The Miami Dolphins have too much money invested in WRs

The Miami Dolphins don’t have a salary cap situation but if they did, they may want to look at their current wide receiver situation to find extra money. They have a lot tied up into the receivers group.

Miami could look to shed some salary this off-season but all the speculation of Miami signing a big named free agent may want to rethink that philosophy or ideal. The Dolphins have $25 million committed to the receivers heading towards the 2021 league year.

Not surprisingly, DeVante Parker leads the Dolphins receivers in salary. He will count $11.5 million against the 2021 cap in 2021. Fans debate the value of that deal for the Dolphins. Parker had an off-year in 2020 after a stellar season the year before but some of that can be contributed to the injury and the other to switching QBs.

If the Dolphins wanted to shed his contract, they would have to eat over $8 million with only a $2 million savings. So don’t bet on that happening in 2021.

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Jakeem Grant comes in at number two and he will count $4.75 million against the cap. Miami would save all but $1.8 million in space if he were released. Grant gives Miami a solid threat on special teams but he hasn’t progressed as a receiver yet and the question is whether he will or not. For all the speed he has, the Dolphins are not getting him involved enough in the offense. He should be a big threat to defensive schemes. Should we blame the former OC?

We drop all the way down to $850K and find Preston Williams who has not finished the last two seasons. Williams has shown a lot of potentials but he can’t stay healthy all season. Miami would recoup all but $3,000 of his contract but he is likely to stick around given the price tag.

It gets interesting, however, when you look at two receivers who opted out of the 2020 season. Allen Hurns and Albert Wilson. Miami has made no decision on either of them because they are playing on their contracts from last year.

Hurns will cost the Dolphins $2.8 million and change this year, minus the salary paid to him last year. Releasing him will save less than a million off the cap. Wilson on the other hand saves a bit more.

Wilson will cost the Dolphins around $5 million in cap space. Releasing him would save $2.8 million.

If the Dolphins are going to look for a receiver, their money may be better spent by using the draft to find that player. Miami will have their choice of either J’Marr Chase or Heisman winner DeVonta Smith come April. It might be the smarter play but if the Dolphins want to add in free agency, they will need to decide what they are going to do with Wilson, Hurns, Williams, and Grant. Making this worse, the Dolphins receiving group needs to be upgraded.