Revisiting the Dolphins' 2021 UFA Haul
As is the case pretty much every year at this time, there is a lot of excitement about the possibilities when it comes to the Miami Dolphins and the free agent market.
But expectations sometimes exceed reality, and that most certainly was the case for the Dolphins last spring because their free agent haul of 2021 sure appears less than overwhelming one year later — and that's being kind.
The Dolphins signed 10 unrestricted free agents last year, starting March 18 and ending April 20, and the contributions those players made to the 2021 team weren't very significant.
The 10 UFA acquisitions combined for a grand total of 19 starts in their first season with the Dolphins and it might come as a surprise to many that the one with the most starts was backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett with five.
Maybe even worse, only two of the 10 players will remain on the roster when the new league year arrives Wednesday, defensive lineman Adam Butler and tight end Cethan Carter.
Six of the players will be UFAs again because they joined the Dolphins on a one-year contract, the most notable being wide receiver Will Fuller V, and two of them — O-linemen D.J. Fluker and Matt Skura — never made it to the regular season with the team.
For the record, the rest of the 2021 UFA class included running back Malcolm Brown, defensive tackle John Jenkins, linebacker Duke Riley and linebacker Brennan Scarlett.
Here's a quick look at what the Dolphins got out of each player last year and where they stand now:
QB JACOBY BRISSETT
Brissett wasn't quite as ineffective as a lot of Dolphins fans would have you believe, but he also wasn't overly impressive in his game action (11 games, five starts). He's a UFA again and it's difficult to envision the Dolphins re-signing him.
RB MALCOLM BROWN
Brown was signed from the Rams ostensibly with the idea of him providing a physical presence in the running game, but it flat-out didn't play out the way. The most glaring and painful example came on a crucial fourth-and-1 failed run late in the three-point against Jacksonville. He's another UFA not likely to be re-signed by the Dolphins.
DL ADAM BUTLER
Signed from the Patriots, Butler didn't have nearly the impact as a pass rusher he was expected to have, but the expectation is that he'll be back after coming to Miami on a two-year contract.
TE CETHAN CARTER
Carter was signed mostly for his special teams work and that's how it played out as he caught only two passes in 16 games. He signed a three-year deal to join the Dolphins, so he'll be back and his blocking ability might make him a bigger contributor on offense under new head coach Mike McDaniel.
OL D.J. FLUKER
The former first-round pick of the Chargers was viewed initially as somebody who might compete for a starting job for the Dolphins, but instead he landed on injured reserve with a minor knee injury and then was waived-injured, suspended by the NFL and ended up not playing at all in 2021.
WR WILL FULLER V
The biggest disappointment of the 2021 UFA class, if for no other reason than he was the most high-profile acquisition. Instead, Fuller ended up playing only two games because of the remnants of his 2020 NFL suspension, because he left the team for personal reasons and because of a finger injury that seemingly never healed properly. Fuller is a UFA again and it's difficult to envision him being somebody the Dolphins would want to bring back — no matter how great his speed.
DT JOHN JENKINS
The veteran run-stopping specialist played seven games in the first half of the season, but he became a regular on the inactive list once Raekwon Davis returned from his knee injury and it's hard to imagine him coming back to Miami.
LB DUKE RILEY
Riley made some contributions to the Dolphins, but they were mostly on special teams, though he did start three games at linebacker. He's somebody the Dolphins would consider re-signing.
LB BRENNAN SCARLETT
Scarlett ended up playing 13 games with four starts on defense, but his contributions were minimal, which was disappointing after he made his presence felt in the preseason. Like Riley, it's not impossible he could return, though he shouldn't be considered a priority re-signing.
C MATT SKURA
The former Ravens starter figured to replace Ted Karras as the starting center or at the very least compete for the job, but instead he found himself in a backup role throughout training camp before being released and hooking up with the New York Giants.
The Bottom Line
The Dolphins went mostly for depth in free agency last season because Fuller — and to a lesser degree Skura — pretty much were the only two who arrived with the expectation they would become starters.
What the Dolphins really need, though, is more front-line players, so maybe the approach this year should be to sign fewer UFAs but make them higher-impact players.
The Dolphins did that to some degree in 2020 when they signed a half-dozen starters — Ereck Flowers, Byron Jones, Ted Karras, Shaq Lawson, Emmanuel Ogbah, Elandon Roberts and Kyle Van Noy.
Of course, the Dolphins were still in full rebuilding mode then and circumstances are different — but they're not polar opposites.
As the risk of repeating ourselves, the Dolphins need more front-line players, whether it be at running back, wide receiver, the offensive line, linebacker or wherever else.
Adding depth in free agency is good, but adding impact also is important, and the Dolphins clearly failed in that regard last offseason.
