Dec 9 2012, Indianapolis, USA; Tennessee Titans tight end Jared Cook (89) catches a pass in the end zone as Indianapolis Colts safety Antoine Bethea (41) defends at Lucas Oil Stadium Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Jeff Ireland for the most part was hitting home runs this afternoon but the one player he couldn’t land was TE Jared Cook.  Cook opted to sign with the man who drafted him, St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher.  Cook was said to be a top priority for Ireland and the Dolphins but in the end, his familiarity with Fisher won out.

The Dolphins meanwhile lost TE Anthony Fasano who signed with the Chiefs shortly after the start of free agency.  Fasano will earn about 15 million in the next two seasons with the Chiefs who apparently were not aware that Fasano’s pass catching, while sometime stellar, is also very inconsistent.  And I’m a huge fan of Fasano’s.

The loss of Fasano leaves a gaping hole at the TE position where the Dolphins have only Michael Egnew…a major bust thus far and an undrafted rookie in Kyle Miller.  The Dolphins still have options on the free agent market where Washington’s Fred Davis is available and the New York Jets Dustin Keller is available to name two.

The Dolphins without question will address the position but whether next years seam threat pass catcher comes from the draft or from the market open now is anyone’s guess.

Despite the top signings of Dannell Ellerbe and Mike Wallace, the Dolphins still have holes at CB, OLB, and OG/RT.  The team also re-signed safety Chris Clemons to a one year deal this afternoon as well.

November 25, 2012; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Tennessee Titans tight end Jared Cook (89) runs with the ball during the second half of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. The Jaguars defeated the Titans 24-19. Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

Jeff Ireland need only to look around the NFL today and see who wasn’t tagged to realize that re-shaping the Miami Dolphins will come with an assortment of available play-makers. It’s no secret the Dolphins want to add a big league threat at WR so the declaration that Green Bay will not tag Greg Jennings is a positive.  While there is no chance the Dolphins will cave to his reported demand of 12 million annually, it will give the team another option (at some point Jennings will come back down to reality). The Dolphins will of course also have a shot at Pittsburgh WR Mike Wallace but the top end talent got a little thinner this afternoon when the Kansas City Chiefs locked up Dwayne Bowe with a contract extension.  Bowe’s deal will likely be the benchmark to this years deals.  It’s still not reported yet although rumors have put it at 11 million annually.  If that is the case it’s more than likely Wallace will come in higher while Jennings will come back to Earth quicker. The Dolphins could obviously opt to wait for the draft and today’s realization that both Jermichael Finley and Tennessee Titan TE Jared Cook are closer to hitting free agency may be a draw to lock down a pass catching TE play-maker now and get the WR later instead of the other way around. Note:  Finley is not scheduled to be a free agent but may be released.  The Dolphins will have plenty of competition for both positions but have around 37 million to spend after today’s franchise tag placement on DT Randy Starks.  The Dolphins were thick along the defensive line but it’s a strength that GM Jeff Ireland didn’t want to deplete.  And smartly so. The Dolphins are going to need a stingy pressing front line to cover up for what could be very thin corner-back depth.  The use of the franchise tag on Starks means that Sean Smith will walk and the likelihood of a return just dropped to around zero.  The same could be said for OT Jake Long. The Dolphins will have no choice but to find replacements for both starters.  Smith will be the harder to find considering Jonathan Martin is on the roster and played well in Long’s absence last year.  The Dolphins will shift their focus once again to the right side of the offensive line.  This years free agent crop looks deep at the position although it’s likely the Dolphins will pass on the top end RT’s in order to spend their salary space elsewhere. With the franchise tag deadline now past, the Dolphins could look at some of the free agent corners in only a few days.  Captain Munnerlyn of the Carolina Panthers will hit the free agent market but so will Aqib Talib of the Patriots who did not opt for the tag. The Dolphins could also opt to visit with New England Tackle Sebastian Vollmer. Ireland will need to find a pass rushing OLB as well and it appears that he will turn to the draft in order to find those players.  The free spending off-season that many fans anticipated will likely fall far below those expectations.  The Dolphins will spend but will do so frugally on players that will not only help them win now but win in the future as well.  That means younger players who have yet to reach their potential. Of course these days, nothing is cheap and the Dolphins are going to find out exactly how expensive the market will be very soon.  They have the spending power and at least one high end team with cap space leveled out considerably today. The Chiefs used their franchise tag on LT Branden Albert, re-signed Punter Dustin Colquit to the highest salary for a punter (in the neighborhood of 18 million on the life of the contract) and of course the aforementioned Dwayne Bowe signing. Free agency doesn’t start for another week but teams can legally start making phone calls to agents for other players in five days on the 9th.  The Dolphins are expected to be very active in the market.  Last year the Dolphins opened the league new year with the announcement of the Brandon Marshall trade.  Maybe this year they will announce the signing of a top flight WR…either VIA trade or free agent signing.

