Making the right choices in some big decisions is the only way Miami will have a successful 2017
Big decisions are coming for Miami.
The Miami Dolphins had a surprisingly good 2016 season, but there is no guarantees for 2017, unless Mike Tannenbaum and Co. make all the right moves on some big decisions.
The Dolphins Receiving Core came into the season as one of the strengths of the team, and most pay per head bookie service fans would agree that they lived up to the billing. Even though the group consists three others (Leonte Carroo, Jakeem Grant, and Rashawn Scott) beyond the ‘big three’, the truth is, it was really all about Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills.
Looking over the roster:
Landry, the alpha dog of the group, was able to catch 94 passes for 1,136 yards and 4 touchdowns. The reception number and yards were slightly less then what he accumulated in his 2015 season, but his yards per catch rose from 10.5 to 12.1 in Adam Gase’s offense. Landry is a superstar and the heart and soul of the team.
They should / will / must extend his deal A.S.A.P, if not sooner — no question about it.
Stills benefited the most from Coach Gase’s arrival. In New Orleans Stills was a deep threat option, but in 2015, Joe Philbin and Dan Campbell couldn’t figure out a way to utilize Stills’ unique skill set. However, Gase was a big fan of Stills from the start of OTA’s, and he was able to find creative ways to incorporate Stills into the Offense. Stills was able to catch 42 passes for 726 yards with a team leading 9 touchdowns. In addition, he was able to average a whooping 17.3 yards per catch, which was the third best yards per catch average in the entire NFL.
As a Free Agent, Stills will likely command a bit more than the Rishard Matthews deal in the range of $5 to $6 million dollar a year contract to lock him up — but, will some team offer to overpay him?
The receiving core strength was big dose of Landry and Stills with a sprinkle of Parker.
Parker was able to battle through some early season injuries by learning how to be more of a ‘pro’ — like drinking water and eating breakfast: oy vey! The dividends were increased results from his rookie year. He more than doubled his reception total from the 2015 season, by catching 56 passes in 2016, which also led to a big increase in his yardage with 744 receiving yards. He also added 4 touchdowns, and had a yards per catch average of 13.3, which was well below his 19.0 yards per catch average, but considering he caught 30 more passes than the previous season, this number was bound to go down. While Parker is still on his Rookie contract…
…he will likely command a big contract by the end of 2018, if his current trajectory continues.
So can three big contracts be handed out to the receiving core, which will likely be in the range of 26-30 mill per season, not to mention the other two or three receivers needed to fill the core?
Adding to the complexity of this big decision is the multiple picks spent on Carroo, who will be a Free Agent a year after Parker.
Landry is a Superstar.
Parker posses freakish talent.
Still stretches the field and produces.
Carroo is an unknown quantity, but a big purchase.
It’s a big decision on whether to invest in Kenny Still or not to.
With only so much money to go around, the need for a successful 2017, health questions surrounding Parker, the investment in Carroo, huge holes elsewhere, and the fact that Landry and Stills have the best chemistry with Ryan Tannehill, the signing of Stills is a complex matter.
Then you wonder what if Stills gets swept up in a contract bidding war from another team: who will stretch the field in 2017 if he is lost?
The Transition Tags not what they used to be, and the Franchise Tag is an absurd proposition. Neither are worthwhile options.
So, I think it’s clear, if it takes a reasonable contract to keep — do it. They can front load it, so that 2 years down the road, if Carroo pans out, or another player fills his role, they can get out of it.
But, it will get very sticky if his contract gets into the 7+ range in the buying frenzy of Free Agency. While Gase might be able to scheme around his loss, their is also a chance he won’t.
This will be a big decision and it’s approaching fast as the first stage of the FA period begins March 7th. This though will be one of many big decisions for Miami. Go Fins!!!