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 NFC West that the Dolphins should consider:
San Francisco 49ers – Defensive Lineman Arik Armstead
You’ll be hard pressed to find many better fits for the Dolphins in this free agent class. Armstead is everything the Dolphins dream about on the defensive line — he’s long, he’s powerful, he’s got heavy hands and, most importantly, he really came into his own as a pass rusher in 2019.
During his 5th NFL season, Armstead logged 10 sacks and 18 quarterback hits. In the four prior seasons combined? He totaled 9 sacks and 29 quarterback hits over 46. games.
Granted, the additions of Dee Ford and Nick Bosa plus the presence of DeForest Buckner helped free Armstead up as a pass rusher, but the Dolphins are similarly looking to overhaul their pressure packages. Armstead would be a three down defender for Miami for the long-haul.
Seattle Seahawks – Center Joey Hunt
The Dolphins don’t need a starter or two up front. They need an entirely new offensive line. That will come with high prized signings, middle tier additions and rookies alike. Joey Hunt?
He took 613 snaps for Seattle in 2019 while starting 8 games. It would be irresponsible to sign Hunt to a long-term deal and assume he’ll fix Miami’s issue at center with Daniel Kilgore, but at the very least he could continue to add fresh bodies and feed into Miami’s competitive culture while competing for a starting job against a rookie in 2020.
Los Angeles Rams – Linebacker Cory Littleton
Cory Littleton was one of the NFL’s most underrated players in 2019. But if that were the case, why would the Rams be letting him hit the open market?
Have you seen Los Angeles’ cap situation?
That’s the exact salary cap hell that the Dolphins should be looking to avoid at all costs — not even Mike Tannenbaum’s Dolphins were that bogged down by ambitious spending. But that’s neither here nor there — Littleton will hit the market. Over his last two seasons, Littleton has logged 259 total tackles, 7.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, 5 interceptions, 22 passes defensed and two forced fumbled.
He’s got speed, range and is a plus contributor on all three downs. And he also just turned 26 years old.
Someone is probably going to pay Littleton a crazy per-year salary to get him on the roster. That shouldn’t be the Dolphins — but if the price point is $7M- to $9M-per year? It’s worth considering. A $9M per year average would make Littleton the 10th highest paid ILB in football.
It would also give the Dolphins a potent duo of coverage linebackers on 3rd downs between he and Jerome Baker.
Arizona Cardinals – Nose Tackle Zach Kerr
(We almost said RB Kenyan Drake — just to see the look on your face.)
Nose tackle isn’t a sexy position, but it is a needed one for the Dolphins. As good as Christian Wilkins and Davon Godchaux can be, the team is doing both a disservice when they placed either in the A-gap. Neither Wilkins or Godchaux has the ideal skill set of a nose tackle — someone who can eat up space and occupy gaps to let their teammates make plays in the backfield.
But Zach Kerr? The 334 pound defensive tackle is absolutely a nose tackle and for the 40% snap rate he’d probably command in this Dolphins defense, he’d be a perfect fit.
The addition of a nose tackle would allow Wilkins and Godchaux to occupy the B-gaps more freely and gain more one on one opportunities to shoot gaps and create chaos.
