Ireland sucks. One reason is he overpaid Karlos Dansby.

You want these holes filled with quality players? Go get a real GM.

 

Nice breakdown Disgustipate. I wasn't even aware that Chris Clemons was an impending free agent. Can't say I really disagree with any of the needs either with ideas to fill them or who Miami should target. I wonder if Jonas Gray could be that contributor at running back behind Lamar Miller and allows you to move Daniel Thomas to a specialist role/3rd down back.

I'd at least bring in some competition for Jorvorskie Lane. Some games he's outstanding, some games, he looks lost. It's even looked like Charles Clay has taken more snaps as a FB/H-Back as of late. Whether or not that's due to Jeron Mastrud's being inactive the past two week, I don't know. But I think you could stand to see someone who is more consistent than Lane play at FB, or push him in camp at the very least.

This is one of the few offseasons I can remember Miami standing to have quite a bit of cap-space available to them. Some of that would obviously go to franchising Jake Long, re-signing Randy Starks, and Brian Hartline in my ideal world. I wonder though if you don't try and bring in at least 1 top-tier free agent who can start - like a Mike Wallace at receiver - and maybe try and bring in a guy who isn't quite going to break the bank like a Dashon Goldson to be that coverage safety. I think Reshad Jones has done his best work at or near the LOS lately (I think that's one element of Dick LeBeau's defense that Coyle's incorporated more and more of late - he'd mentioned his defense was part Marvin Lewis, Mike Zimmer, and Dick LeBeau in the preseason - may have been one more name as well.

It'd be very interesting to see what would happen if Miami was staring someone like Barkevious Mingo square in the face in the first round of the draft. He's the type of hybrid player that could give you that Von Miller aspect of the defense and gives you more flexibility to mix in 3-4 looks/tendencies. I think you could still develop Olivier Vernon, but maybe he's more a long-term SAM LB and sub-package rusher.

 

It seems to me like Javorskie is a pretty competent lead blocker, but lately he's been getting Reggie KILLED. In the Bills game I saw 3-4 missed blocks that led to runs being stuffed. That's the type of **** that makes Reggie look bad.

Biggest need IMO in this order -
#1, CB. Preferably with AMAZING BALL SKILLS PLEASE DEAR GOD WHY CAN'T WE HAVE A CB WHO CAN CATCH.
#2, #1 WR. Could be a guy in the draft, I guess, but we'd have to bring in a good accessory guy to help Tannehill out. I think Hartline and Bess are great, but we need a TD machine for Tanny to chuck it to in the Red Zone.
#3, DE. We really, really need someone who can pressure opposite of Cam. I like Odrick, but he needs to play in the middle to spell Starks and Soliai.
#4, RG. Jon Martin is the true weak spot in our run game and pass blocking, but I'm hoping he develops into a competent player. Jon Jerry just doesn't fit the scheme well. He's doing pretty good, and he really does have tremendous talent, but I don't think he fits here.
#5a, Nickel CB.
#5b, FS. Clemons is okay, but with the quality of corners we have, we need someone who shuts down the back end of the field, makes plays on the ball, and takes decisive angles to the ball carrier. I.e. we need someone other than Chris Clemons.

 

Needs for me go DE,WR,CB. I am a fan of getting a guy like Greg Jennings who knows Philbin well and scores and drafting a prospect in the 2nd-3rd. Odrick is better at DT to me than an end. Reading the opinions in the Draft forum of peeps that know a lot more than me about the upcoming draft, the draft looks to be pretty well stocked at DE.

 

Here is another way to think about team needs.

