Miami Dolphins have to weigh the value of draft picks and FA money
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins have a tough task ahead and it is the same for every NFL team out there. Are free agency and the money you will spend worth freeing up the draft capital that you have?
This is the annual conundrum for NFL teams, especially those NFL teams that are in need of several positions and it gets worse if the cap structure isn’t ideal. The Miami Dolphins have plenty of draft capital but their cap space is just o.k.
With needs at WR, offensive line, defensive end, linebacker, safety, and running back, the Dolphins have a lot of holes and needs. They have five picks in the first three rounds of April’s draft but there are no guarantees that the draft plays out in their favor. That means free agency should be a primary focus with the draft used to fill the holes you couldn’t in the market.
The problem the Miami Dolphins will face is that getting better in free agency means you are going to spend a lot of money.
Consider these things to be true, 1: players don’t hit the open market unless the original team can’t afford them. Which typically means they are expensive. 2: They are not considered players to build around or worth re-signing. Sometimes you get a veteran released for cap space but that doesn’t mean that player will take less on the open market.
Finding a player in free agency also doesn’t mean that you can’t or shouldn’t use a draft pick in the same position. The Dolphins could hit free agency on a wide-receiver warpath and when the draft rolls around, maybe they can’t pass on a Ja’Marr Chase or a Jaylen Waddle. That being said, what if they feel they can?
If the Dolphins spend money on free-agent receivers they should by all accounts use their draft picks on another position and by doing so eliminate the needs of the team and fill the gaps in the roster. The argument, however, is always money.
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Free agents quickly kill operating cap space while rookies count very little in the first four years of a deal. Many times the production between rookie and veteran is not so wide apart. Overpaying in free agency could kill a team just as quickly. This is clear when we start looking at signing someone like Aaron Jones vs. drafting a Najee Harris or Travis Etienne.
While one line of thinking says to skip the $40 plus million for Jones and take the rookie, the other line is that you have no idea if you will actually get the chance to draft the runner you need. That is the Bird in the Hand, Two in the Bush theory.
This is the balance that Miami has to manage. Make your team better, don’t kill your cap situation, and fill the holes with what you have in the draft. It’s why trading draft picks is so important. Pay draft picks compensation and you stand the chance of failing twice.