5 Things Miami Dolphins fans can take away from the early moves in free agency

It's early but there are some firm conclusions that can be made based on the free agency moves the Miami Dolphins have made thus far.

We are less than eight hours until official free agency begins and already the Miami Dolphins have turned the page on many fan favorites and replaced some of them with some not-so-favorite players.

I must say, legal tampering will be infinitely cooler than actual free agency which starts today at 4 PM. Sure, some more moves will be made by teams today but all the big-time moves, I feel, have already been done. Perhaps the Miami Dolphins will continue to bargain shop and add a few more players.

It appears they still have to get rid of some players. Players such as Cedrick Wilson Jr. and Jeff Wilson Jr. might not be on the team much longer if Chris Grier and Brandon Shore are still looking to create more cap space. Currently, the Miami Dolphins have a little less than $2M in available cap space.

There are players that you would think still need to have contracts restructured such as Tyreek Hill. So, the Miami Dolphins aren't finished adding pieces to the future 2024 squad.

The moves the Miami Dolphins have made have been predictable. We knew they weren't in much of a position to spend like they did a few years ago. We knew many of their homegrown talents were going to be elsewhere. I did think Andrew Van Ginkel would get resigned but alas, it wasn't in the stars.

There are still plenty of quality players out there and we can't forget the NFL Draft in April to add talent. Still, based on everything that has happened in the last two days, there are a few proclamations that can be made that I feel strongly about concerning the Miami Dolphins and what they're trying to do and what they still need to do in 2024.

Anthony Weaver is strengthening the middle of the Miami Dolphins' defense.

Christian Wilkins was the heart and soul of the defense. Xavien Howard and Jalen Ramsey may have been better than Wilkins, but Wilkins was the guy who you can clearly see every play giving everything he had and he was excellent doing it. That's a combination the Miami Dolphins don't always have.

Jordyn Brooks comes over from the Seattle Seahawks where he was one of their best players on defense and was also one of their leaders. This article goes into the leadership role he took on back in 2022.

Brooks is ultra-aggressive and he was able to learn from the great Bobby Wagner on how to lead a defense. Tell me this doesn't get you jacked up.

Jalen Ramsey is the best player, but Jordyn Brooks comes in and immediately brings a toughness that has been sorely lacking in the middle of the defense.

Anthony Walker Jr., who won't be asked to be a starter, brings very good depth to that middle of the defense. Sure, he only weighs 201 LBs. That isn't something I love but what I do love is his versatility due to his size. He won't be asked to eat too many blocks. But come in on passing situations and keep guys in front of you and from time to time cover players, yes, he can do that.

Along with David Long Jr., this unit may actually become a strength. Wouldn't that be something?

The lack of defensive linemen is a problem for the Miami Dolphins right now.

Right now, the starting defensive front is as follows, Isaiah Mack, Brandon Pili, Zach Sieler, and Shaq Barrett. I can't tell you who the other pass-rushers will be in week one because Miami doesn't currently have anybody filling the roles of Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb. Remember, those guys will be out to at the very least the middle of the year.

Plus, losing the guys they did in free agency and you can easily say that the defensive front for the Miami Dolphins is, amazingly, worse than the Dolphin's offensive line.

They'll pick up more cheap guys in free agency as time moves forward, but it's the NFL draft that appears like the spot where they will have to hit on talent to fill these positions.

The offensive line is where it seemed like the Dolphins would concentrate on but the way their defensive line is right now, I don't see how they don't address it early and often in the draft.

The offensive approach of the Miami Dolphins still seems soft as a way to attack late in the season.

I was hoping that the Miami Dolphins and Mike McDaniel would recognize that their approach of having a bunch of really fast small guys that get hurt late in the year would be something they would try and pivot from ever so slightly. But as of this writing the offense will be designed in the same vain that has been the last few seasons.

This isn't to say I want Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle off the team or anything and I want the Dolphins to become Big 10 football. But I was hoping for a physical presence, especially in the backfield, to be added.

All the big backs are off the board but that doesn't mean that all the quality backs are gone. A guy I've written about is still out there and that is AJ Dillon. That guy could churn out yards late in the year when Miami plays tougher competition in tougher environments in hopefully much more meaningful games compared to September and October. So there is still hope for Dillon.

Overall, a more physical approach is needed to compete with the heavy hitters of the AFC. You're not going to run past defenses and get the edge as much as you do late in the year when teams are much more locked in. This is something Mike McDaniel had to have noticed over his first two seasons as a head coach.

But as I said, there is still time to change up the philosophy a little bit. I hope the Miami Dolphins do.

The Miami Dolphins need to at least hit triples in the NFL Draft. Maybe even a home run.

With all the big-time players that the Miami Dolphins lost and because the cap situation that they created is pretty bad, it is imperative that Chris Grier and company hit on at least two picks. And by hit I mean they need to draft guys who will be starters on day one and produce.

I know that's a lot to ask but that is the situation that the Miami Dolphins have created.

They'll get a few more pieces, possibly even starters brought in as time goes on. They still have Xavien Howard money coming after June 1st so who knows who will be available at that time?

But the NFL Draft is where they need to build the rest of the roster. They have the 21st pick but instead of the amount of holes they still have to fill, I think trading down and getting more picks is the way to go. I reserve the right to change my mind later if certain players are falling in the draft but for right now getting more players needs to be a priority.

The Miami Dolphins 2024 season may be a quasi-reset but they can still win the division due to how bad it might be.

Not sure if you have been paying attention to the rest of the AFC East, but nobody is really killing it right now in terms of having a stacked team.

Yes, the division still goes through Josh Allen but the Bills have the look of a team that is one bad start away from a total mutiny/implosion. I think on offense they have Stephon Diggs coming off an average season, Khalil Shakir, and Dalton Kincaid. Defensively, they have been gutted like Miami has been. They even lost Jordan Poyer to the Dolphins.

And let's not act like the Patriots and Jets have gained much ground. New England will probably be drafting a rookie QB with exactly zero good-skill players to help that rookie QB.

The Jets have Aaron Rodgers coming back but he, seriously, might be second in command in operating the nuclear football. Seriously, that is wild. and it's gaining steam. Even if Rodgers decides not to be RFK Jr.'s vice president, the Jets haven't done too much to get better. They're kind of running it back with what mostly what they had last year.

Yes, the Miami Dolphins had the bloodiest Monday they ever had. But, they still have some excellent players on the team and I actually like what they have done in free agency.

10 wins might take the AFC East next year. Obviously, it's early but the division will not be super-strong or anything like that. It means that although the Miami Dolphins are going through a "rest" that makes me want to punch drywall, that keeping the goal of winning the division is not as unrealistic as it seems and feels.

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