Recent signings suggest Dolphins entering new phase of team building
The Miami Dolphins have, throughout the course of the Chris Grier and Brian Flores era, had a “type” when it comes to free agents. The 2019 signing of QB Ryan Fitzpatrick aside, the Dolphins have typically steered into younger talent in their mid-20s as a part of their free agent approach. The objective, presumably, is to target young talent that will be a part of the puzzle for the next three to four years or so as compared to the short-term gratifications that come with signing older talent.
Such is an important strategy for building up the young depth and foundation of a roster. Especially one that was shredded as efficiently as Grier tore down the Dolphins’ roster in 2019.
But the tide is starting to turn for the Dolphins. A handful of recent signings for Miami seem to indicate that the team is ready to welcome some seasoned veterans in to the picture to play valuable depth roles — and that’s a big deal.
Miami has signed offensive lineman DJ Fluker and is set to finalize signing defensive back Jason McCourty sooner rather than later. Each of these two talents brings at least eight years of experience to the league and positional versatility, making them valuable pieces to sprinkle in as needed on a roster that feels as though they’re ready for contender status. All involved know that the stint in Miami is likely a short one, or at the very least an arrangement that will go year to year.
But the Dolphins are now ready to pay for veteran depth. The alternative options at the price point Miami got Fluker on the books for ($1.08M for 2021)? Names like Max Garcia, Forrest Lamp and Cole Toner sit in the same price range. But because Fluker is on the back end of his career, he boasts the kind of valuable experience (96 career starts) that can effectively bridge the gap if a starter goes down. Fluker offered that exact value when OT Ronnie Stanley went down for the Ravens last year, stepping in at right tackle for the second half of the year.
Lamp, Toner and Garcia? They have a combined 19 starts between the three of them as players in their 20s — so paying equal amount for a seasoned veteran makes sense if you think you’re going to be able to compete.
The Dolphins very clearly think they can. And due to the terms and duration of signings like Fluker and McCourty, there’s nothing strapping the team into bad commitments long term.
That’s a far cry from the 2018 Josh Sitton contract, which featured two years for a max total of $18M — Sitton played one game for the team before injury ended his season (and career). But not before Miami paid him nearly $8.5M. You can get eight DJ Flukers for that cost.
