Miami Dolphins shopped but now they have to make the cake
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins did not enter the NFL free agency period with a plan to rebuild their roster, the real work comes in April with the draft.
Free agency came and went and the Miami Dolphins did a great job of adding players to their rebuild but the additions are only the ingredients to a bigger picture. The NFL Draft is where the Miami Dolphins’ future will stand.
It doesn’t matter how much money the Dolphins spent in free agency or how many players they added to the roster to fill holes or add depth. It doesn’t matter what the contracts look like or what the guaranteed money will be or for that matter the years of the deal. What matters is what the Dolphins do in late April when they add a bunch of young talent to the roster that will develop into their future.
Success is not bred on free agency. For a decade-plus, the Dolphins have spent money like it was a free-flowing faucet but they have no Super Bowl championships to show for their money. They have two playoff appearances and two quick post-season exits for what they have spent cash on.
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Why was a failure so prevalent over those years when the players being added were sometimes some of the best in the league? It’s because anyone can buy the groceries but if you don’t know how to mix the ingredients and bake the cake, you wasted money at the grocery store.
The Dolphins have drafted poorly for the better part of two decades. It’s been better in recent years but it is still not great. Coaching has been a big problem as well. Constant changes to coordinators. Constant system changes. Constant coaching changes at the head coaching level. Saban, Cameron, Sparano, Philbin, Gase. Those are the chefs. The architects of the last 15 years.
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This year, the Dolphins are hoping that the sacrifices they made last year will pay off. They have the draft capital to move around and add players that will help immediately and in the future. They are building the roster base with the hopes of finding players who will help them win but also have future value in trade.
Yes, I said trade. Miami could draft 14 players this year and if every player turned into an All-Star, the Dolphins could retain them all. They can’t retain eight of them, maybe not even less. But hitting on players in the draft allows future opportunities to turn the ones they can’t keep into more draft capital down the road.
The NFL is a cycle and the Dolphins need to recognize that cycle and ride it out. This year’s draft is one of the most important they will ever have and they have to hit on many of their draft picks. Free agency looks good on paper but it is now what the Dolphins are building or rebuilding. The draft is where Miami will build the roster and that will arrive soon enough.