The Miami Dolphins want so badly to be the Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots that they are trying desperately to nail down the yearly compensatory draft picks.
Miami used to be a lot more open, but after they made internal changes when they hired Brian Flores and others, they started to look toward making the Dolphins a new type of "Patriot Way." It hasn't worked out the same.
Over the last few years, general manager Chris Grier and the Dolphins have seemed to focus more on small moves early while allowing their top free agents to leave. Thankfully, they have been rewarded with extra draft selections. This year alone, Miami will get three compensatory selections including one in the third round and another in the fourth round. It does come with a cost, though.
In order to maximize the comp picks, the Dolphins can't sign anyone that would offset the formula. This year, for example, Miami will not likely gain much for next year's draft. They lost Jevon Holland and Robert Jones, but they gained Zach Wilson and James Daniels.
The four players offset each other but the Dolphins are likely hoping that more of their in-house free agents will sign with another team and give them at the very least a seventh-round compensatory pick. In order to gain that selection, they have to stand back and not sign someone who will offset it.
According to NFL rules, the comp formula ends on June 1st, so any player signed after that day will not count toward the compensatory formula. Is Grier waiting for that date to pass?
Miami Dolphins can't rely on compensatory draft picks to fix the holes on the roster
It might seem like Grier could be purposefully waiting to sign new players as there are still plenty of notable free agents available that could improve the Dolphins' roster, or at least fill holes that do not have contracts, including cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. and offensive guard Brandon Scherff.
Grier could be waiting for June 1st to pass to preserve any chances of gaining an extra draft pick but it wouldn't be smart to do so.
If Grier is hoping to gain comp picks, he may want to look at his roster because there are not many players that would warrant an extra pick. In fact, given the holes, Grier shouldn't worry about the comp formula and just get players on the roster who can make the team better.