5 players the Miami Dolphins must re-sign in 2018

William Hayes has a home now. Right off the rich mermaid infested waters of South Florida where dinosaurs never roamed. In reality, Hayes brought every ounce of what was his forte with the Rams to Miami. He is a standout run stopping defensive end with a non-stop motor.

For the Dolphins this was a trade made in heaven. Miami was near the bottom against the run and now they are inching toward the top sitting at number seven. Hayes is a big part of that reason.

More impressive is that Hayes has become a decent pass rusher as well. He isn’t registering monster sacks, he has one, but he is collapsing the pocket when he is in the game. More impressive is his ability to set the edge and hold it. It sounds basic. The stuff they teach DE’s in high-school and even earlier. The stuff I taught my six-year-old son in flag football this year. Protect the edge.

Hayes is solid in this area. In fact he is probably the best at setting the edge of any other defensive end on the Dolphins roster. Miami however has a plethora of defensive ends and that is where this whole thing will get tricky.

Andre Branch is under contract and won’t be released. Cameron Wake is getting old but is playing young. Charles Harris is starting to make big leaps forward so where does that leave Hayes? Needing an extension.

The Dolphins have room on the team for Hayes they should have room in their cap. They should make room for both. Harris is one of the players that Miami must sign. In 2017 shortly after they brought Hayes to Miami, they reworked his contract and eliminated the 2nd year of the deal making him a free agent after the season. That may have been a mistake.