Still Quiet on the Evan Mathis Front

Jimmy Bourbon

9 years ago

Most of the pay per head bookie service sites like AcePerHead.com are aware that the Phins were very close to completing a pre-draft day trade that would have sent former Pro-Bowl Guard Evan Mathis to the Miami Dolphins. However, the Dolphins’ main bargaining chip Dion Jordan received a full-year suspension, which ended up suspending any chances of the Dolphins acquiring Mathis via trade. Fortunately for the Dolphins, the Eagles were in a contract stalemate with Mathis, and on June 11^th he was released. Now fast forward 2 weeks and Mathis is still available as a free agent.

According to Mathis’ agent Drew Rosenhaus, there have been at least 10 teams that have showed significant interest in signing Mathis, and the Dolphins have been one of those teams. Obviously, this number may be lower, because Rosenhaus wants Mathis to get as much money as possible, so it is in both of their best interests to create a bidding war. With two weeks already having passed since Mathis was released, it appears that either Mathis is asking for too much money, or teams are willing to see how their respective mini-camps go before they are willing to invest in a Guard that is nearing the end of his career.

Earlier this week it was rumored that Tannehill directly spoke to the Dolphins front office in order to lobby for the phins to sign Mathis. The Dolphins currently have around $10 million in free cap space for the 2015 season, however, they are about $5 million over the cap next year and are considering letting the available cap space roll into next year. The Dolphins are in a win-now mode, and this coaching staff, in particular, needs a playoff appearance if they would like to still be in Miami next season. The Dolphins also just spent $96 million on giving Ryan Tannehill a new contract so it might be a wise idea to beef up the offensive line so they can protect their franchise QB. Tannehill is the most sacked QB over the last 3 seasons, and even though he has been an iron man by starting all 48 games, the chance of injuries increases the more times a QB is hit.

Lastly, the Dolphins have 3 unproven players in Turner, Thomas, and Douglas vying for the 2 starting Guard positions. There is an obvious lack of NFL experience in this group, and in a division where the Bills and Jets have one of the best defensive lines in the NFL, and the Patriots are the former Super Bowl champions, the Dolphins must be able to pass and run block successfully if they want to have a winning record.

The Dolphins have spent a significant amount of money this off-season, so what’s another $6-$8 million more a year for a top-rated player at a position that is the most glaring need on the entire team. The Dolphins need to find some way to get Mathis in South Florida. Most would say that he could be the final puzzle piece to help this team become a playoff team. What does the rest of the Miami Dolphin news gurus think about pulling out all the stops and signing Mathis?

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