What to Make of the First Week of Dolphins Free Agency

The Miami Dolphins haven't made any splash moves so far, but they've added a lot of players

Pittsburgh Steelers guard James Daniels (78) blocks at the line of scrimmage against Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Angelo Blackson (90) during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium during a 2023 game. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins didn't make any splash moves in the first week of NFL free agency, unless we count adding Zach Wilson as the new backup quarterback for Tua Tagovailoa.

But that move grabbed headlines because Wilson was the second overall draft pick not so long ago, not because he's been an elite NFL player or because the Dolphins spent big money to sign him.

For lack of a better term, the Dolphins' approach in the first week of free agency has been about quantity over quality — obviously Miami is hoping for the latter with every acquisition.

But there's no question the Dolphins went for volume, which is exactly what should have been expected considering they entered the offseason with fewer than 50 players under contract for the 2025 season and will have 90 when they open training camp in July.

The Dolphins have 10 draft picks — after briefly having 11 — and will sign a dozen or sign undrafted free agents after the draft, but that still left them with having to fill out the roster with several veterans.

And with a limited amount of cap space again, the Dolphins couldn't afford to give big contracts to too many free agents, if any.

It's why the biggest annual average one of their UFA signings got was the $8 million (for three years at $24 million) for guard James Daniels.

Even there, the Dolphins mitigated their risk by structuring the contract so they can get out of it after one year with minimal cap pain should Daniels not be able to bounce back from the Achilles injury that cut short his 2024 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Likewise, there was an injury risk with new safety Ifeatu Melifonwu, a very intriguing defensive back with a skill set varied enough that he could be used almost anywhere in the secondary — if he can avoid the injuries that plagued him during his time with the Detroit Lions.

And then there's a performance risk for Wilson, who looked like a different quarterback with the Denver Broncos after flaming out with the New York Jets but did so in training camp and the preseason.

The reality is Wilson hasn't played in a regular season game since 2023 when the Dolphins pounded him into submission and out of the game in the first half of a 30-0 Miami blowout victory.

For the most part, though, the Dolphins went about methodically plugging holes in their roster.

While Wilson is a risk, he still should be an upgrade over Skylar Thompson or Tyler Huntley. Running back Alexander Mattison isn't Dalvin Cook, though he once was his backup in Minnesota, but he's a more physical runner than anybody who was on the roster in 2024.

Daniels likewise should represent a clear upgrade at guard, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine should give the Dolphins their best third wide receiver since Mike McDaniel took over as head coach in 2022.

Ashtyn Davis and Melifonwu will provide depth at safety.

DOLPHINS ALREADY MORE ACTIVE THAN 2024

The biggest evidence of how active the Dolphins were is that they've already picked up more unrestricted free agents than they did all of last offseason.

The Dolphins' tally stood at nine coming into Saturday, two more than they signed in 2024: OL Aaron Brewer, LB Jordyn Brooks, LB Cam Brown, OL Jack Driscoll, CB Kendall Fuller, DT Neville Gallimore and LB Anthony Walker Jr.

Of course, the Dolphins supplemented that group last year with a couple of quality "street" free agents, most notably Calais Campbell and Jonnu Smith.

Another big difference from last year is the number of high-end starters the Dolphins wound up losing.

So far this year the one true impact player lost in free agency was safety Jevon Holland, while at this time last year they already had lost Christian Wilkins, Robert Hunt and Andrew Van Ginkel.

The Dolphins also were able to re-sign a starter this week when they re-upped linebacker Tyrel Dodson, whereas nobody of that magnitude was re-signed in the first week of free agency last year.

All things considered, it was an active first week even if it was missing a lot of pizzazz and didn't feature any splash moves.

At the very least, they didn't lose as much quality as they did last year.

DOLPHINS 2025 FREE AGENT SCORECARD
as of Saturday, 2 p.m.

Agreed to terms
QB Zach Wilson (Denver)
G James Daniels (Pittsburgh)
OL Larry Borom (Chicago)
S Ifeatu Melifonwu (Detroit)
WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (Tennessee)
S Ashtyn Davis (N.Y. Jets)
LB K.J. Britt (Tampa Bay)
RB Alexander Mattison (Las Vegas)
TE Pharaoh Brown (Seattle)

Re-signed
DT Matt Dickerson
S Elijah Campbell
OLB Quinton Bell
LB Tyrel Dodson
G/T Jackson Carman
WR Dee Eskridge
OL Liam Eichenberg

Lost to another team
WR Braxton Berrios (Houston)
G Robert Jones (Dallas)
S Jevon Holland (N.Y. Giants)
TE Jack Stoll (New Orleans)
LB Anthony Walker Jr. (Tampa Bay)
DT Da'Shawn Hand (L.A. Chargers)

Remaining UFAs
QB Tyler Huntley
RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
WR River Cracraft
WR Anthony Schwartz
WR Grant DuBose
T Kendall Lamm
G Isaiah Wynn
DT Calais Campbell
DT Benito Jones
EDGE Emmanuel Ogbah
EDGE Tyus Bowser
EDGE Cam Brown
LB Duke Riley
CB Siran Neal
S Jordan Poyer
LS Jake McQuaide

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