Miami Dolphins Off-Season Needs And Wants – Part 1

The decisions the Miami Dolphins make this off season are obviously critical to their upcoming season but more importantly the stability of this franchise. New General Manager Dennis Hickey has his work cut out for him if he’s to stabilize this franchise.
I won’t bore you with the details that have been regurgitated incessantly since the Miami Dolphins laid an egg against the Jets in Sun Life, but these are rocky waters our Dolphins are currently swimming in and a few wise decisions can go a long way in building the type of stability this franchise has lacked in over a decade.

Let’s face it, there are holes throughout the team, spots that are average and fans want them to be upgraded, unfortunately all of these holes can’t be addressed in one off-season.

So this brings me to breaking down possible roster acquisitions into needs and wants.

For the next few articles, I’ll feature 2 new positions. For example this week the Dolphins need an elite Left Tackle and want an elite Free Safety.

The Dolphins need someone in the worst way to fill Jake Long’s shoes that proved to be too big for Jon Martin, so saving dollars at FS by resigning Chris Clemons, who’s been a steady but not flashy presence in the deep end, to make a run at one of the quality left tackles on the open market would be wise.

Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Tannehill and the success of this Offense depends on better protection and living through the growing pains of another young player would be a bad call in a must win season for this on the hot seat coaching staff.

Finding the Guards and Right Tackle this team also needs will be easier to address in the draft than Left Tackle, which leads me back to Free Safety.

If resigning Clemons isn’t your flavor then signing a Louis Delmas or someone of that ilk and backing it up with a draft pick in the later rounds with some developmental talent, will be the most cost effective decision.

When building the “right” 53 as the analysts like to say, allocating dollars appropriately is what’s gonna take this team to the next level.

So addressing the most glaring weaknesses with permanent solutions and masking other positions with quality stop gaps would be the best way to go about it.

Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

So to recap my stance and give my specific targets, my game plan for Left Tackle and Free Safety for the Dolphins would be to make a strong run at a veteran Left Tackle still in his prime, Eugene Monroe preferably, and resigning Chris Clemons whose been consistently steady and available as opposed to a more talented but injury prone Delmas.

Now that Brent Grimes has been resigned and Monroe not receiving the franchise tag from the Ravens, Monroe should hopefully be the Fins top off-season acquisition priority. Adding talent while keeping what you have is how this team will get better, the Dolphins need to plug holes while not springing more leaks with departing talent. Fins Up!