Miami Dolphins free agency hinges on other teams cap space

The Miami Dolphins are right smack in the middle of NFL teams that have usable cap space for the 2021 free agency market. The problem is that so are many other teams.

The Dolphins entered the 2020 off-season with one of the largest cap spaces in the league but they used a lot of it to get players like Kyle Van Noy and Bryon Jones. Over the year, the cap has dwindled for Miami but they still sit in a decent position.

Miami released Van Noy after one season and saved almost $10 million in cap dollars.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have the most space with close to $80 million in space. The Jets are in second with around $70 million. The Patriots also have $64 million in space. Rounding out the top five are the Broncos with $46 and the Colts with around $41 million.

The Dolphins fall further down the list coming in with the 7th most cap space after the Van Noy release. The Ravens and Buccaneers both have around the same amount as well. The league average is around $15 million in space.

11 teams are in negative cap space with the Saints $66 million over and the Eagles $40 million over. They will look to trade assets and dump salaries just to get through the draft.

With the NFL cap dropping this year and teams strapped for spending money, many veteran players will likely play on one-year deals and then try and get longer and better deals in 2022. This year could see a considerable drop in the number of top free agents that hit the market and make a lot of money in it.

The Dolphins are in good shape but they need help at several positions. This is why the Dolphins’ draft capital is so valuable. Miami has to be smart with free agency and barring more releases to save cap space, the Dolphins will need to turn to the draft to fill holes. The teams with the most salary cap will not only set the market values for positions but could throw a lot of money at the veteran talent at the very least, it could force the Dolphins to overpay for a player they really want.