3/2/08 Week In Review: Part One, Free Agency

Friday was the start of free agency. The Dolphins must have thought it was the start and finish of free agency for how much they were involved. The following is a list of players that have officially been acquired by Miami, and my thoughts.

Justin Smiley, G: This was the first signing occurring shortly after midnight. The Dolphins didn't appear to make any attempt at Alan Faneca because he has a large price tag (record large, actually). Smiley was still expensive but will be a valuable piece in our offensive line. He will replace Rex Hadnot at RG and hopefully give our backfield lot's of holes to run through.

Justin Ferguson, NT: He was acquired via trade with Dallas. We gave up our 6th round pick in 2009 (Also, we will swap 6th rounders this year). He's the oldest of the new players but still only 33. This move makes it pretty clear we are going to play a 3-4 defense and he will be the NT. This was a small price to pay for a big (literally) need. He has the prototypical size for a NT that no one currently on the roster has.

Reggie Torbor, LB: I love this signing. Torbor was a backup for the New York Giants but started the last nine games (including the Super Bowl) due to injuries. He filled in nicely and has earned this payday. He will have to compete for a starting job but will be the favorite to earn the other ILB spot alongside Channing Crowder. He is young and has the size that Parcells likes.

Randy Starks, DE/NT: He has high upside but hasn't shown a lot yet. I'm not quite sure if he will split time with Ferguson at NT or if he is versatile enough to play the DE spot. We will probably have to wait until training camp and the preseason to see how he will be used. Once again, he has the youth, size, and potential that the seems to be the theme of our pickups

Ernest Wilford, WR: I am content with this. Miami couldn't afford to spend big money on a receiver with so many other needs, so paying medium range for an average player is fine with me. We need a big physical receiver to go along with Ginn and Wilford can provide that. I'd still like to see us address this position in the draft, however.

Josh McCown, QB: He is no Daunte Culpepper or Trent Green. We won't expect him to come lead the franchise. He is getting paid the amount backup quarterbacks make and is not a huge investment. He will compete for the starting job with John Beck and a draft pick to be named later (He's actually probably the favorite to win, this year).

Charlie Anderson, LB: He was cheap and has some upside. He played on the outside for Houston but could probably play anywhere in a 3-4. He won't start but will definitely see the field some. At least he upgrades our special teams unit, which we really needed.

Sean Ryan, TE: Jeff Ireland drafted him in 2004 in Dallas. He has spent tha last two years on the Jets and hasn't really much. He has some potential but will have to compete to earn a spot. The Dolphins will probably run a lot of two tight end formations so if he can block well he should make an impact.

As of right now the only free agent that played for the Dolphins in 2007 that has signed elsewhere is Cleo Lemon. He joins Jacksonville as their backup quarterback and it seems like a good fit. He is an upgrade over their previous reserve Quinn Gray.

Update: Yet Again, I Was MIA

Well I'll be honest, I have been way too busy to be updating here. What I will try to do for the next several weeks is to do one mega post one the weekend which will include all the news from the previous week, and a few things to look for in the upcoming week. For now, let me recap things that have happened since my last post.

Dolphins Make Roster Cuts

On February 11th, Miami cut several players including regular starters Trent Green, Marty Booker, LJ Shelton, and Keith Traylor. Green and Traylor were no surprise as their age and injury concerns obviously don't belong in this rebuilding process. Booker hasn't been terrible but also has never really elevated his game and he drops a lot of balls. Shelton was a Nick Saban guy who just never really took off either. Bottom line is, when the team goes 1-15, no one can make a real argument for why they should still have a roster spot.

Another Cut, Zach Thomas

On February 14th the 'Phins cut Zach Thomas. As a fan, it was obviously a sad day. Zach was the face of the defense for his twelve years and the face of the team since Marino retired. Even though we all knew this was coming, when it actually happened it was still upsetting. Unfortunately, from a business perspective, his age, condition, and output, just don't match the type of money he was due to make. By cutting him, we also give him an opportunity to go to any team that wants him so he can try to make the playoffs and perhaps win a ring as the final chapter of his NFL career. I wish him the best of luck, as long as he isn't wearing a Patriots uniform.

Michael Lehan Resigned

This was a little surprising to me. For our CB situation for next year, I was thinking we would use an early (probably second) round draft pick on one. This years pool of corners are very deep and we can get great value with either our 32nd, 57th, or even 64th overall pick. Then we would probably play Will Allen with the draft pick as our starters with Lehan or somebody else playing as the backup and nickel corner. The money Lehan will make however, is significant and it looks like he will be a starter. I still believe it is a need though, and we should grab one of the young studs to either split time, or be a backup for the first year.

Huizenga Sells 50% of Team

This news came out yesterday. Miami Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga has sold half of the team and the stadium to New York real estate big shot Stephen Ross. The idea was not surprising but the timing is. Huizenga had hinted about a possible sale but it seemed like it was a ways away. The right offer came though and now Ross owns half the team. Huizenga will still be the primary owner and the managing general partner who will have the final say in everything. This is more like owner in training for the time being. Things really shouldn't be much different.

Draft News

There are so many rumors and little nuggets of information flying around these days it make my head spin. Something that is of a little importance to Miami was the coin flip for picks 3-5 yesterday. Atlanta won and will select third. I'm not quite sure if that hurts or helps in our effort to trade the #1 pick. They are closer to us and it will cost them less to trade up, but now it's really only between us and them. If they don't believe we will take Matt Ryan, then there is no reason to trade.

Rumor has it that Miami is in love with Chris Long, and why not? He might as well walk around with a shirt that declares him a "Bill Parcells Football Player." I believe he is the number one sought after target of Miami and if no trade happens, he could be the #1 pick.

Site Plugs

You may have seen some of the links on the right to other Dolphins sites. I recommend going to the following ones during the week to get Dolphins news and opinions

Phin Phanatic - The lead blogger Brian Miller knows his stuff and is always on top of the latest news and rumors.

Miami Dolphins Spotlight - Chris Nelson covers all roster moves and transaction and does very informative videos to go along with his posts.