Phin Phanatic
FanSided

5 ways the Dolphins can spend Xavien Howard's $18 million on June 1

The Dolphins and Chris Grier will have some extra money at their disposal soon

By Brian Miller

Dec 11, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard (25) takes to the
Dec 11, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard (25) takes to the / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next

3. Bring in safety Justin Simmons

It was great seeing a new photo released by the Miami Dolphins that included Nik Needham with the safety unit. Miami's current roster consists of Jevon Holland, rookie Patrick McMorris, and free agent addition Jordan Poyer. If the image indicates the Dolphins' intentions, Needham appears to be moving to the deep secondary.

What the team is missing is reliability. Justin Simmons is still a free agent, and he won't likely sign a one-year deal with any team, but Grier should consider this an opportunity to get someone on the roster for a little longer than one year. Signing Simmons to a 2-3 year deal would be smart and allow Grier to concentrate on building other areas of the team.

The problem here is Holland. Holland will be a free agent after the 2024 season, and paying Simmons big money would mean Holland will want and expect more, which means he is not going to re-sign with the Dolphins. If Miami can get Simmons on a team-friendly two-year deal, they would have money for Holland as well, either this year or next offseason.

Simmons was a Pro Bowl safety in 2023 with the Broncos and was released due to cap issues in Denver. He would make the Dolphins' secondary better and give Anthony Weaver the player he needs to run a 3-high look.