Did the Miami Dolphins make the right decision with Charles Clay?

The Miami Dolphins today decided not to match the offer sheet on Charles Clay, did they make the right choice? The answer to this question is unknown really, and will be for at least a couple of years. There is a lot that goes into this, however given the information we have to work with right now I believe the Dolphins made the right choice. Let me explain my reasoning.

Money

The most obvious reason why matching that offer would have been a bad idea is that the contract was specifically structured to make it hard on the Phins to match. If money were not an issue then Charles Clay would be a Miami Dolphin as I write this to you right now. It was frontloaded to give Clay 24.5 million dollars in the first two years. Specifically the cap hit on this in the second year is about $12 million. This alone makes it incredibly difficult given the fact that the Miami Dolphins have to pay a huge cap hit for Ndamukong Suh that same year, along with having to pay Ryan Tannehill, Mike Pouncey, and Olivier Vernon. This means that resigning Clay would make it very difficult to be able to keep these essential guys in the fold. No disrespect to Charles Clay but each one of these guys are more important to the team right now. Also this contract makes Charles Clay the fourth highest paid tight end in the league. The problem is I don’t know if he is the fourth best. He would have the second highest guaranteed money, second to only Julius Thomas and only by one million dollars. The numbers simply don’t match up with the value. This also doesn’t take into account the fact that Mr. Clay has gotten injured both of the last two years. He is not someone that has proven to be particularly durable throughout his career. I will say he is very tough, trying to play through injuries whenever possible. However he does get injured and therefore is not the safest investment.

The Guys Behind Him on the Depth Chart

Jordan Cameron and Dion Sims are no slouches. Cameron is a 2013 pro-bowl selection. Dion Sims is third year player who has gotten better every year, but has never really gotten a chance to shine in our offense. Both of these players actually have better prototypical size than Clay does. Sims is 6’4 and Cameron is 6’5. They are both more imposing redzone threats than Clay is and has been. Most teams would kill for this tandem. I am personally confident in their ability to more than make up for Clay’s production. Cameron could regain his pro bowl form and Sims could start to shape his, two things that might not have happened if Clay was still taking the spotlight.

In closing I truly believe the Miami Dolphins made the right decision, but only time will tell. Be sure to comment and let me know if you agree or disagree.