The Miami Dolphins made a surprise move today releasing veteran Kyle Van Noy. Van Noy joined the Dolphins in 2020 as one of their top free agents. His first and now only year with Miami helped shape the culture that Brian Flores was trying to instill in his players.
The move comes with only two weeks until free agency making the veteran an immediate free agent who can sign with anyone. The Dolphins will now need to find a replacement.
Releasing Van Noy saves the Dolphins $9.7 million in cap space but they will eat just over $4 million. He was scheduled to count $13.9 million against the cap. The 2nd highest total on the roster behind Byron Jones.
With Van Noy now gone, the Dolphins will be looking to Andrew Van Ginkel to take on a bigger role but they could also be looking at the draft where Zaven Collins or Micah Parsons could be options. The Dolphins would have no trouble landing Parsons if they wanted to use the number three overall pick on him. That is a little high for the Penn State product.
Kyle Van Noy "surprised and disappointed" by Dolphins release. https://t.co/xew8rlWWMs
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 2, 2021
Van Noy started 13 of the 14 games he appeared in and missed a game due to the COVID protocols. He combined for 69 tackles with 10 for losses. He also had 6 sacks, two forced fumbles, and two recoveries.
The move clearly is a salary cap move but for what exactly? The Dolphins are not expected to be big players in free agency although if a top WR is a target creating a hole on defense isn’t smart. Miami’s defense was a top-five unit last year with Van Noy who is very familiar with the Dolphins system.