The Miami Dolphins are all set to enter 2020 free agency next month and continue the team’s ambitious plan to completely overhaul the roster. Yes, this team’s primary objective appears to be to build through the draft. But the Dolphins will have a mass surplus of cap space at their disposal and the environment in South Florida is one filled with optimism after the Dolphins finished 5-4 over their final nine games.
Looking across the NFL landscape, there’s a ton of potential contributors set to hit the market. Here’s one pending free agent from each team in the AFC South that the Dolphins should consider:
Houston Texans – Defensive Tackle D.J. Reader
The Texans are another team headed by a Patriots disciple — so you know the qualities of their defensive linemen are going to be similar to the ones the Dolphins covet up front. But Reader brings an element that the Dolphins don’t currently have: he’s a true nose tackle who eats up a ton of space in the middle. Putting such a big body (347 pounds) in the heart of Miami’s defensive line on the early downs will help free up Christian Wilkins for more splash production in the backfield.
Wilkins caught some flak for Dolphins fans for not playing up to his draft status this past season, but with no nose tackle in the middle and no legitimate pass rush threat off the edge, it’s hard to blame him for not seeing the lightbulb come on until later in the season.
Tennessee Titans – Right Tackle Jack Conklin
Conklin won’t come cheap. After enjoying arguably his best NFL season to date in 2019, Conklin is set for a big pay day — he’s a total mauler in the run game and teams will undoubtedly be inspired after watching him and the Titans’ rushing offense maul New England and Baltimore in the playoffs.
Conklin’s price point probably starts with $12M- to $14M-per season and there’s a chance the bottom line ends up higher than that. If the Dolphins are serious about fixing their offensive line issues, this will be a big litmus test to determine just how serious they are. If they spend big on Conklin, the team means business.
It’s high time the Dolphins quit addressing the offensive line and actually invest in it. This would be a big step on the way to investing in the problem enough to provide a real solution.
Indianapolis Colts – Offensive Guard Joe Haeg
The Colts’ high priced free agents are either older or underachievers, leaving few ideal candidates to target in free agency. General manager Chris Ballard has done a great job of building out this roster and the young, talented collection of players will be generally set for the next few seasons until it is time to resign some talent on rookie deals.
One potential depth signing the Dolphins could explore from the Colts is guard Joe Haeg, who has been gradually phased out of the starting lineup after taking 29 starts in his first two seasons in the league.
Would he be a long-term answer? No. But the Dolphins, again, don’t just need a new starter here or there — they need a completely overhauled group. One filled with hungry talent that is looking to win a starting job.
Jacksonville Jaguars – Defensive End Yannick Ngakoue
The Jaguars are going to need to manipulate their salary cap to avoid Ngakoue hitting the market one way or the other. While Jacksonville has the room to franchise tag Ngakoue, they wouldn’t have time to do much else with their roster — which makes for an interesting standoff between Jacksonville and the Ngakoue camp.
Will the Jaguars look to tag and trade the talented pass rusher? If so, the Dolphins would be wise to dip out of the conversation — as another strong season as a pass rusher has likely pushed his trade value into the realm of a “1st-round pick and what else?”.
Knowing that Ngakoue could cost a pick and a mega-contract, it seems like a bit too much to invest. But if his trade price is a 2nd-round pick or if he’s able to negotiate his own contract due to Jacksonville letting him walk, he’d be a booming upgrade to Miami’s current situation off the edge.
