Who Is Miami Dolphins In House Free Agent Priority?
By Brian Miller
Perhaps it should read who should be the Miami Dolphins in-house free agent priority? When it comes to player retention the Dolphins do a good job at keeping some players but letting others go right before they hit their prime. If there is anything to be said about Miami’s approach to their own free agents is that it gets scrutinized a year or two down the road when those players are making plays on other teams while Miami suffers in the holes their leaving created.
This year the Dolphins have a slew of promising young free agents that they will have to make a decision on and while we have taken a look at some of the scenarios we really haven’t asked who should be priority number one. While we have heard Miami Herald rumors suggest that Charles Clay is the top IHFA (in-house free agent) that doesn’t exactly mean it’s true. Here is a look at some of the soon to be free agents coming out of Miami and why they should or shouldn’t be the top priority this off-season.
Matt Moore: Moore is entering his 2nd free agent period in three seasons and he could see a little bit of action on the open market. The Dolphins can’t make him a priority even though good back-ups are hard to find. Moore has been inconsistent but he does know the Dolphins offense even if we haven’t truly seen him run the style of Bill Lazor. What we do know is enough to think that he could be back in Miami but not as a priority signing. Frankly we have seen Moore struggle in games and he isn’t a guy that will come off the bench and immediately give the team a spark to take a victory. Yet at the same time he isn’t a caretaker and takes chances that he likely shouldn’t take.
That being said, Moore can play at this level and has done so well in the past. Basing his performance on a couple of fill in games isn’t really enough to warrant a decision. For the Dolphins, a wait and see approach is a good route to go.
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Louis Delmas: Delmas had a very good season for the Dolphins right up until he got hurt and went on IR. It’s the fourth time in as many years that he has missed games due to injuries and that has to be a concern when you are looking at signing a player who should be a starter. Delmas is not a priority and shouldn’t be to the Dolphins. While the position is, Delmas will not see immediate play on the market and it’s likely the Dolphins can bring him back later at a reduced rate should they not find a more permanent solution to the position.
Jared Odrick: This is a tough call. Odrick has emerged as a vocal leader on the defense but his play wasn’t at the level that many expected it to be at this year. Odrick is going to command a good salary because he is versatile and can play both end and tackle and will fit in to both a 3-4 and a 4-3 defense. The Dolphins could make him a top priority and there is good reason to. Odrick is solid against the run although this past season the entire team failed in that department. The issue with Odrick is like many others he can get inconsistent and he doesn’t truly reach his potential.
The Dolphins will have to make a decision on Odrick before free agency begins otherwise they will likely lose him on the first weekend of the league new year.
Charles Clay: Clay is the rumored “top priority” of the team according to the Miami Herald but he has a bit of an injury history and while he played well towards the end of the season he missed a good amount of the season because he was injured. Clay is a good handed receiver and his production is hard to replace from within. Dion Sims is not ready for that featured roll. While Clay is a good route runner and pass receiver he is not good in run blocking and that is problematic for a team that sometimes needs to pull their tight ends in to block. He struggles in pass protection as well.
Of all the players Clay and Odrick are the most likely to be a priority for the Dolphins. With the Super Bowl set to wrap up on Sunday night, the focus of all NFL teams will shift to the start of free agency a month later. We will get a better idea of who will be the teams priority within the next few weeks.