Revisiting the Dolphins 2022 Free Agent Class
In this story:
The start of free agency is exactly one month away Wednesday, and the Miami Dolphins can only hope to match what they were able to accomplish last offseason.
Actually, they would do well to just be able to come close.
The Dolphins got a lot better through free agency last offseason when they signed twice as many unrestricted free agents as they lost.
Free agency brought the Dolphins three full-time starters last year with tackle Terron Armstead, running back Raheem Mostert and center Connor Williams, along with valuable contributors Keion Crossen, Melvin Ingram, Trent Sherfield and punter Thomas Morstead.
Nine of the 10 UFA acquisitions stayed with the team the entire season, the only exception being running back Chase Edmonds, who was sent to the Denver Broncos as part of the trade that brought edge defender Bradley Chubb.
By comparison, the only one of the five UFAs who left the Dolphins for another team made major contributions in 2022, that being wide receiver Mack Hollins with the Las Vegas Raiders, though QB Jacoby Brissett the first 11 games for the Cleveland Browns while Deshaun Watson served his NFL suspension.
The other three UFAs the Dolphins lost last offseason were RB Duke Johnson (Buffalo), CB Justin Coleman (Seattle) and OL Greg Mancz (Buffalo).
RANKING THE 10 2022 UFA SIGNINGS
1. T Terron Armstead: Even though he battled injuries throughout the season, Armstead still played well enough to earn his fourth career Pro Bowl invitation. More importantly, he solidified the Dolphins offensive line whenever he was in the lineup.
2. OL Connor Williams: After playing guard for the Dallas Cowboys, Williams was a solid starter at center for the Dolphins.
3. RB Raheem Mostert: Reunited with head coach Mike McDaniel, Mostert helped the Dolphins greatly upgrade their running back corps.
4. P Thomas Morstead: The longtime member of the New Orleans Saints gave the Dolphins their best punting in years.
5. WR Trent Sherfield: After being mostly a special teams player in San Francisco, Sherfield carved out a role as the third wide receiver in 2022 and had some big moments, most notably his 75-yard touchdown on the first play in his return to Levi's Stadium.
6. LB Melvin Ingram III: The former first-round pick got off to a great start, scoring the first touchdown of the season for the Dolphins and earning AFC Defensive Player of the Month for September, but he was a bit quiet down the stretch.
7. DB Keion Crossen: After being mostly a special teams player for the New York Giants, Crossen ended up playing an important backup role in the secondary.
8. WR Cedrick Wilson Jr.: Given the size of his contract (three years, $21 million), the fact that Wilson ended up being used mostly as a punt returner was very disappointing.
9. QB Teddy Bridgewater: Bridgewater had some good moments in relief against Cincinnati and Minnesota, but the fact he left each of his two starts with an injury obviously was less than ideal.
10. RB Chase Edmonds: After looking really good in training camp, Edmonds did very little with the Dolphins before being traded. He did have a big 28-yard run to set up the game-winning touchdown in the great Week 2 comeback at Baltimore, but still average less than 3 yards per carry.
