5 changes the Dolphins must make ahead of 2018
By Brian Miller
No other player this off-season will get more water cooler talk than Jarvis Landry. Miami’s energetic, 110% effort wide-receiver who is now adding touchdowns to his resume is the one player that Miami has to re-sign.
Landry is more than the heart and soul of the offense. He is as loved by the fan base as Cameron Wake. When Landry is on the field the offense has the potential to move the ball quickly. When the team needs to make a first down, Landry should and usually is the target.
In reality, Landry is not making this team fail it’s the quarterbacks trying to get him the ball. Many fans will cite the fact that Miami would be more diverse if the QB’s were not so quick to throw to Landry instead of going through the progressions but Landry is a catching machine and if his average is seven yards per catch then that leaves three yards for the Dolphins to pick up for a first down.
Now that Landry is becoming a big threat in the redzone, he becomes more valuable.
Trade – Trading Landry now is not an option. He controls his future for the most part. He can decline any and all trade offers that Miami makes to him because they failed to address this last off-season and they failed to trade him before the deadline.
Franchise tag – Landry would earn around $15 million if the Dolphins tagged him and that may be a route the team would consider but ideally, if you want him at $15 million for one season you can get him for around $10 million in cap hit. The Dolphins know what Landry brings to the table so there is no surprises.
Re-sign him – Landry will not be cheap by any means and he will get a bigger deal than Kenny Stills. The question is what will the guaranteed money look like. Miami has shown a commitment to their own players and to some of their free agents. T.J. McDonald got an extension as did Andre Branch and Kiko Alonso. Of the latter two who has a bigger game breaking impact than Landry?
Let him go – The Dolphins obviously could let Landry hit the market and if he does he will not be coming back to Miami in aqua and orange. More likely he will return once a year when the Patriots visit. Landry is 100 times better than Wes Welker was and is the type of player that would extend Tom Brady’s career another decade.