SPRING CLEANING

By Mike Rifkin

We are about two weeks away from teams being able to legally tamper with free agents. Entering last Monday the Miami Dolphins were about 16 million dollars over the cap, well they changed that on Monday and at the same time got younger.

Last Monday the Dolphins released wide receiver Tyreek Hill, EDGE rusher Bradley Chubb, Guard James Daniels (some prefer his brother Jack), and Receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. These four cuts saved first year GM Jon-Eric Sullivan over 56 Million dollars. Now every Dolphin fan will know what comes next and that is the potential cut of Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. But these cuts could help the Dolphins pay down a trade of the quarterback. 

The Dolphins needed to do this, after being the talk of the league for Mike McDaniel’s first two seasons, the team took a step back the last two and missed the playoffs. But they created a lot of narratives in the McDaniel era including winning big games and how they play in a colder environment. The big thing being created here by the new Brass in Miami is they’re setting up their own identity, and while it could be a long 2026, their eyes could look at who could stand out for 2027. But if you look ahead to the 2027 draft Quarterbacks who the Dolphins could draft include Arch Manning, Dante Moore, and Julian Sayin. 

Right now also is a good time for a rebuild to in Miami. The Bills are a premier team in the NFL and the Patriots are coming off a Super Bowl appearance, and the depth of the conference is something the Dolphins can’t get passed in one season. So the fans will have to let the new staff evaluate and go from there.