The Dolphins have, thus far, made what can be considered some wild free-agency moves. Gone are the likes of Christian Wilkins and Xavien Howard, among others, defensively. On the offensive side of the ball, the biggest name gone (so far) is Guard, Robert Hunt. Signed is tight end Jonnu Smith. The signing of Smith seems to be a small ripple, in the water that is the free-agency market. Dolphins fans are left wondering whether the Dolphins are going to make the big splashes necessary to compete with teams like the Kansas City Chiefs. The answer is likely not what Dolphins fans want to hear.
Wild Free Agency Moves of the Miami Dolphins
At first glance, the moves appear to have the Dolphins moving opposite the direction they are hoping to go. While it seems that way on the surface, there is actually sound reasoning behind the Dolphins’ perceived madness.
Something Had to Change
Last season, the reality was that overpriced players underperformed (See Xavien Howard). Injuries took their toll on both sides of the ball. On the defensive side, even defensive guru Vic Fangio could not engineer a stout defense with the loss of both Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb; something had to change. The first change was allowing Fangio to go to Philadelphia. The Dolphins have begun parting with players that are costing them a small fortune. These players were also inhibiting the Dolphins’ ability to sign younger talent on the roster, in the coming seasons. The Dolphins responded by getting rid of Emmanuel Ogbah and Xavien Howard (saving them a total of over $30 million). They also allowed defensive line stalwart Christian Wilkins to sign with the Raiders for $110 million over four years.
They Think They Can Get Players to Overachieve
As was proven last season when David Long put up comparable numbers to Jerome Baker, the Dolphins feel they can get players to perform to their maximum potential. It is a strategy that is high-risk in any sport, but a strategy that professional sports teams employ often allowing for mixed results. Whether the Dolphins’ high-stakes strategy of signing lower-cost players and hoping they have career years, pans out in 2024, obviously remains to be seen.
They Are Building for a Championship Run…
It will likely not happen during the 2024 season, however. The free agency moves the Dolphins have made this offseason, were largely made so they would have money to keep a nucleus of stars together in the coming seasons. Names like Jaylen Waddle and Jevon Holland will be looking for big contracts in the coming years and if the Dolphins want to keep them, they had to sacrifice the talent they had last season, to keep younger talent in the future.
Takeaway
The Miami Dolphins’ wild free agency period (thus far) has some Dolphins fans scratching their heads. On the surface, the moves seem counter to the team attempting to win a Super Bowl. If one were to dig a little deeper, one could see that the loss of very talented players and key contributors to two playoff teams the past two seasons was done to build a Super Bowl Championship team in the future. That future will likely not be the 2024 season. Dolphins fans have waited over 50 years to, once again, hoist the Lombardi trophy. What is another two or three seasons? After all, good things come to those who wait, right? That all depends on which Dolphins fans one asks.
Main Photo: [Trevor Ruszkowski] – USA Today Sports
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