Miami Dolphins off-season is almost a completed puzzle

It wasn’t very long ago that Miami Dolphins fans were counting the days to the start of free agency and now that the off-season is behind us, the puzzle is almost complete.

The 2022 off-season started off with a bang but quickly got quiet. Remember as we headed into the market the Dolphins were talking about aggressive actions but once the market opened, it was as though they were still asleep in bed?

Chris Grier shopped from the comfort of his own home so to speak. It was as though he were drinking his coffee in bed, on his phone. He spent some good money.

• Emmanuel Ogbah – extension
• Mike Gesicki – franchise tag
• Nik Needham – tendered

When the market finally opened, Grier didn’t make the big splash that everyone thought he would. Free agents were flying off the sales floor around the league and he seemed content to let the tiers flow as they may.

• Chase Edmonds – first day FA
• Cedrick Wilson – early FA
• Alec Ingold – FB signing
• Teddy Bridgewater – competition for Tua?
• Connor Williams – quality pro bowler to compete at guard or center
• Raheem Mostert – more speed

From there Grier turned his attention to his own in-house free agents. He bargain shopped, spent money, and went home and worked to bring back 99% of his defense from last year that was an impending free agent. Fans wanted to know where the “aggression” was.

The picture got a whole lot clearer quickly.

• Tyreek Hill – a major trade
• Terron Armstead – top LT free agent signing

Grier, now rolling made a few moves that were overdue.

• DeVante Parker – traded
• Allen Hurns – released
• Jesse Davis – released

With free agency a trickle, Grier turned his attention to the draft where he had only a handful of draft picks. He managed to navigate the trade waters and hold on to most of his 2023 draft options but he walked away from this year’s draft with Channing Tindall, a quality linebacker that should grow and develop quickly.

The days and weeks have turned into months and now we can see that Grier took his roster and turned it into a fast-paced offense that will allow Mike McDaniel to employ his offensive system that should be based on that speed at both WR and RB.

Miami continues to add to the roster. They have added the starting quality depth along the defensive front with Melvin Ingram only days after adding Sony Michel to add another physical aspect to the running back room.

So what is the final piece? Is it multiple pieces or a singular piece? Is it a J.C. Tretter type that will allow Miami to keep Connor Williams at guard and maybe shift Dieter to the other guard spot to compete with Austin Jackson and or Liam Eichenberg? Will Miami look for more secondary help or defensive line help?

At this point, veterans who remain available are always options for depth roles within any team, and now is no different. Signings have slowed considerably but a team like the Dolphins could add to the roster ahead of the late May mini-camps and the early June OTAs before the team breaks for the half of June and almost all of July.

The Chris Grier puzzle has the edges complete and maybe a few pieces left in the middle to complete. It looks great on the table but after the glue is applied will it hold up when hung on the wall? We will know that when the season starts, which is three months away.