So far this offseason, I have stayed away from the projection of the upcoming salary cap, and how much space the Miami Dolphins might have, simply because there are too many unknowns. I have seen projections of the flat cap, meaning the $120 million cap from last year will remain at $120 million for this year. I've seen projections putting it in the $126-128 million range. It's a very fluid environment, until the NFL announces exactly what it will be.
But, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Omar Kelly hass been crunching the salary cap numbers for the last week, projecting a $122 million salary cap. With that number in mind, the Dolphins are sitting right in the middle of the pack, in terms of money to spend.
The Dolphins, from Kelly's calculations, have a $117,416,173 cap number going into the 2012 season. However, the NFL allows team owners to request to exceed the cap by whatever amount they were under the cap the previous season, essentially using the surplus money from last year; Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has, reportedly, already received permission to use last year's surplus. Miami was $9,057,394 under the cap last year, meaning they can add that onto this year's cap.
So, with just that amount, the Dolphins, with a $122 million cap, would really have a $131 million limit. A team can also borrow $3 million against future salary caps, if they chose, meaning the Dolphins could go as high as $134 million, although that is not likely.
The NFL franchise tag period opened today, with teams able to place the one-year tag on players between now and March 5. A team may place a franchise tag on one player per year, giving them a fully guaranteed one-year deal worth the average of the top five players' salaries from their position.
Joel Thorman, from SB Nation, has put together a list of players who may or may not have the franchise tag placed upon them.
@ProFootballWkly
Pro Football Weekly Teams have from today until March 5 to use a franchise tag. Free agency begins on March 13. Combine begins later this week.
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Don't look for the Miami Dolphins to tag anyone, but this will mean some big name free agents (Drew Brees, Arian Foster) should get tagged and taken off the FA list.
The Miami Dolphins will be looking to make a splash during this up coming free agency period. While everyone knows the team will be looking to upgrade the quarterback position, the other major need for the team has been hidden behind the Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn debate. The Dolphins need to find a pass rusher to play opposite Cameron Wake, and the 2012 free agency could be exactly where they find the right guy.
Which brings us to Pro Football Focus, who recently ranked the top ten pass rushers available when the new league year begins on March 13.
Below you will find the listing of the top ten, and you can hit the link above to see the write-ups about each free agent.
The 2012 NFL Free Agency period begins in 23 days. Today we continue our look at players expected to become free agents on March 13. This list, as with the free agent quarterbacks and free agent running backs lists, before it, does not project players that could get the franchise tag (Wes Welker), nor does it anticipate players who could be released by the team. This is simply a list of players with expiring contracts.
Today's list takes a look at the free agent wide receivers:
The 2012 NFL Free Agency period begins in 24 days. Today we continue our look at players expected to become free agents on March 13. This list, as with the free agent quarterbacks list before it, does not project players that could get the franchise tag (Ray Rice), nor does it anticipate players who could be released by the team. This is simply a list of players with expiring contracts.
Today's list takes a look at the free agent running backs
There is one man out there that nobody has discussed for the Miami Dolphins defensive end position. The man is better than any draft prospect such as Quinton Coples or Marvin Ingram. He's a better DE than Robert Mathis and Cliff Avril. The only player that surpasses him in ability is Mario Williams. He has played all over the line and he could probably even handle pass rushing duties in some 3-4 alignments. He has had three seasons in which he has had over 10 sacks. The best part is Miami could get this man and then still draft a solid prospect with the #8 or #9 pick. They could address a position such as RT, RG, WR, TE, or FS with the pick and create the best pass rushing duo they've had since Jason Taylor and Adewale Ogunleye.
So who is this man that I am speaking so high of? Well, he happens to be Osi Umenyiora. I know what you're about to say. Yes, I realize Osi is not a free agent this year and is under contract with the Giants. Why would I think Miami could get him? Well, because he's been at odds with the Giants front office for a few years now as he's been trying to get a new contract. The G-Men gave Osi permission to seek a trade prior to the 2011 season, but they ultimately did not move him. With Jason Pierre-Paul's emergence at one end and having Justin Tuck on the other, the timing would be right for the Giants to move him. Osi is in his final year of the contract and it's unlikely he'd return to New York in 2013. They are over the salary cap and moving him would help free space and net them a draft pick(s) in return. Naturally, there are some reasons not to jump on this thought.
We continue taking a look at the men in the trenches this week. After discussing free agents at guard last week, we move to the tackles this week. Unfortunately, the options don't appear too enticing. While there are four solid options at guard, the options at tackle yield maybe only a single solid option
Demetrius Bell: The closest solid option you'll see at tackle. Bell was limited to seven games last year, but was an effective blocker at LT. He did a decent job opening holes on the left side of the line and in seven starts, he surrendered only a single sack and one QB hit. He would obviously move to the right side if he were to sign with Miami. He's not worth top money, but he may receive inflated offers in free agency because many teams need tackles and there are a number of teams with much more cap space than Miami.
Jared Gaither: Never a sure thing to give you an entire year, Gaither finished the season in San Diego. He was signed to replace the injured Marcus McNeal at LT and he was immediately placed into the starting lineup. In his five starts, Gaither didn't allow a single sack and only allowed three QB pressures. Overall, he did very well and would've been one of the better OTs had he played like that over the course of an entire season. The big question is how many games will you get out of him? A cheaper and solid option, but you should have depth at the position too in case he can't go the distance.
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