What general manager Chris Grier and the Miami Dolphins have done this offseason has been nothing short of impressive.
Just to recount, they’ve moved on from Brian Flores and brought in Mike McDaniel, a first-time head coach. They placed the franchise tag on tight end Mike Gesicki and re-signed Emmanuel Ogbah to a four-year deal to make sure they didn’t lose their top two free agents.
Then, when free agency opened, they signed a pair of solid running backs, a full back, two wide receivers and two offensive linemen, including Terron Armstead, who was widely considered the best free agent on the market this offseason.
That’s not to mention the smaller moves like bringing in special teams ace Keion Crossen and re-signing a number of defensive players. And, just when you thought they might be done, they traded for wide receiver Tyreek Hill and gave him a huge extension.
Nearly all of these moves have garnered a positive reaction from the fanbase and national media. However, there’s still one aspect that’s yet to be straightened out that could make this offseason a wash in the minds of many.
That one move is losing Xavien Howard.
Howard has been one of the best cornerbacks in the league for some time now, and while he struggled in the early parts of 2021, he bounced back and made another Pro Bowl.
The elephant in the room for the last year has been Howard’s contract. The 28-year-old and the team had a contract dispute last year that resulted in a restructure and a promise that the two sides would reconvene this offseason.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Grier said that Howard would be back in Miami, but there hasn’t been much reported.
Grier did address the topic again earlier in the week at the annual meetings.
“We’ll keep those conversations to ourselves, not to the press,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll get to a resolution sooner than later.”
If Miami made all of these moves to protect themselves knowing that their defense could be losing their best player, the offseason should be viewed differently, and there should be some concerns about just how much better the team got.