Dolphins problems lie with evaluation of talent and how they spend their money
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins are very good at spending money. They just can’t seem to spend money in the right places. This is where all of Miami’s problems start and end.
Mike Tannenbaum is a nice guy, no really I have met him on several occasions. Mike Tannenbaum also isn’t very good at handling the contracts of players or knowing when to buy or sell. This is a problem that has persisted for a long time with Dolphins personnel guys. With Dawn Aponte we may have had to deal with some power struggles but her cap economics were spot on.
Last year the Dolphins, for example, converted part of Koa Misi‘s salary to a guarantee. About $2 million despite the fact he wasn’t likely to play. They could have just outright released him. Was this the team taking care of a football player who gave his heart for the team knowing he wasn’t likely going to play again or was it a bad football decision? We will never know the former so it appears to be the latter.
Andre Branch is another example of a poor contract. Miami can’t get out of it this year and frankly they didn’t need him and still don’t need him on the roster. Branch is not an every down player and when he was on the field last year he was outplayed by the teams other defensive ends including rookie Charles Harris and especially William Hayes. Miami’s bad contract with Branch may be the reason Miami can’t bring back Hayes.
Hayes came to Miami via trade and his two year contract was actually quite team friendly but Miami opted to reduce his contract to one season and guarantee some money. Hayes will be a free agent this off-season and Miami may not be able to keep him.
The Dolphins make these mistakes often but the worst part is not the money they spend but instead where and who they spend it on. There was no reason to give Ryan Tannehill a new contract two years ago. They could have waited but got swept up in the NFL’s quarterback contracts. They tried to get a better deal a year early and it failed.
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A bigger problem however is talent evaluation as it compares to the salaries. Someone needs to be held accountable for the lack of talent that is being brought to Miami. Over the last 10 drafts Miami has watched Lamar Miller, Olivier Vernon, Sean Smith, and Charles Clay sign bigger contracts elsewhere through free agency but none of those players have lived up to those big contracts.
In a way that is good news for Miami, they have the value down on what draft picks they don’t bring back but at the same time, the evaluation of those players out of college should be questioned.
Alonso, Branch, Hayes, Suh, and a few others were not part of the Dolphins draft but instead free agents who were supposed to help the team win. Instead they are killing the Dolphins cap and the Dolphins are still not winning.
Many fans question why the Dolphins would get rid of Ndamukong Suh as some rumors suggest. The reality is Miami blew a lot of money on the defensive tackle and the reward never paid off. Suh is a great football player but he is one person and without a perfect supporting cast, he isn’t going to make a difference. Miami will move on from Suh sometime in the next two seasons. They are not likely going to challenge for a Super Bowl in those seasons so why not bite the bullet now and move on?
The same can be said for Mike Pouncey and even Ryan Tannehill to some degree. At some point, the Dolphins need to figure out the right process and stop jumping at the first free agent that looks good. More often than not they don’t work out.
For now, the Dolphins get to work with a horrible cap situation hole that they built themselves into. They will have to cut and trim to get under the cap and find spending money to fill those holes.