Miami Dolphins Chris Grier said they targeted a specific type of FA player
By Brian Miller
On Thursday, Miami Dolphins general manager, Chris Grier spoke with the media as part of his pre-draft press routine and he talked about free agency.
Meeting with members of the media, Chris Grier answered a myriad of questions in the lead-up to the 2020 NFL Draft which happens next week but one question, about free agency, stuck out and may give some insight into what the Dolphins plans for the draft might be.
As I listened to Grier talk about nothing as it relates to the draft, that is not a bad thing by the way, it was a question about the free agency period that stuck out the most. Miami entered free agency with a lot of money to spend and a lot of holes to fill. They did a good job of filling their needs, but why did they choose the players they signed?
"We talked about finding the right types of players for our organization. We didn’t want to go with older players. We got a lot of guys that were the younger – 25, 27, 28 (range) – guys that have been winners, guys that are great locker room guys, great mentors. – Chris Grier during his press conference."
The age of the players makes sense. The Dolphins were one of, if not the youngest team in the NFL last year so staying with younger players coming off their rookie contracts or off their second deals made a lot of sense. Another common theme was the familiarity the players had with Brian Flores. This is important as the Dolphins did take several players from the Patriots, the others also had some connections to the coaching staff to some degree.
"Having guys with some familiarity with Brian (Flores) was really important."
Grier said that the team did add more players than they have in the past and that is something that they probably won’t continue to do down the road once the rebuild is close to be completed. The Dolphins want to build this roster through the draft but they simply had too many holes to fill this year. Grier said he waned “volume” as they were not sure “where we would be going in the future”. He wanted players that were going to be able to help teach the younger guys how to prepare and how to learn the defense. It was an eye on the future to help build youth.
Then there is the draft. The Dolphins have 14 draft picks and free agency was something they did with the draft in mind as well. Grier said that in free agency you have to have an eye out for the strengths and weaknesses of the draft. If this is true, the Dolphins made several plays in free agency with an idea of who may or may not be available next week.
More from Phin Phanatic
- Tua Tagovailoa practicing with teammates is everything a leader does
- 4 offensive tackles Miami Dolphins could draft at 51
- Miami Dolphins don’t need CB help but these 5 could be available at 51
- 4 players that could replace Wilkins if Miami Dolphins don’t re-sign him
- Miami Dolphins have a starting point with Wilkins after Simmons deal
Many think the Dolphins could go with Isaiah Simmons with their first pick but the Dolphins spent a lot on defensive end in FA. They signed Kyle Van Noy and Shaq Lawson at the top of the signing period. This could be a mentorship type signing or the Dolphins may believe that getting an edge rusher in the draft is not as much a priority as some believe.
The offensive line was hardly touched in free agency. The Dolphins signed Ereck Flowers to play guard and Ted Karras to compete at center but that was it. The draft is loaded with good talent at tackle and guard this year. If we go off what Grier said about strengths and weaknesses of the draft, we can assume that Miami may indeed be targeting offensive lineman. It might be why they pushed for edge help in free agency.
What the Dolphins do in the draft next week is anyone’s guess but it does appear that Grier and Brian Flores have a plan in place. One they are not going to share with all of us on a conference call conducted by video from his home. Then again, he wouldn’t say anything if it was conducted in person.