In the last article, we brushed over the bigger names on the Dolphins’ free-agent list and this article will finish off the rest of the players and determine if they are worthy enough to be resigned.
Below are the two lists of Unrestricted and Restricted free agents on Miami’s Roster
Unrestricted
Charles Clay TE Jared Odrick DT Matt Moore QB Knowshon Moreno RB
Daniel Thomas RB Daryn Colledge G
Samson Satele C Jason Fox OT Jason Trusnik LB Kelvin Sheppard LB
Jimmy Wilson S Louis Delmas S
Restricted
Derrick Shelby DE LaMichael James RB Jonathan Freeny LB RJ Stanford CB
Matt Moore has quietly and patiently sat on the bench during Tannehill’s three years, but unfortunately for Moore, Tannehill is tough as nails and has not missed a game due to injury and except for one minor non-committal week by Philbin at the beginning of the 2014 season, Tannehill was never in jeopardy of losing his starting job. Moore is probably one of the tops back up QB’s in the league, and best bookie software sites like www.AcePerHead.com would argue that he can probably start for at least 11 of the teams in the league. (Buffalo, Oakland, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Houston, Cleveland, Jets, St Louis, Tampa Bay, Chicago, and Washington) His salary is going to count a few million against the cap, and the Dolphins do not have the luxury of having a war chest of cap space this upcoming season, so they will probably need to part ways and possibly draft a younger and cheaper backup in the middle rounds.
Daniel Thomas was cut after the pre-season, but due to Moreno’s early-season injury the team re-signed him. Thomas filled in but did nothing to merit another season on the roster. The undrafted rookie Williams is cheaper and has more upside, and Miami will probably use one of their drafts picks to draft another back since Hickey has a knack for finding running backs from the college ranks.
Satele filled in well when Pouncey was injured and unable to play at the beginning of the season. He even played well enough to allow him to remain at the center and move Pouncey to guard. However, Pouncey often struggled at the guard position this season, so most football gambling fans would argue that Miami should move Pouncey back to the center where he earned pro bowl honors in the past, and release Satele and find a replacement at guard through free agency.
Jason Fox was a backup lineman, but after injuries and poor play from Smith and Thomas, Fox got the opportunity to play. In the grand scheme of things he played better than Smith and Thomas, and Smith is most likely going to be cut, so it would be smart to at least resign Fox since he can provide some much-needed depth on the offensive line.
Jason Trusnik has been in the league for 8 seasons and he has been apart of the Dolphins since 2011. He does not do anything particularly special, however, he is a hard-working football player that rarely makes mistakes. When he finally got his chance to start this season, he did a very solid job at linebacker. He provides much-needed depth and proved that he can start and play well when his number is called.
Kelvin Sheppard was an add on late in the season when the line-backing unit had its second wave of injuries, but he did nothing to prove that he is more than a fill-in, so Miami will most likely part ways with him.
Jimmy Wilson, filled in admirably at safety when Jones was serving his 4 game suspension, and then when Jones came back he was moved back to his more natural nickel position. Wilson has been a dependable player for the past 4 years, and Miami is already thin in the secondary, so it would be wise to try to work out a contract extension so he can remain a Dolphin next season.
Derrick Shelby is third on the depth chart behind Wake and Vernon and provided some production in the pass rush with 3 sacks this season. Depending on what Miami’s plans are for Dion Jordan, Shelby may not be re-signed in order to save some money and give Jordan more playing time. Also, he did have an issue with the law, so it will be interesting to see how Miami values Shelby.
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James, Freeny, and Stanford are all backup players, who will probably not command a lot of money, so depending on how Miami feels about these players will determine if they are retained by the team. Freeny was the only one of the three players to receive significant playing time, and he was nothing special.
That sums up Miami’s free agents, so it will be interesting to see who gets re-signed and who gets cut. There will be other players on Miami’s roster that get cut, even though they are not free agents, the first two that come immediately to mind are Wheeler and Ellerbe. Only time will tell how Miami’s 2015 roster will take shape.
