MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — As we noted in this space Tuesday, the first open Miami Dolphins OTA of 2024 was more notable for who didn’t practice than who did.
So it’s tough for anyone on the outside to say anything about how the 2024 Dolphins look with much conviction at this point.
On the inside, however, they have all the information. Which made Mike McDaniel’s answer about a potential fourth wave of free agency next week all the more interesting.
Are the Miami Dolphins Done Spending in Free Agency?
PFN asked McDaniel Tuesday how the Dolphins plan to use the usable salary that will become available when Xavien Howard’s contract comes off the books in a couple of weeks.
By designating Howard a post-June 1 cut, the Dolphins will be able to use an additional $18.5 million in salary cap space to sign their own draft picks and any veterans that remain available.
While the Dolphins have built a top-to-bottom team — they’re No. 6 in PFN’s roster rankings that exclude quarterbacks — there are still a couple of not-insignificant soft spots.
Most specifically? Safety and guard.
Most fans and media would probably feel better about the Dolphins’ chances if they added one more potential starter at each position. And there are options.
The safety market remains particularly robust, with Justin Simmons, Marcus Maye, Eddie Jackson, and Quandre Diggs still available.
And yet, McDaniel’s comments on that topic suggest that Miami doesn’t feel compelled to sign anyone at this stage of the offseason.
“Part of our job as a high functioning NFL franchise is you’re always looking for ways to get better,” McDaniel said. “I know that’s something that if Chris Grier has a tattoo on his body, it’s probably of that — ‘always getting better with roster.’
“We’re always looking, but I wouldn’t necessarily look for — it’s not through the lens of what are we without? We have a pretty deep team that’s high in competition. It’s always balancing the stuff that we’re able to do and what’s out there and can we improve our team. We’ll never stop looking, but we’re not on the hunt.”
Are they right? Or are they missing something everyone else is seeing? We get into that, plus break down the first week of OTAs, in the latest PFN Miami Dolphins Podcast.