Dolphins say they are done being big free agent spenders
By Brian Miller
At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis both general manager Chris Grier and head coach Adam Gase both said to some degree they are done with big spending in free agency.
The days of Ndamukong Suh’s mega contract and Mike Wallace’s huge deal look to be in the past as the Dolphins are taking a more reserved role in free agency. This according to multiple news outlets reporting on the press conferences of Chris Grier and Adam Gase.
"“Obviously we don’t want to be big spenders,” Gase said Thursday morning at the Combine. “We’re moving away from that thing.” Via the Palm Beach Post"
It’s a sentiment stated earlier by Chris Grier.
The question is will the Dolphins pursue top free agents and not throw money at them or will they simply not pursue bigger named free agents?
Many believed heading into the off-season, as recent as a week ago that the Dolphins would be major players in free agency. They still may but not to the degree that it was assumed. The Dolphins can not afford to not dip into the market no matter what their thinking is. They have 13 unrestricted free agents of their own and simply not enough draft picks to replace who they lose.
With needs at both guard positions, two linebacker spots, defensive end, and potentially safety with the Isa-Abdul Quddus injury/situation Miami has to fill their roster from the street. It’s a matter now of what level they will try to achieve those additions.
This is not to say that Miami will not pursue players like guards T.J. Lang or Kevin Zeitler or look at linebacker Zach Brown. It simply means they will enter free agency with a number in their heads on what each players value is and they will likely stick to that number. Thus avoiding bidding wars with other teams.
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Of course the other side of this is that everything being said is simply smoke and mirrors although for the first time in around a decade or more, it seems as though this is the plan Miami is indeed going to follow.
Over the last two off-seasons the Dolphins have scaled back their spending during the open market period and are concentrating more on what they are drafting in order to build their team but that also means being responsible to their own impending free agents.
So are the statements of being “done” spending big on free agents directed towards the “breaking bank” type of free agents or the top of the market players in general?
March 9th is only six days away and over the first 24 hours of the market opening we will get a better understanding of what the Dolphins are trying to achieve with their roster ahead of the draft.