Free Agents Who Could End Up In Miami

August 3, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings (85) celebrates a touchdown catch by doing the “Lambeau leap” during the family night scrimmage at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

With the Super Bowl a little over a week away, the offseason is creeping right around the corner. Over the past few years the Dolphins have made some offseason acquisitions that were executed in order to help the team achieve the feat of making the playoffs. Despite some of the big named players brought in such as Karlos Dansby and Brandon Marshall, the Dolphins are still struggling to earn a spot as one of the top six teams in the AFC. Hopefully this offseason is a little bit different from the other ones. There are going to be a lot of major holes that the Dolphins are going to need to work on. Some of these areas of concern are the secondary, the wide receiver position, tight end, and last but not least, the offensive line. Below I’m going to list some free agents that realistically have a shot at signing a contract to play for the Miami Dolphins.

Number Three: Sam Shields

Dec 23, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields (37) celebrates a sack during the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Lambeau Field. The Packers won 55-7. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Prior to this past season, Sam Shields had a career year in the NFL and as a result, Shields came into this season with the mindset that he was going to continue to play at a high level with an increased role on the defense. Unfortunately for him it was just an okay year as opposed to a really good one. Shields failed to play in all 16 games this past season, playing in only ten games. Despite not living up to his hopes for the season, Shields still was able to perform well at times. In the ten games that Shields played in, he started eight of them. Shields ended the season with three interceptions, ten passes defended and a total of 28 tackles. Of the course of his career Shields has been a very reliable player for the Packers, but whether or not they would want to retain him, is their choice. I think Shields would be a nice pickup for the Miami Dolphins. Hey, maybe he’d even take a hometown discount?

Number Two: Delanie Walker

Jan 12, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Delanie Walker (46) warms up before the NFC divisional round playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

One of the biggest needs the Dolphins have coming into next season is the tight end position. Tight ends are much underrated in the National Football League. If you look at the successful teams in the league, most of them have above average tight ends. The 49ers, Ravens, Patriots, Falcons, and New Orleans all have very good tight ends. The Dolphins thought that they struck gold with Fasano; however, that wasn’t exactly the case. Don’t get me wrong, Fasano has had a couple of good seasons with the Dolphins. Despite that, the Dolphins need to go out and either draft or sign a big time tight end that can consistently catch balls and block at a high level. Delanie Walker is a guy who can do both of those really well. Playing behind Vernon Davis in San Francisco might take away some recognition from Walker, but if you watch him play, he makes big time catches and is one of the reasons behind San Francisco’s successful running game. It would be interesting to see if Walker decides to resign with San Francisco, or go out and seek an opportunity to start for another team.

Number One: Greg Jennings

Greg Jennings is a phenomenal receiver. Even though you probably saw him on television for Old Spice more than the Green Bay Packers, Jennings, when healthy is one of the top tier receivers in the NFL. This was by far the worst season in the league for Jennings, playing in a career low eight games, while catching only 36 balls for a total of 366 yards. Even though Jennings didn’t have a big role for the Packers this year, their offense seemed to perform pretty well. With Jordy Nelson, James Jones, and Randall Cobb already there, you’d have to wonder if the Packers want to spend money on Jennings, or address a real need on either defense, or the offensive line. I do not believe that Jennings is going to return to the Packers next season. A plus for the Dolphins is Jenning’s familiarity with head coach Joe Philbin, as Philbin was the former offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. In my opinion, the secondary is a more important need for the Phins than the wide out position, but in order to help Ryan Tannehill continue to grow, it is imperative that they go out and get him some weapons.

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