The Miami Dolphins' GM is sitting in his South Florida office in salary cap handcuffs. There is little he can do, but he is about to get his first taste of ripping everything down just to be able to get players on the roster to play in 2026.
Miami sits just under the salary cap with $3 million and change. That isn't enough to fill the roster's holes. That means more decisions will be made in the coming week. Free agency begins on March 11th, and at 4:00 p.m., Miami has to be cap compliant.
Currently, that isn't a problem for Jon-Eric Sullivan. His problem is going to be adding players to the roster. We are not talking about big free agents; we are talking about guys as simple as Greg Dulcich. It all points to major decisions on the team's roster.
Miami Dolphins will need to part ways with several veterans to clear cap space
Alec Ingold - $3 million
The release of Ingold will double the Dolphins' current cap space. The fullback is one of the best Miami has had on its roster, but at this stage of turnover, Miami doesn't need to carry a fullback. The best option is to release him, but they may also attempt to restructure his contract to rework what remains of it. This would make sense if Ingold doesn't want to leave Miami at this stage of his career.
Jason Sanders - $3.9 million
There is no pathway for Sanders to return to the Dolphins in 2026. Coming off a hip injury, there are no guarantees that he can return to his 2024 success. Making it worse for Sanders was the play of Riley Patterson last season. The Dolphins know they can't afford to pay nearly $4 million for a kicker, not with so many other needs.
Tyrel Dodson - $2.9 million
Dodson is a solid linebacker, and he and Jordyn Brooks make a great tandem, but he carries less than a million in dead money and frees nearly $3 million that the Dolphins need. One option could be to extend or restructure his deal, and that seems like a real possibility given his level of play.
JuJu Brents - $1.8 million
It's not much of a savings, but there is no dead money. It has been reported recently that the Dolphins like Brents, that might be true, but coming off an injury may not be enough to warrant keeping him around without reducing his cap number.
Trades are an option
The Dolphins have been speaking to teams about Minkah Fitzpatrick. This would be the week we hear if that is going to happen. Miami would save $5.8 million in cap space but carry $13 million in dead money.
The Dolphins don't have many other options on their roster. The release of some players will only create more holes that may end up costing more. Miami has to make a decision on Tua Tagovailoa, and they have yet to make a cut designation for Bradley Chubb.
Chances are, Miami takes the big hits now and waits until after June 1st to add more players to the roster to fill those gaps. Regardless, this week should be a busy one for Sullivan and the Dolphins.