Miami Dolphins: Top 10 off-season acquisitions
The Miami Dolphins had a busy off-season. In their attempt to continue the improvement that they showed during the 2020 season, the team had plenty of turnover both on the roster and on the coaching staff. They added weapons on the offensive side of the ball to help quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in his development, and filled holes on defense by adding both established veterans as well as highly-touted rookies.
Which of all the Dolphins’ off-season acquisitions will be the most impactful for this upcoming season? For this particular list, we have ranked the top 10 acquisitions. Left out are guys who were re-signed or ones who signed extensions. The rankings are made for the upcoming season in mind only, and not for the long-term future of the franchise. We will start from number ten and count down to the number one most important acquisition:
The Miami Dolphins added players all over the roster this off-season. Which one will be the most important to the team’s success this year?
10. Justin Coleman
Justin Coleman was signed by the Miami Dolphins in order to add depth and familiarity to the secondary. He saw a regression in his play last season as a member of the Lions, but he knows head coach Brian Flores well from their time spent together in New England. There will be position battles for the cornerback spots during training camp, and Coleman could end up anywhere from starting nickle corner to 6th on the depth chart.
9. Liam Eichenberg
Rookie offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg is one of the wild cards on this list in that he could become a very important piece if the team struggles with injuries. He will have a positional battle to win during training camp, as he will likely be listed amongst the second string linemen initially. If he is unable to unseat Michael Deiter or Solomon Kindley, then he won’t have much of a chance to make an impact this coming season.
But Eichenberg will hopefully be an every-Sunday contributor for the Dolphins in the near and distant future. Miami traded up for him by giving up a future third round pick, so they have faith that he can be a core part of the offensive line that protects helps protect Tagovailoa.
8. Jason McCourty
Jason McCourty is one of the many players that has played for both the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots over the last few seasons. Dolphins coach Brian Flores is a New England product and is building his current defense with a familiar blueprint in mind.
McCourty is on a one-year deal with Miami and should end training camp as the third or fourth cornerback listed on the depth chart. He will undoubtedly bring a veteran presence and winning mentality to a defense that is looking to take their game to the next level, and could be thrust in to a heavy workload if there are any injury issues in the secondary.