: This three-time Pro Bowler is a solid upgrade over Barnes.
He is a better blocker and is a proven receiving threat. Nice pick up here.
S Cameron Worrell: Worrell is a good special teams player. This signing was
made primarily in response to the losses of Minor and Morris. It is highly
unlikely that Worrell will be a factor as a full time defensive player.
OLB Joey Porter: Porter is the biggest pick-up for the Dolphins thus far
and addresses a critical need. In the 3-4 defense, he and Jason Taylor will
play the OLB positions. Together with
TE David Martin: Cameron may be hoping that he is catching Martin on the
upside and can turn him into the next Antonio Gates. Martin is a fine route
runner, a really good leaper (for a TE), and has good hands. However, Martin
carries a reputation for having poor blocking technique. This is an area where
Hudson Houck can help him develop. Durability is also somewhat of a concern. Right
now, it isn’t clear if Martin is destined for the starting job.
K Jay Feely: The bet here is that Feely will continue to be more
accurate than Mare was. The Dolphins know that Feely won’t have as many
touchbacks as Mare; this could adversely affect field position. Again, it is my
view that Mueller is playing with fire in making this move.
As of this writing,
the Dolphin roster stands at 57 players (including Ricky Williams). Of note,
there are only 6 offensive linemen currently on the roster. This may suggest
that the Dolphins will be looking to draft an offensive lineman (or two) with
their top picks.
For now, there is
more work to be done. Aside from the critical need for young offensive line
talent, the need for a playmaker at #1 receiver seems to be the priority,
followed by a starting caliber TE. Overall, it seems clear that the Dolphins
are positioning themselves to play for value in the upcoming draft.
Three names that
yours truly has his eye on right now: