Dolphins' rebuild: Get out of salary-cap hell, prepare for spending in 2020
The Miami Dolphins took a different approach this offseason, one that didn't include big-splash signings or overpaying mediocre players to fill glaring holes in free agency. Instead, they focused on ridding themselves of past free-agency mistakes and searching the market for short-term value signings.cheap nike nfl jerseys wholesale
Miami began the cutting earlier this month by trading quarterback Ryan Tannehill and releasing receiver Danny Amendola, defensive end Andre Branch and guards Josh Sitton and Ted Larsen, moves that saved nearly $30 million in salary-cap space.
A trade (or release) of defensive end Robert Quinn -- who led the Dolphins with 6.5 sacks in 2018 -- looks likely as well, and it could save Miami up to another $11 million in cap space depending on whether the Dolphins eat any money to make a deal happen.
The message to fans from management is to be patient. The first step of the rebuild is underway, and the main goal is getting out of salary-cap hell and rebuilding around a young core. In 2020, the Dolphins will be prepared to spend again after shopping in the bargain aisle.
As of Friday afternoon, the Dolphins had approximately $27 million in cap space after recent free-agent transactions. That number ranked among the top 12 of NFL teams, as the Dolphins have been one of the smallest spenders in free agency so far. Miami knows it will need to spend big again eventually -- most notably at the most expensive positions where the cupboard is largely barren (quarterback, offensive line, defensive line and cornerback).
There was a lot more cutting than adding in this period. This rebuilding process will take multiple years. Miami will not field a championship-contending -- or even a playoff-contending -- roster in 2019.
Like first-year head coach Brian Flores said at his introductory news conference, there will be some pain to get where Miami needs to go. The pain is largely necessary because of the Dolphins' past money mistakes in the Mike Tannenbaum era (2015-18), such as:cheap nfl jerseys china nike
-- Making Ndamukong Suh the NFL's highest-paid defensive player with a six-year, $114 million deal with $60 million guaranteed in 2015. Miami then restructured $20 million of his deal in 2016 to create more cap space, which in turn kicked bigger cap hits into future seasons. The Dolphins released Suh in 2018 after three seasons, despite him playing well, after his cap hits became untenable. The Suh deal cost $22.2 million in dead money on the Dolphins' salary cap, spread over 2018 and 2019. The dead money for Suh is $13.1 million in 2019, the second-highest figure on the team.