QB 1 - Ryan Tannehill
QB 2 - ____________
QB 3 - Pat Devlin

RB 1 - ____________
RB 2 - Lamar Miller
RB 3 - Jonas Gray
FB 1 - Jorvorskie Lane

TE 1 - ____________
TE 2 - Anthony Fasano
TE 3 - Charles Clay OR Michael Egnew

WR 1 - ____________
WR 2 - ____________
WR 3 - Brian Hartline OR Davone Bess
WR 4 - Rishard Matthews
WR 5 - ____________ (possibly Marlon Moore)

LT 1 - Jake Long
LG 1 - ____________
OC 1 - Mike Pouncey
RG 1 - ____________
RT 1 - ____________
OL 6 - Jonathan Martin
OL 7 - John Jerry
OL 8 - ____________
OL 9 - Josh Samuda

DT 1 - Randy Starks
DT 2 - Paul Solial
DT 3 - Jared Odrick
DT 4 - Kheeston Randall

LE 1 - Cameron Wake
RE 1 - ____________
DE 3 - ____________
DE 4 - Derrick Shelby
DL 9 - ____________

LB 1 - Karlos Dansby
LB 2 - ____________
LB 3 - Koa Misi
LB 4 - ____________
LB 5 - Olivier Vernon
LB 6 - ____________
LB 7 - ____________

CB 1 - ____________
CB 2 - Sean Smith
CB 3 - ____________
CB 4 - Nolan Carroll OR Jimmy Wilson
CB 5 - ____________

FS 1 - ____________ (possibly Richard Marshall)
SS 1 - Reshad Jones
SS 2 - ____________
FS 2 - ____________

PK - ____________
P - Brandon Fields
LS - John Denney
KR/PR - Marcus Thigpen

This implies the following SIGNINGS/DEPARTURES:

Dolphins Free Agent - Signed (estimated price)
01. OT Jake Long - Sign (est. $11.0 Million)
02. DT Randy Starks - Sign (est. $7.5 Million)
03. CB Sean Smith - Sign (est. $6.5 Million)
04. WR Brian Hartline - Sign or Walk (est. $1.8 Million)*
05. TE Anthony Fasano - Sign (est. $3.0 Million)
06. RB Marcus Thigpen - Sign (est. $0.5 Million)
07. QB Pat Devlin - Sign (est. $0.5 Million)
08. WR Marlon Moore - Sign/Compete (est. $0.5 Million)
09. LB Austin Spitler - Sign/Compete (est. $0.5 Million)
10. CB RJ Stanford - Sign/Compete (est. $0.3 Million)
* Brian Hartline should either be re-signed while simultaneously trading Davone Bess away to the highest bidder, or allowed to walk while keeping Davone Bess. I do not believe they coexist. The estimated $1.8 Million cost of keeping Hartline implies a $4.5 million per year contract for Brian Hartline, minus the $2.7 million saved by trading Davone Bess.

Dolphins Free Agent - Walk
01. RB Reggie Bush - Walk
02. QB Matt Moore - Walk
03. FS Chris Clemons - Walk
04. DT Tony McDaniel - Walk
05. LB Jason Trusnik - Walk
06. WR Jabar Gaffney - Walk
07. OT Nate Garner - Walk
08. TE Jeron Mastrud - Walk
09. SS Jonathan Amaya - Walk
10. OT Will Barker - Walk
11. OG Ray Feinga - Walk
12. LB Jonathan Freeny - Walk

This also implies the following CUTS/TRADES.

Cut/Traded Player - Saved Money
01. DB Richard Marshall - $5.4 Million*
01. LG Richie Incognito - $4.3 Million
02. LB Kevin Burnett - $3.2 Million
03. PK Dan Carpenter - $2.7 Million
04. WR Davone Bess - $2.7 Million**
* Contingent on the possibility of his being moved to starter at Free Safety. If not considered a realistic possibility, he should be cut.
** Again the Davone Bess trade implies Brian Hartline was re-signed. If not, then Bess should be kept.

This also implies the following priority acquisition targets:
Highest Priority - WR #1
Highest Priority - CB #1
Highest Priority - RE #1
Highest Priority - RB #1
High Priority - LG #1
High Priority - RG #1
High Priority - TE #1
High Priority - WR #2
High Priority - LB #2
High Priority - CB #3
Mid Priority - QB #2
Mid Priority - DE #3
Mid Priority - LB #4
Mid Priority - RT #1
Lower Priority - SS #2
Lower Priority - FS #2
Lower Priority - LB #6
Lower Priority - LB #7
Lower Priority - DL #9
Lower Priority - CB #5
Lower Priority - PK #1
Lower Priority - WR #5

And the collection or RESOURCES at the team's disposal:
Salary Cap Space - $34 Million (post-Rookie Signings)
Draft Picks - 1st Rd (High), 2nd Rd (High), 2nd Rd (Low - Colts), 3rd Rd (High), 3rd Rd (Low - Bears), 4th Rd (High), 5th Rd (High), 6th Rd (Low - Colts), 7th Rd (High), 7th Rd (Mid - Cowboys).

