NFL Draft Info - Miami Dolphins

2010 Miami Dolphins Free Agency

By Keith Beebe

Adventures in free agency. That's a good way to summarize the Dolphins' offseason signings the last few years. Whether it's paying record money for an aging, loud-mouthed outside linebacker (Joey Porter), acquiring a franchise-caliber quarterback (Chad Pennington) at the offseason's eleventh hour or signing a defensive back that completely, totally and irrevocably drained the team's wallet while accomplishing nothing on the field (Gibril Wilson), the Dolphins have certainly seen its share of both good and bad in recent free agency. Of course, none of these players were the cream of the free agency crop (regardless of what anyone says about Porter), but the presence of both Parcells and Ireland in the Dolphins' front office meant it was only a matter of time before Miami was landing big-time talent in the offseason.

Enter last Thursday, when Parcells and Ireland basically glued themselves to inside linebacking gem Karlos Dansby and made sure he didn't leave South Florida without signing a contract (and a fat one, at that). Suddenly, the Dolphins have a Pro Bowl/Franchise/Premier player at the linebacker position. And the fact that the Dolphins jettisoned Porter (a roster move everyone expected) and Akin Ayodele in one fell swoop (while also trashing Gibril Wilson's gaudy contract) is a good indicator that the Dolphins' front office is deathly serious about rebuilding the weakest spot of its entire team: the linebacker corps.

So let's see. After spending the better part of 15 years with an owner that wouldn't even consider opening his wallet to any players who didn't have a Blockbuster Video account, we now have Stephen Ross, who seems to really enjoy spending boatloads of cash on players while finding a way to stay out of Parcells' way. Considering how often Robert Kraft used to stick his nose in Parcells' business when he coached in New England, you have to figure the Tuna just loves Ross' approach: "You sway and sign the talent. I'll foot the bill." Sadly, this is a completely alien concept in Miami, but it's already paying dividends in South Beach.

Now, there's still work to be done in Miami, but consider a few things before you start lamenting the fact the Dolphins ditched Wilson and then chose to not sign Antrell Rolle. First off, there's just no way Parcells and Ireland were going to make Rolle the Donald Trump of safeties literally an hour or two after signing Dansby to a $43 million ($22 million of which is guaranteed) deal. No way in hell. Rolle was successful in Arizona, but Adrian Wilson was the star of the show there. You'd be kidding yourself if you thought otherwise.

Second, Rolle wasn't even really the type of safety Miami needs in its secondary. Athletic? Very. Complete ball hawk? Um, not so much. Rolle's a play-maker for sure, but he's  certainly not the kind of player who has the ability to consistently play centerfield and cherry pick throws from opposing quarterbacks, and that's why you'll have to excuse me for not getting bummed out when I read that the Giants gave him a king's ransom to play in New York. If anything, NYG did Miami a real favor (the Giants were also seriously in the hunt for Karlos Dansby, too. Needless to say, I think we got the better end of that deal).

The player likely to take over for Gibril Wilson is current Dolphin Chris Clemons, who boasts outrageous speed but might not have the ball-hawking mentality Miami is looking for in a free safety. If the Dolphins have any doubt in Clemons, it's likely they'll look at addressing the free safety position in next month's draft. One guy, in particular, who would fit in perfectly with Miami's secondary is University of Texas standout Earl Thomas. Thomas has the speed, instincts and tenacity to become a powerhouse safety in the NFL, and if Dan Williams is off the board before the Dolphins select, it's likely they'll seriously consider taking Thomas. For those of you scoring at home, that'd be a secondary containing Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, Yeremiah Bell and Earl Thomas. I don't see many Dolphins fans having a problem with that lineup.

As I mentioned earlier, the Dolphins released two of its 2009 starting linebackers on Thursday. Porter's release was obviously expected (he even managed to piss off Stephen Ross!), and I say good riddance. Not only was he horrid this past season, but it was only a matter of time before his deplorable attitude started making an impression upon the young players who make up the majority of the Dolphins' defense.

And as for Ayodele, I am thrilled that he won't be back to sandbag the second level of our defense next season. Nice gap-filler, but did anyone honestly expect him to really tear it up at the inside linebacker position? I didn't. Now Miami's front office just needs to figure out what it wants to do about Jason Taylor. Personally, I like having him on the team. And though he's getting up there in years (he'll be 36 in September), he's the kind of guy I want the Dolphins' young players to learn from. Simply put, Taylor's the antithesis of Joey Porter.

Lost in the wake of the Dansby signing was the news that quality defensive back Nathan Jones was lured to Denver (what is it with the Broncos and our free agents?). Unfortunate, but you had to figure someone was going to nab Jones after his strong 2009 campaign. I do like the fact we're weeding out the secondary a bit, though.

So now that Miami has its premier inside linbacker, the team needs to figure out what it will do about Jason Ferguson's pending eight-game suspension that was announced yesterday. I didn't think Ferguson would be starting at nose tackle for the Dolphins in 2010 anyway, but this suspension is almost guaranteed to hasten the front office's work in finding a franchise 3-4 anchor. The timing of Ferguson's suspension is also unfortunate because the nose tackle market this off-season is as dried up as a prune. Ryan Pickett? Franchised. Casey Hampton? Re-signed. Vince Wilfork? Franchised. Ouch. If the Dolphins want to find a nose tackle, it's likely to be through the draft (which is fine with me, since I've been clamoring for the Dolphins to take Dan Williams since, oh, November or so.

But let's not forget about the offensive side of the ball, in regards to free agency. Miami tendered Ronnie Brown to a first-round pick, and actually had the balls to tender Anthony Fasano to a second-round pick (yuck). I'd be shocked if anyone was willing to fork over a top pick for an injury-prone, 28-year-old running back, but I am intrigued to see if anyone makes a play for Fasano. Let's hope so, because I personally cannot stand the guy.

And as for Ted Ginn (South Beach's favorite punching bag!), I honestly don't see him going anywhere else. I think the front office is conscious of the fact Ginn hasn't lined up alongside a No.1 wideout, and I think they want to see what he can do in that situation before they decide to give him the heave-ho.

That's all for now. For those of you scoring at home, the Dolphins just greased three lame contracts and snagged a versatible, game-changing inside linebacker. I'd say that's pretty productive for day one of the free agency season. Sure, Rolle would've been a nice addition (as would a seasoned vet such as Casey Hampton or big Vince Wilfork), but those are positions Miami can shore up in the draft.