jmorgan6977
Puck the Fats
Miami Dolphins
If the Dolphins can improve their salary-cap situation, they should be major players in free agency and should be able to attract free agents to South Florida. Besides the weather and the city of Miami, second-year head coach Nick Saban is coming off a strong debut season and has many feeling he has Miami headed in the right direction. In addition, he has surrounded himself with a well-organized coaching staff and scouting department, so this organization will make sound decisions. Miami still has to find the cap room to sign players and will seek to clear space in two ways: cutting veterans who no longer make substantial contributions and restructuring several contracts.
Frerotte
Quarterback: Inconsistency continued to plague the Dolphins' quarterbacks in 2005. While Gus Frerotte flashed the ability to move the offense, he doesn't make good decisions when forced to get rid of the ball quickly and the 34-year-old certainly isn't the long-term answer. Backup Sage Rosenfels hasn't progressed as quickly as hoped and is an unrestricted free agent who will likely move elsewhere. Miami needs a starter who will take what the defense gives him and hit the open man, as that will effectively take some pressure of its ground game.
Cornerback: Veteran Sam Madison is coming off a subpar year and seems to have fallen out of favor with the coaching staff. The Dolphins are expected to trade or cut him. Travis Daniels is an adequate No. 2, but nickel back Reggie Howard is inconsistent and would likely struggle if asked to play an every-down role. Making matters worse is the fact that Will Poole is coming off a season-ending knee injury.
Outside linebacker: Junior Seau is 37 years old and may retire. Derrick Pope may move back to middle linebacker and Eddie Moore spent the last two months of the season on injured reserve. Reserves Donnie Spragan and Nick Rogers provide some depth, but they aren't starters. The Dolphins need a sound tackler with the ball skills and range to compete for a starting job.
Booker
Wide receiver: Marty Booker and Chris Chambers are solid starters, but there's virtually no depth here. Oft-injured David Boston isn't expected back, undersized Wes Welker gets pushed around too much and Bryan Gilmore makes his biggest impact on special teams. Miami needs a receiver who can replace Welker as the No. 3 and possibly push Booker for playing time.
Offensive tackle: Damion McIntosh ideally shouldn't be playing at left tackle, as he lacks the athletic ability to hold up in pass protection. Unfortunately, there isn't a player ready to push him for playing time, as backup Stockar McDougle is an unrestricted free agent not expected to re-sign. It's also worth noting that adding an athletic left offensive tackle would allow McIntosh to move inside to guard, effectively upgrading two positions. The Dolphins are significantly over the salary cap and have some tough decisions to make concerning key veterans. However, look for them to rework several contracts and clear as much as $10 million in cap space before the start of free agency. One interesting possibility for Miami is trading or cutting Frerotte, who has a big cap number. While he seems willing to renegotiate and there's a good chance he returns, Miami needs to upgrade the position so it's not going to overpay to retain him. In the event that Frerotte isn't brought back, the Dolphins could sign a fee agent or try to trade for a player like Tampa Bay's Chris Simms.
If the Dolphins can improve their salary-cap situation, they should be major players in free agency and should be able to attract free agents to South Florida. Besides the weather and the city of Miami, second-year head coach Nick Saban is coming off a strong debut season and has many feeling he has Miami headed in the right direction. In addition, he has surrounded himself with a well-organized coaching staff and scouting department, so this organization will make sound decisions. Miami still has to find the cap room to sign players and will seek to clear space in two ways: cutting veterans who no longer make substantial contributions and restructuring several contracts.
Frerotte
Cornerback: Veteran Sam Madison is coming off a subpar year and seems to have fallen out of favor with the coaching staff. The Dolphins are expected to trade or cut him. Travis Daniels is an adequate No. 2, but nickel back Reggie Howard is inconsistent and would likely struggle if asked to play an every-down role. Making matters worse is the fact that Will Poole is coming off a season-ending knee injury.
Outside linebacker: Junior Seau is 37 years old and may retire. Derrick Pope may move back to middle linebacker and Eddie Moore spent the last two months of the season on injured reserve. Reserves Donnie Spragan and Nick Rogers provide some depth, but they aren't starters. The Dolphins need a sound tackler with the ball skills and range to compete for a starting job.
Booker
Offensive tackle: Damion McIntosh ideally shouldn't be playing at left tackle, as he lacks the athletic ability to hold up in pass protection. Unfortunately, there isn't a player ready to push him for playing time, as backup Stockar McDougle is an unrestricted free agent not expected to re-sign. It's also worth noting that adding an athletic left offensive tackle would allow McIntosh to move inside to guard, effectively upgrading two positions. The Dolphins are significantly over the salary cap and have some tough decisions to make concerning key veterans. However, look for them to rework several contracts and clear as much as $10 million in cap space before the start of free agency. One interesting possibility for Miami is trading or cutting Frerotte, who has a big cap number. While he seems willing to renegotiate and there's a good chance he returns, Miami needs to upgrade the position so it's not going to overpay to retain him. In the event that Frerotte isn't brought back, the Dolphins could sign a fee agent or try to trade for a player like Tampa Bay's Chris Simms.