 

I suspect we're going to see a lot of our draft picks starting immediately next year.

 

The one thing your breakdown of the roster clearly shows is how far this team is from being a legitimate contender for the playoffs in the near future. There needs to be vast upgrades in almost every unit on the roster. This will not be a one year fix, no matter how many draft picks the Dolphins have and how much money they have under the cap in 2013. It is going to take 2 or 3 more drafts to upgrade the talent on this team enough to be a legitimate playoff contender.

Hopefully the person responsible for making these selections in the future will do a better job than has been done over the past five years.

 

It's a shift that should in all likelihood increase the pass-rush. And that's something this defense sorely needs. I think he should consider it.

 

Overall I agree with your plan of attack. I wouldn't cut Marshall and I don't know if I'd cut Burnett. I am of the thinking that Hartline could be a #2 next year while Bess remains in the slot if we can find a playmaker in the draft/free agency. Bess is a free agent in 2014 so I think we would be OK sticking with him for one more year or even trading him if we don't play to stick with him long-term.

 

To me, we need playmakers:

-pass rusher to compliment Wake, as much attention as he receives and no one on the team is close to him in sacks
-ball hawk in the secondary

And for me, I want that hole at LG plugged, this is absurd.

 

Truthfully you're probably right about Kevin Burnett. Cutting him would save $3.2 million and pull his dead weight off the books in 2014, but it creates a High Priority need when we already have 4 Highest and 5 other High.

Trading Davone Bess with one year remaining on his contract is exactly what I would have in mind. But I really don't think Hartline and Bess coexist well. I'm thinking longer term here. Perhaps you can run with it once again in 2013, but I don't think having those two on the field gives us enough play making, depending on what you're able to add to the unit in the way of a #1 WR. If you're able to add a Vincent Jackson/Brandon Marshall quality addition, some guy that can come right in and be dynamic immediately, then OK. But if we're talking about a rookie Justin Hunter or Keenan Allen? Different story, because those guys are going to have to work their way up the system from #3 all the way to #1, which means that once again your #1 and #2 are Brian Hartline and Davone Bess...and that's not good enough.

 

In your scenario, I would rather keep Bess and let Hartline walk. I think Bess is a better receiver than Hartline. Hartline tends to show up for some games and completely disappears in others. Bess is just a more reliable WR, as far as I am concerned.

In the secondary, the only players I would want to see the Dolphins keep are Jones, and Smith,and only if Smith is willing to accept a cap friendly contract. Wilson and Carroll just aren't quality NFL players, but with all the other needs this team has, I suspect one or possibly both of them will return next year. Marshall is not worth the money he is scheduled to make next year. If he is willing to play for about a third of that contract amount, keep him. If he expects to be paid the five million dollars he is scheduled to be paid, I hope he will be happy playing for his fourth team in the last four years.

If the Dolphins have to pay Jake Long the 11 million dollars you estimate. I just don't see how they can afford this, based on his play this season. Unless his play dramatically improves over the rest of this season, it would not surprise me in the least if he isn't a Miami Dolphins in 2013.

 

Let's say you were able to trade Davone Bess off for an extra 3rd round pick, after re-signing Brian Hartline. You could address that position by signing Greg Jennings and drafting Tavon Austin. That wouldn't give you the physicality you would like to see in the WRs unit, but Rishard Matthews could help with that. You would have more speed and play making ability overall.

That takes up probably $6 or $7 million of your $20 million in free agent room, and still leaves you with 6 picks in the top 105.

