The clock is ticking before the official start of NFL free agency on March 12, and there’s no time like the present for teams to start narrowing down their list of the league’s most alluring targets. The Miami Dolphins hold 10 picks in the NFL Draft, with seven comfortably in the first five rounds.
General manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel embark on the 2025 offseason with the franchise in a precarious state. However, the right moves can always have a way of charting a new course.
The Dolphins have done a great job adding playmakers to the roster in recent years. That is something that can’t be taken away from McDaniel. He’s one of the most creative offensive minds in football, and yet his team just hasn’t gotten over the hump since becoming head coach in 2022.
On offense, Miami paired two of the NFL’s fastest wide receivers, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and have one of the league’s most explosive running backs in De’Von Achane.
A true lack of balance continues to keep this team from reaching expectations. Offensive line struggles, as well as glaring issues on the defense, have contributed to the imperfection.
This offseason provides a chance to rectify those missing pieces. The positive is that pretty good options are available through the draft or free agency.
Tua Tagovailoa’s injury history has made this roster quite vulnerable. It’s an uphill battle trying to build around the abstract before the season is in full swing. Will the 27-year-old quarterback remain healthy for a full season after the Dolphins just risked a four-year, $212.4 million contract on him last summer (with $167.1 million guaranteed, to boot)? Time will tell.
But protecting him, and otherwise, is an absolute must-fix in 2025. Miami can’t afford another year of constant hurdles.
Seeing how they will be picking 13th overall, it may be wise to scour the free-agent market for a bona fide veteran at the position rather than pulling a name out of their scouting fedora.
Nevertheless, slotted in the middle of Round 1, the Dolphins should have a legitimate chance to draft a sure thing. Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. and Alabama guard Tyler Booker are projected to fall in that range, for the moment. Both are lauded for their Power 5 experience, and either player would give Miami what it needs after their successful Combine appearances.
Here’s where it gets interesting, though. Based on current mock drafts, as well as sheer speculation, the Dolphins could be staring down an intriguing scenario that will have the fans pondering ahead of April.
There comes a time when a franchise has to be bold and make a move that might be looked down upon by the peanut gallery, but could be the best thing for the future. This is one of those times: At No. 13, the potential option of selecting arguably the draft’s best tight end in Penn State’s Tyler Warren.
What a shake-up that would be for the first round. But is it necessary? Jonnu Smith had a resurgence last season as Miami’s top pass catcher at tight end, but the opportunity to upgrade and build around a young talent is there. Durham Smythe just exited the building after signing a one-year contract with the Chicago Bears, leaving a serious depth concern. Whether a Warren addition would be welcomed, or scoffed at by the fanbase, it would quickly address another problem in a weak TE free-agent market.
For further perspective, the Las Vegas Raiders took Brock Bowers with the No. 13 pick in 2024, after just one campaign with 2023 first-round pick Michael Mayer. Bowers, of course, went on to put together one of the greatest seasons by a tight end in history. So it wouldn’t be shocking for the Dolphins to explore something similar.
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That said, it’s difficult to see them passing on an offensive lineman in such a valuable spot.
Knowing what that’s going to mean for Tagovailoa next season, it should be enough to convince Grier and the front to be shrewd with their decision. They will also be on the clock again at No. 48, so the world is their oyster.
All things NFL Draft aside, the Dolphins don’t have ample room to make a gigantic signing this offseason with just $12.2 million in cap space, per Over The Cap. Still, they have a chance to strengthen the roster, and more importantly, keep their franchise QB on the field.
Dolphins sign valuable offensive lineman to a bargain contract
The Dolphins have run out of excuses. They have more than enough draft capital, and they understand their biggest roster needs. In this case, let’s project that they pursue a former Bears offensive lineman, whose skill set has been getting overlooked thus far in free agency.
Teven Jenkins seems like a solid, albeit attainable, choice. His market value is listed at $10.3 million annually, according to Spotrac, so it would be wise for the Dolphins to at least entertain the idea.
A second-round pick in 2021, the Dolphins can plug in a reliable player at the guard spot as they continue to proceed on their path of bolstering the O-line. If nothing else, this sets them up nicely a month away from the draft.
With the Bears acquiring Joe Thuney in Wednesday’s trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, Jenkins is almost guaranteed to be heading elsewhere this offseason. The Dolphins make sense as a change of scenery.
This gives McDaniel a quality offensive veteran on the frontlines in Jenkins, who only recently turned 27 years old on March 3. A small step down the path to contention for Miami in 2025.
