5 players Miami Dolphins should target in free agency
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins, like the last ten years, are facing a critical off-season in 2016. With cap issues and high priced veterans littering their roster, the window to succeed with these players is closing in the next few years. The question is how do you fix what’s wrong with the team.
More from Dolphins Free Agency
- Miami Dolphins defensive free agent upgrades and downgrades
- Dolphins climb into top 10 in post-free agency power rankings
- Miami Dolphins free agency a successful whimper rather than a failed roar
- Ranking Miami Dolphins most impactful free agent signings of 2023
- 5 prominent former Miami Dolphins still on the NFL FA scrap heap
Free agency is about to begin. On March 9th the annual spending spree will commence and the Dolphins, who have been the high dolloar spender the last few years will once again need to make decisions not only on their own players but on the slew of other players ready to hit the open market.
How the Dolphins approach free agency will also dicate how they approach the draft and if they do their work properly they can work both at the same time with at least a solid understanding of who or what positions will be available when the select in the draft. Specifically the first two and maybe three rounds. If the Dolphins can wrap free agency successfully, the draft could be an opportunity to get younger and to add spot starters.
Looking over the potential free agency list there are obvious players that will command high dollars but there are also productive and solid starters that will not be the upper echelon at their position. Miami needs to focus their attention not on the names but on the game that they can bring with them. More importantly, they need to add players who actually fit into the systems that they will be running. Here is a look at the five players I would target in this years free agency.
Danny Trevathan – Denver Broncos
The Dolphins have a huge need at linebacker. HUGE and Danny Trevathan is one of the best linebackers in this years class. Trevathan brings with him a winning mentality and has the ability to change games at the line of scrimmage. In 2015, Trevathan ranked as the 10th best linebacker in the league according to ProFootballFocus.com he is excellent against the pass, something that would benefit the Dolphins in the AFC East, and he is very solid against the run, something that Miami needs to fix immediately.
Trevathan is not going to be cheap and the Dolphins, if they show interest, will not be the only team that will be looking to add him. The Broncos would love to keep him but they have a lot of other players including Von Miller and quarterback Brock Osweiler that they have to make decisions on. The Dolphins can afford Trevathan and not cripple their cap for the upcoming years. The productivity that Trevathan has shown more than warrants a solid contract but Miami tends to overpay and that will be a concern if they value him as a priority because they tend to overbid to get the player they want and that has not worked out for them in the past.
Trevathan would be the leader on the Dolphins front seven and would be a huge improvement over impending free agent Kelvin Sheppard. The addition of Trevathan would allow the Dolphins to look for a depth outside linebacker to challenge Koa Misi while Jelani Jenkins would man the opposite side.
Another option would be linebacker Rolando McClain. McClain’s rocky NFL career has definitely smoothed out and his next contract will not be anywhere near as high as Trevathan. McClain could be a solid value addition to the team but he isn’t an absolute game changer and that is something Miami needs at linebacker. They need a leader and while McCain is solid, he isn’t a leader yet.
Next: Get a safety