My instinct with the top pick (#5 to #8 overall is my estimate), is still to go after a top notch defensive lineman like Bjoern Werner. I'm prioritizing talent over need in some ways. If there were a Morris Claiborne then we have a need at that spot and that would be a good pick. If there were a Julio Jones or A.J. Green then we have a need at that spot and that would be a good pick. I don't think there are, though. And there isn't a Trent Richardson, either. One thing lost in Cameron Wake's general awesomeness is the fact that he'll be 31 years old before this year's Super Bowl is played. Yes, in a way having another premium DE can be considered a luxury, but Cameron Wake won't be Cameron Wake for another 7 years. He may not be Cameron Wake for more than 3 years. You need to start planning ahead and overlapping timelines.

Get down into the 2nd round and maybe that's where you find yourself a Desmond Trufant or Terry Hawthorne...or both. You could think about replacing Kevin Burnett with a Sean Porter or Jake Knott. You've got to start picking up some guards that make sense in this scheme.

 

Saints have decent backs by committee. Thomas, Ingram, Ivory. Because of Brees they tend to get overlooked/underused. Any of those up for grabs offseason?

 

I don't believe so. Pierre Thomas is locked up long term, Mark Ingram was only just drafted in 2011, and Chris Ivory should be a Restricted Free Agent.

If you want to make a splash at that position, Rashard Mendenhall is scheduled for free agency. From 2009 to 2011 he had 3309 rushing yards and 29 TDs on 794 carries (4.2 YPC).

Generally speaking most people like to draft that position in the hopes they get the next Doug Martin, though. There's usually never any shortage of backs I like in the Draft although size is an issue. I like Johnathan Franklin, Christine Michael, Dennis Johnson, Zac Stacy, Ray Graham and Knile Davis. Obviously I love Andre Ellington but he's going to be the top back in the Draft.

 

That's a shame. Typical that a pass orientated Offense have very good depth and talent at RB.

 

Release Burnett? Why?

 

this roster is nothing short of pathetic. it's pretty embarrassing how many needs the team has 5 years after a 1-15 season....now i know how Lions fans felt throughout the last decade.

but hey, by all means, let's keep our GM.

 

Great post Ck. Thanks, very informative. Nice to see it all broken down like that. I see Jerry back to a swing position/back-up type on your listing. Does he fit at all with this coaching staff.

 

Ck, how would your draft look like right now, considering your priority acquisition priority list and using the current status of draft eligible prospects. Be very interesting to see your thoughts.

 

You did not mention how Daniel Thomas is no longer on the roster, would you cut him? Try and trade him? Also you don't have FS1 in your priority list, are we to assume that it's Marshall?

Also played a little fantasy with Free agency and draft

 

If Ireland is drafting why would it be considered an underrated prospect that Miami would draft a defensive tackle high? Success should dictate status quo.

 

I think Ivory is a free agent this offseason..I havent understood why this dude has not been getting reps, and why their taking running backs in the first round with that dude on the roster, maybe they've seen the errors of their ways now, but if not he would be someone I'd make a move on..

Keepin a real close eye on Stepfan Taylor in the draft.

I might wanna trade down in this draft and get one more first rounder..

Come out with Tavon Austin and Tyler eifert in the first, then follow up with Chase Thomas and Shane Skov in the 2nd.

Greg Jennings would be my target free agent.

 

Greg Jennings would be my choice as well. I wonder if Philbin will push for him. He hasn't really brought anyone in from the Pack yet has he?

 

Not to get into pissing contest but the LB position? Misi seems okay but Dansby and Burnett are overpaid compared to the paycheck.

Kaddu flashed at all?

 

He's a restricted free agent. Hard to see Miami coughing up picks for him at this point.

 

This is all good and all but we all know the reality is that further holes will be created than actually filled. :angry:

 

I hear you man, it seems like every year some of our strengths become weaknesses.

 

At the beginning of the season we thought our RB position was deep and actually a strength of this team. Now, we might very well have to draft an everyday RB. Sad.

 

Yeah that sucks man...but maybe if we go after the right type of running back we can forget about the position for a while..

 

If we got the right players at lots of positions we would be able to forget about that position for a while , of course that isn't the case.

So we are contemplating , planning , wanting to go ahead , again with the leader of the pack?