“Exactly what my options are aren’t as clear as they will be in a week or two,” Mathis said. The Dolphins, with major question marks on their interior line, are one of several teams with at least some degree of interest in signing Mathis. But like the rest of the league, their decision-makers have been on vacation the last couple of weeks. Coaches and executives have begun returning to the office and will surely discuss what, if anything, they plan to offer Mathis in the coming days. Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nfl/miami-dolphins/article27344131.html#storylink=cpy
It makes no sense not to sign the guy. You know the other options are unproven. IF you want the other 3 guys to battle for the other spot, thats fine, let the best man win there. But this guy is quite literally the best guard in the league available and you have a huge whole at both guard spots. Please don't make it this complicated dolphins.
I will have to agree. Guard has a huge hole in it, and he's one of the best. Sign him without putting us in cap hell. Hopefully it can be done. I'm not sure what he's asking, but if not going to hurt us long term, let's do it.
First thing for Mathis is he needs to forget about getting $6.5mil at 34 yrs old. I would be totally shocked if any team pays him that. I'm looking forward to Douglas' physicality once the pads come on.
I'm looking forward to watching Douglas too, he looks like he could be a real steal for us in the 4th. Turner also has a lot of potential, and Thomas doesn't get enough credit for his versatility as well. However signing Mathis would really turn our guard situation into a strong one instantly instead of one just based on potential. The problem with signing him is money of course, and the way our contracts are set up next year is going to be very tight for us. Because of this reality it really comes down to a question of do you mortgage your future to win now, or play it safe and hold on to that $$ for the future when we're more ready to compete. I think we should make a run at it right now, with Wake's age, and Vernon and Miller's contract's looming in the air, a lot could change after this year. I wouldn't go crazy, say 5 million tops, but I do believe this is one player that could push us over the top.
If we sign Mathis we'd have quite possibly one of the most complete offenses in the league, with no visible holes. QB- Top 15 at the very least (this is something we can all agree with, not going to turn this into another Tannehill debate). WR- A lot of depth here. Possible true "number 1 receiver" in DeVante Parker. RB- 1000 yard rusher in Miller, young guy with a lot of potential in Ajayi. TE- Former Pro Bowler in Jordan Cameron, ascending player in Sims. LT- Albert, one of the top tackles in the league when healthy. RT- James, young player who excelled at RT last season. C- Pouncey, very good when at Center. LG- Evan Mathis, Pro Bowler, one of the best in the league at his position, even at his age. RG- Billy Turner.. powerful guy with what looks to be a nasty streak, a lot of upside. Really, the only starter who hasn't proven himself yet would be Billy Turner.
In his radio interview, Evan Mathis said that scheme is not really a significant factor in his decision on where to go. He said he had four different coaches in college and has been in different schemes in the NFL as well, most of them use the same blocking concepts and just dress them differently. He doesn't see a problem regardless of what scheme he goes to. Translation: money is the most important factor. He's not giving Miami any discounts just because they run a Philadelphia-like scheme. He hasn't picked a team yet because as he correctly points out he was released right before the only true dead period in the NFL calendar, when all mini camps and OTAs have wrapped up, no more draft, everyone's on vacation and waiting for training camp. All the executives and coaches are on vacation. So it's better for him to wait for everyone to come back, and then make his choice.
If the Dolphin do get Evan Mathis then I really do believe the offense will go as far as Ryan Tannehill takes it. I just don't know exactly how far that is because in some ways he's still a mystery to me.