Sept. 16, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Randy Starks (94) during pre-game before a game against the Oakland Raiders at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Dolphins as you know by now used the Franchise Tag on Randy Starks.  He will be guaranteed over 8 million for the season and most see this as 8 million off the books, or the 44 plus million cap space.   I wouldn’t be so sure.  Jeff Ireland tagged Starks for a reason and it’s not because the tag burned a hole in his pocket.

The reality here is simple.  Jeff Ireland views Starks as a play maker on defense and wants to keep him.  Over the weekend the two sides apparently were talking but couldn’t get a new deal ironed out in front of today’s deadline to use the tag.  Starks “tweeted” over the weekend that he wants to finish his career in Miami and is willing to give the good-ole discount but also made it clear he wasn’t going to take a garbage deal either.

With the tag now in place, Ireland will continue to work out the kinks in the deal that Starks will eventually receive.  I do not believe this will hold over the entire season as it did two years ago with Paul Soliai.  The situation was different.  In the case of Solia’ there were questions regarding his future in Miami and whether or not he had turned the corner in his career.  Ireland gambled that previous season wasn’t a fluke but refused to invest long term until he saw continuation.  In Starks, it’s clear that he is a vital part to the defense even if he is viewed as somewhat expendable given the teams depth.

I look for Ireland to have a deal ironed out with Starks sometime after the start of free agency allowing him to focus on the financial situation of the teams free agent market transactions.

While there is no question about Starks’ future in Miami, at least for the 2013 season, it has become increasingly apparent that neither Jake Long or Sean Smith will return.  Both players are now set to become unrestricted free agents and only the franchise tag would have kept them in Miami barring the Dolphins paying their out of this world demands.  Jake Long is apparently seeking over 11 million a season.

The other question mark, Brian Hartline, appears to be a player headed back to Miami.  According to a report from a local newspaper, Hartline and the Dolphins are talking about a new contract and though both sides are still apart, it’s likely that Hartline is going to realize the interest in his freedom at 6.6 million a year won’t likely be in huge demand.

In other free agent/franchise tag news, the Dallas Cowboys opened up a can of worms when they used the tag on LB/DE Anthony Spencer.  Spencer will move from LB to DE this year and is asking the NFL to award him the tender of a DE not a LB.  If that happens, the Cowboys would have to pay Spencer an addition 3 million on the tag.

The Dolphins really were not in the running for Spencer if he hit the market but one player that does stand out is Tennessee Titan TE Jared Cook.  Cook and the Titans have been at an impasse due to the belief that Cook should be tagged as a WR and not a TE.  A valid argument considering Cook spent more time in the slot than he did in the traditional TE position.

Apparently this impasse has come to a close and the Titans will not use the tag on Cook allowing him to hit free agency.  Cook is a big speedy TE who is a serious red-zone threat.  He would be a player that the Dolphins would likely show interest in.

Another player that has been the center of speculation is WR Greg Jennings of the Green Bay Packers.  Jennings was not tagged and is now free to explore the open market where reports have surfaced over the last two weeks that the WR is looking for a 12 million a year deal.  A deal he will not find from Jeff Ireland and the Dolphins.  The Packers have not simply decided not to tag Jennings but to use the tag at all.  Meaning TE Jermichael Finley will soon become a free agent as well.

The Dolphins can start negotiating with open market free agents on March 9th, 3 days ahead of the start of free agency.