Twenty nine percent. That is the amount of the Miami Dolphins’ projected salary cap that is invested into the defensive backfield. Miami is currently shown as on the books for $51.7M in cap commitments for 2021 in the secondary, a figure that is second in the NFL to only the Tennessee Titans for the upcoming season. And, as the Dolphins continue to assess their roster and decipher how to rewire their cap availability to develop a more well-rounded football team, the secondary is a group that is going to inevitably come under further inspection.
The commitments there are understandable and, to a certain degree, justified. Miami’s identity likes in having matchup options all over the field and the ability to play in subpackages with extra secondary defenders or, alternatively, play with both corners on an island with a high-post safety in middle of the field coverage. The team needs talent there to make Brian Flores’ defense hum at optimal efficiency.
But the Dolphins have significant needs on the offensive side of the football. And those needs can only be met with spending in the here and now or with a little bit of fortune through the NFL Draft process — and even then investments aren’t apparent right away, as Dolphins fans found out first hand in 2020 with the Dolphins’ massive class of talent that flashed but didn’t shine consistently.
Only two other teams in the NFL spend within $10M as much as what the Dolphins are committed to in the secondary: the New England Patriots (of course) and the Chicago Bears. The Dolphins could waive Bobby McCain and trade Xavien Howard tomorrow and the team’s cap commitments, reduce their secondary cost against the cap by over $20M in the back seven and, not including dead cap, the team would would still sit 13th in the league in spending in that area.
As this team looks to find the right balance on the offensive side of the football, they’ll need to ask themselves some hard questions here and more than likely make some changes. This is the right group to add some young rookie talents to — given the cheap nature of those contracts and Miami’s stability with so many returning players in the group. So don’t be surprised if Miami shakes up a secondary group that was, by and large, a rousing success in 2020. The betterment of the entire team may be dependent on it.
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