NFL Roster Purging Continues…Dolphins Hold
By Brian Miller
Dec 30, 2012; Foxborough, MA, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin watches from the sideline as they take on the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins 28-0. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Some NFL teams have started purging their rosters early in advance of the free agency period that will start on March 12th. The Buffalo Bills have been a big player in tossing unwanted free agents onto the street. Today the Green Bay Packers added one of their own. Safety Charles Woodson. Most Miami Dolphins fans would start to openly call for Woodson to join Joe Philbin in Miami. The Dolphins? Probably not so much.
Woodson will still hold a decent size contract. He was due around 10 million in GB and he is 37 years old. Not a player the Dolphins traditionally have coveted. At this time of year, any player that passes through the waiver wire immediately can be signed by a new team. So for example, if Titus Young passes through the waivers (he didn’t 9 days’ ago) he would be free to sign with whomever he chooses.
In Miami, the Dolphins haven’t been too keen on supplanting their roster early with street free agents regardless of their talent level. The only player the Dolphins have added thus far is former CFL LB Lee Robinson. The Dolphins have found success with north of the border players in recent years. It’s still a long shot for Robinson to make anything close to the impact that Cameron Wake did.
With the Dolphins facing free agents of their own it’s not surprising they haven’t started the process of replacement. It’s still unknown if the Dolphins will use the franchise tag on Jake Long, Sean Smith, Brian Hartline, or any other impending in house free agent. Tags can start being applied on Monday morning. Rumors still float around that the Dolphins will let all of their free agents test the waters while some other news outlets believe that Long and Smith are on the short list for the teams franchise tag.
The Dolphins have the third highest amount of cap space behind Cleveland and Cincinnati and could potentially add more by releasing some players or borrowing from next season. They also have 9 total draft picks with 5 coming in the first three rounds. It’s the best position the Dolphins have been in financially and in draft picks in over a decade. How they spend the money and space is as important as who they spend it on.
In other news, season tickets are now on sale for next season. The Dolphins will NOT be raising ticket prices this year. Koa Misi who faced assault charges in California stemming from a B&E has had his charges dropped to misdemeanors. He will serve three years of misdemeanor probation.
The Dolphins are expected to bring a kicker in to compete with Dan Carpenter this off-season. It’s possible that the competition could start as early as the first mini-camp and last until the final week of cuts leading up to the start of the 2013 season.
Jeff Ireland has stated that all avenues are open to making this team better and the Dolphins will be one of the top teams discussed in trade rumors for top WR’s.
Ryan Tannehill and the “read-option“? It’s possible. Rumors continue to circulate out of Davie that the Dolphins will open up the game for the soon to be sophomore QB. Tannehill showed a strong sense of running ability late in the season when his coaches allowed him to use his legs in place of his arms. After the success of Colin Kaepernick and RGIII, the Dolphins could find success with Ryan’s speed and ability to throw with accuracy while on the run.
According to one of the local beat writers covering the Dolphins, Mike Wallace is priority number 1 with Greg Jennings the fallback option. However it should be noted that if the KC Chiefs do in fact re-sign Dwayne Bowe, the price tag for a free agent WR will most assuredly rise. With Bowe off the market, Wallace and Jennings are the top options and naturally teams will bid against each other for their services.