It goes without saying, but Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier is going to be quite busy leading up to training camp. With plenty of money available, Grier is looking to spend his allowance of plug and play starters that can help make the Dolphins better and give them veteran depth heading into the new season.
Grier was given a big boost, as the Xavien Howard release has been made official, creating more than $18 million in cap space. So, which players should Grier and the front office try to sign? We have these four players in mind:
4. Safety Justin Simmons
With Jevon Holland in the final year of his contract, the team might look into signing Justin Simmons to a two-year deal as an insurance policy in case Holland bolts when the season is over. Miami also does not want to get caught defenseless like they were last season when so many defensive backs went down with an injury.
This is a signing that the Dolphins must make if they are going to make a run in the AFC and look to go deep in the playoffs. The Dolphins are also viciously thin at the safety position, as they lost DeShon Elliot in free agency. Elliot played well last season, but he's no longer on the team. Jordan Poyer was brought in from Buffalo, but the Bills thought he was expendable and he is getting a little long in the tooth. The Dolphins signed Poyer to a one-year deal to see how much gas he has left in the tank.
Simmons was a second-team All Pro last season with the Denver Broncos and is an unrestricted free agent. His presence opposite Holland and rotating with Poyer would give the Dolphins a true no-fly zone in their defensive back field with Jalen Ramsey and Kendall Fuller at corner.
Signing Simmons, who was released by the Broncos for cap purposes, would not cost the Dolphins a compensatory pick due to the timing of the signing and also due to the fact that he was released and was not a regular unrestricted free agent.
3. Offensive guard Greg Van Roten
Greg Van Roten came into the league as an undrafted free agent with the Green Bay Packers in 2012. He played collegiately at the University of Pennsylvania and has been somewhat of a journeyman. He has played for eight professional teams, including time with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. Most recently, Van Roten played for the Las Vegas Raiders and started all 17 games in 2023.
The veteran has played in 110 career games and has started in 71 of them. Van Roten would be an immediate upgrade over Robert Jones, who was re-signed to a one-year deal this offseason. Miami is still looking to replace Robert Hunt, who is now protecting Bryce Young with the Carolina Panthers.
Van Roten can prove to be very cap friendly. He is used to signing short-term deals and is coming off of two one-year deals with the Buffalo Bills and Raiders, respectively. He played last season at the veteran minimum of $1.272 million. If Grier could sign him to a cheap one-year deal or even possibly a two-year deal, Van Roten would be considered a steal. He could come in right away and start, or at worst, give Miami much needed depth at the guard position.
Van Roten played 1,025 snaps last season and gave up five quarterback sacks, which tied him for ninth among guards in the NFL. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 75.3 and reports that he did not commit a penalty in any of the 17 games. The discipline that he could bring to the line would be welcomed by offensive line coach Butch Barry, who saw his unit commit many pre-snap penalties and holding calls last season.
2. Pass-rusher Calais Campbell
Calais Campbell played collegiately at the University of Miami. Campbell could be the veteran pass-rusher that new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver can bring in to help guide the young players like Chop Robinson and Mohamed Kamara as they adjust to the NFL and try to learn the Baltimore defense that Weaver brings to Miami.
The 300-pounder played last season for the Atlanta Falcons, where he came off the EDGE, but only signed a one-year contract. He was tied for the team lead in sacks with 6.5, which was his highest sacks total since 2019. He started all 17 games for a resurgent Falcons defense that was constantly on the field due to their ineptitude on offense.
There was some speculation early in free agency that Campbell was going to retire, but the fire is apparently still in his belly and he would be an ideal candidate to sign to a cap friendly contract and give the Dolphins a boost on the defensive line while Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb recover from season-ending injuries.
Campbell has plenty of experience behind him and is 37 years old and clearly in the twilight of his career. He might not have much left, but he could have enough to give Miami the depth that they need at the EDGE position until they are at full strength.
1. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill
Ryan Tannehill is no stranger to the South Florida market or to Hard Rock Stadium. When he was drafted in 2012, owner Stephen Ross said at the time that he hoped that there would be a time that Tannehill would retire as a Miami Dolphin and be inducted into their Ring of Honor.
Tannehill started for the Dolphins from 2012 through 2018, but never showed more than the occasional flashes of brilliance that Ross and the Dolphins coaches were looking for. He was jettisoned to the Titans in 2019 and the Dolphins started Ryan Fitzpatrick before drafting Tua Tagovailoa as the team's future signal-caller.
He lost his starting job in Tennessee and was dispensable with the drafting and evolution of Will Levis, who was drafted before last season. He has thrown for 34,881 yards during his career with Miami and Tennessee. He has an almost 2-to-1 touchdowns (216) to interceptions (115) ratio.
Miami needs a proven veteran at the backup quarterback position and Mike White and Skylar Thompson just can't cut it. White played poorly last season during mop-up duty and Thompson has not developed since his rookie season. In the event that Tagovailoa goes down with an injury, or holds out due to contract squabbles, Miami will need a competent placeholder until Tagovailoa gets back.
Tannehill is capable of leading the Air Raid offense and has learned how to throw the deep ball, something that he could not do with accuracy while in Miami. While fans would never want to see Tannehill start, because that would mean something happened to Tagovailoa, Tannehill is a proven commodity who can finish a game for you or even start when called upon in a pinch.