Sunday Dolphins Mailbag: Henry, Sanders, Free Agency, and More
Part 2 of the pre-free agency SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:
From Bruce (via email):
Greetings Alain! I have been a Dolphins fan since George Wilson was HC and George Wilson Jr. was the starting QB. I have followed the boys through up and down times. Also, if you consider classic rock to be worth the listen, imho, you cannot do better than CCR and Fleetwood Mac. On the market, do you think that Shaquill Griffin is a good option for us? His play has been down since his injury, but that means essentially a year of rest and rehab. What are your thoughts?
Hey Bruce, first off I would tell you that I like CCR very much and I absolutely love Fleetwood Mac (got a lot of their music), though I’m not sure I’d consider either prog rock bands. As for Griffin, I would tell you that his play really dipped once he left Seattle for Jacksonville and I’m not sure he’d represent much of an upgrade at this time.
From d. Edward (@Syr2Pitt2SD):
How can a team release someone on March 15 and claim it's a post-June 1 cut? Is my Miami Dolphins cheerleader calendar out of order?
Hey there, it’s pretty simple and very legal. The post-June 1 designation allows the prorated signing bonus that still needs to be paid out to start being applied the following year, but the post-June 1 designation also means the team doesn’t get its cap savings for the player until — you guessed it — June 1.
From Hebert Gutierrez Morales (via email):
Hi Alain, I hope everything’s fine with you. I have a couple of questions. A) With the brand new available cap space, should the Dolphins prioritize their own FA (Mostert, J. Wilson, Needham or Van Ginkel) or look for pricey FA (Edmunds, Slay or others)? B) I know it’s not my team nor my money, but the contract the Giants gave Jones seems to me excessive. He received even more money than Carr did. I understand there’s a lack of starting QBs in the league, but reward the mediocrity is dumb and unfair (on my eyes); meanwhile, a better QB like Lamar Jackson must fight for his money. What was the difference between Jones and Jackson? The agent? The team? Maybe the race? I know it’s a difficult question, but I appreciate your opinion. Thank you very much for you valuable work.
Thanks as always Hebert. I’ll start with the Dolphins question and say right away that while did they create a lot of cap space this week, they also have a very low number of players under contract and it’s going to be costly to fill out the roster, to where they just won’t be able to throw out big contracts all over the place. As for the Jones/Jackson question, it’s got nothing to do with race and everything to do with circumstances. I don’t anticipate for a millisecond that Jackson will have a lower salary than Jones because he’s a much better player, but the bigger issue with him is guaranteed money, which gets tricky because of his style and his injuries of the past two years.
From Max Lopez No DM please. (@themaxlopez):
Who will be first free agent acquisition? Poyer? Bobby Wagner?
Hey Max, if I’m being honest here, I’m getting a vibe that Wagner stays on the West Coast. I think Poyer absolutely is a good guess if we’re playing the game of who’ll be the first free agent the Dolphins sign from another team.
From Danny Nelson (@Cheesefrog13):
The Bucs just cut 3 guys that could be of interest to Miami. Opinion?
Hey Danny, the only two players I saw released by the Bucs were LT Donovan Smith and RB Leonard Fournette, so I don’t know who the third was. And I’m a no on both Smith and Fournette.
From Ricardo Hernandez (@Ricardo96451182):
Hi Alain, On being hired, Vic Fangio said he didn’t intend to look at film of current players so that they would get a fresh start in his eyes. But doesn’t he need to advise in this offseason period whether management needs to acquire players in certain areas to fit his defense?
Hey Ricardo, yeah, you make an excellent point. I think he maybe wanted to make clear he was going into everything with an open mind.
From JT (@JeffT32Phins):
If Byron Jones retires, prior to his post-June 1 release date (even though he can sign elsewhere), would the Dolphins get hit with that cap hit/dead money?
Hey JT, yeah, the Dolphins still would be on the hook for the remaining prorated portion of his signing bonus, which in this case would be around $13.6 million.
From mr. mojo risin’ (@dennisgriffin7):
Fins definitely need new blood in return game. Mostert may be fast but you wouldn't know it on kick returns last year. Will Fins address in free agency or look for undrafted player? Won't take with draft pick, I'd hope, with so many other glaring needs.
Hey Dennis, yeah, I get it that the Dolphins return game was lame last year, except for Cedrick Wilson’s 50-yard punt return in the playoff game. I do think the Dolphins will explore avenues to get a returner in 2023, but it won’t be a draft pick (I don’t think) and I also don’t think it’s a huge priority considering the kickoff return has just about disappeared from the game.
From Eric (@eric__jf):
Could Jason Sanders be a surprise cut?
Hey Eric, it would be a very big surprise because the Dolphins are confident he can rebound and also because there’s very little cap savings by cutting him.
From Gilbert Martinez (@Gilbert00669204)
Alain, do you think Miami would really go after Derrick Henry? By the way, you’re awesome!!
Hey Gilbert, no, you’re awesome. Thanks. To be honest, I’m not sure I see the fit. The Dolphins offense is based on the passing game, as it should be with the ridiculous speed they have outside, and it’s tough to see them giving up assets for a running back — though the idea of having Henry really is intriguing because he’s so good.
From Csonked Out (@csonked):
What does Miami do with Jerome Baker as his contract guarantees on March 19th? Do they move on from him or hold on to him?
Hey there, what becomes guaranteed with Baker’s contract March 17 is his base salary and that’s $8.4 million, per Spotrac. I’m on the fence with him, as I think both scenarios are possible. I also think the Dolphins would listen to trade offers from a team where he might be a scheme fit than he will be for Vic Fangio.
From Jorge Fernandez (@jfdad):
If you had your choice to get left guard or right tackle starter, what would you do?
Hey Jorge, I always would go for a tackle over a guard when the scheme is more pass-oriented, and it’s even more so in this case when the quarterback is a lefty and therefore the right tackle is protecting his blind side. So the answer here is right tackle, and it’s not close.
From Jerry (via email):
Tom Brady retired right...maybe. I wonder since he has interest in Miami if Miami tenders him an option to unretire if Tua gets hurt for a time next week when free agency opens up.
Hey Jerry, I think he absolutely would consider a possibility the Dolphins would call Brady once we get to August or September or later if something to keep Tua out of the lineup for an extended period of time — unless Brady makes it clear he's completely done with playing.
