Top Three Free Agent Option For The Dolphins

November 12, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace (17) pulls in a seven yard touchdown pass against Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers (24) during the second quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Now that the Super Bowl has come and gone, the fun part of the NFL calendar year is just about to begin. With the NFL Combine, Free Agency, and the Draft all coming up within the next few months, there will be plenty of news to report. Personally, this is my favorite time of year. Now don’t get me wrong, I love watching and attending football games, but there is just something about the offseason that intrigues me. I’m not 100 percent sure what it is. I guess you can just say it’s the excitement of seeing new faces on different teams and seeing young prospects come out and work hard to make an impact on their respective team. With free agency and the draft coming up, you can surely expect the Dolphins to make some key moves as they look to take that next step and become a playoff team. They’re a lot closer than some might think. Sure, they finished 7-9 last year, but they did lose three games due to Dan Carpenter’s inability to put the ball through the uprights. On top of that, the Dolphins defense is top notch. The offense is really what’s holding them back. If they can go out and get a couple of nice free agents on the offense, this team can very much be in the hunt for a shot at the Lombardi Trophy.

Some of the needs heading into this offseason are both the guards and tackle positions, tight end, receiver, and cornerback. A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article saying who I want on the Dolphins next year. Those players included San Francisco tight end, Delanie Walker, Packers cornerback Sam Shields, and of course, Packers wide out Greg Jennings.  The article, which could be found here https://phinphanatic.com/2013/01/25/free-agents-who-could-end-up-in-miami/, states why I want those players to join the Miami Dolphins. Those are some of the players that I want. And we all know as fans just because we want someone doesn’t mean we’re going to get them. So below, I am going to make a list of the top three free agents that I believe the Dolphins realistically have a shot at getting.

Number 3: E.J Biggers

December 23, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback E.J. Biggers (31) against the St. Louis Rams prior to the game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Yes, you read that correctly. It says E.J. Biggers. I’m sure most of you don’t know who he is. Well, E.J. Biggers plays cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Last season Biggers played quite well. In a total of 13 games last season, Biggers had a total of 51 tackles, one interception, two forced fumbles, and he defended seven total passes.  Now it might be a bit of a downgrade from Sean Smith, but if the Dolphins do re-sign Smith, Biggers could be a nice option to line up across from him and then they could always put Richard Marshall back at the nickel position where he thrived at in Arizona. Biggers is also from Miami, so the possibility to play in the NFL where he grew up is always an intriguing option.

Number 2: Delanie Walker

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Delanie Walker (46) catches a pass against the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

I honestly believe that the Dolphins have a very realistic chance at getting Delanie Walker. Walker, who is set to hit the open market, had a fantastic year last season. In fact, if you compare him and current Dolphins tight end, Anthony Fasano, you could easily argue that Walker had a much better season. Although he had fewer catches than Fasano, Walker was still able to put up more yards. Fasano also had more touchdowns than Walker; however, it was only two more total than Walker. What the stats don’t show is Delanie Walker is a BACKUP. He is not a starter. He backs up the best tight end in the National Football League in Vernon Davis. If Walker could put those numbers up as a backup, who knows what he could do in Miami. With Tannehill continuing to grow, Walker would be a fantastic weapon for Tanny to throw to.

Number 1: Mike Wallace

Now I know a lot of people are still unsure whether Mike Wallace would be a good fit in Miami. He isn’t a red zone threat and he had a down year in Pittsburgh last year. But let’s ask the question why did he have a down year? You could answer that question in multiple ways. One, he decided not to show up to training camp until the end of it because his contract situation. If he signs with Miami he wouldn’t have a contract situation to worry about and as a result, he would not miss training camp. The second reason why last year wasn’t his best season in the NFL was due to the fact that the Steelers were unable to remain healthy at the quarterback position. One thing Wallace is good at is burning by the defenders. When Ben Roethlisberger is on the field, Wallace was as good as any receiver in the league. When Big Ben wasn’t on the field due to injuries, he had quarterbacks such as Charlie Batch and Byron Leftwitch throwing him the ball. Now those two quarterbacks aren’t the worst, but they certainly aren’t the best either. Since Wallace wasn’t in training camp, he didn’t really have time to develop an on field relationship with these two quarterbacks. Sure they know each other and I’m sure they have practiced throwing the ball to each other before; however, Wallace could’ve felt very uncomfortable without Roethlisberger on the field. If Wallace signs with the Phins, we wouldn’t have to worry about a hold out and as a result, Wallace would have an entire offseason to develop a relationship and trust with Ryan Tannehill. The Dolphins need to act fast when it comes to the receiver position, and I think Wallace would be the best and most realistic option for the Miami Dolphins this offseason.

There ya have it; those are my top three players that I believe the Dolphins have the best chance at signing. I would love to see who you think the Dolphins should or shouldn’t go after in the comments down below!

Thanks For Reading!

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