10. Re-sign tackle Vernon Carey to a multiyear deal, or put a franchise tag on him to prevent the former first-round pick from hitting the free-agent market.
Carey, a four-year starter, will be in demand if he hits the open market because a durable, proven tackle is hard to find. His agent wants a deal that pays more than $20 million. Allowing him to leave through free agency would create a huge void on the team's most troublesome unit. A franchise tag, which pays him $8.4 million for one season, is a remote option.
9. Keep the aging secondary intact or opt to get younger through the draft and free agency.Starters Yeremiah Bell,
Renaldo Hill and André Goodman are all free agents at or over 30 years old. All had respectable seasons in 2008, but their value must match their price tag considering each has little upside, and the coaches want to get younger in the secondary.
8. Re-sign linebacker Channing Crowder or let him walk as a free agent.
The two sides are said to be far apart, and Crowder, last season's every-down linebacker, plans to sign with the highest bidder. That means he's likely played his last game as a Dolphin unless the market turns on the former Gator. The Dolphins could find a replacement through free agency (Baltimore's Bart Scott), trade (Dallas' Bobby Carpenter) or the first round of the draft (
Ohio State's James Laurinaitis).
7. Sign or draft a bigger and stronger center, possibly moving two-year starter Samson Satele to guard.
The Dolphins struggled running between the tackles all season, and Satele's inability to open holes at the point of attack was part of the problem. Centers usually aren't in great demand in free agency or the draft, and that's good for the Dolphins. Baltimore's Jason Brown and Minnesota's
Matt Birk are the free-agent studs, and up to six draft prospects are ready to become immediate starters.
6. Break the bank for one big, free-agent target that doesn't get tagged, or use the cap space to sign a handful of decent up-and-comers to upgrade the talent base.
The Dolphins have roughly $24 million to spend, and luring a stud such as a DT Albert Haynesworth, DE Julius Peppers and LB Karlos Dansby would go a long way toward improving the roster. But it would also eat up a large chunk of the available salary-cap space. Last year, the Dolphins pursued DE Calvin Pace until the price got too steep.
5. Does veteran receiver Ernest Wilford deserve another chance?
Wilford's cap figure is $3 million. Cutting him now would shave $1.5 million from the team's salary cap space because of the $6 million bonus he received last year. So it appears Wilford will at least be around for training camp unless the Dolphins value the message cutting him would send over the money they would lose.
