5 Miami Dolphins players who likely played their last game for Miami

3 of 4

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 06: Cornerbacks Byron Jones #24 and Xavien Howard #25 of the Miami Dolphins celebrate after a defensive play in the second quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium on December 06, 2020 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Byron Jones is an enigma at this point. The Miami Dolphins say he tried to get back but there are a lot of people who are not buying it.

The Dolphins need to be consistent in the secondary and when healthy, Jones is a very good lockdown cornerback but this year could have been a sign of internal issues that Miami may have to either dig out of or toss away.

I’m not certain if Jones is done in Miami but he very well could be. The issue Miami will deal with is that Jones carries a big salary that they will need to eat.

If Jones is not on the roster next season, barring a June 1st designation, he will cost Miami $14.8 million in dead money with a savings of only $3.5 million. Miami has dumped bigger contracts but this is a lot for a team that has little space to have to eat.

If they get rid of him and designate him post-June 1st, Miami will save $13.8 million and eat $4 million and change. Miami would not get that money back until after June 1st so it frees spending space up that is delayed.

What happened with Jones this year is anyone’s guess at this point. He and Xavien Howard formed one of the best duos in the NFL last year but his decision to delay surgery on his Achilles didn’t help and despite the fact he should have been back for training camp, he never made it back on the field the entire season.

Home/Dolphins News