March 2, 2026, 1:13 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
The new league year is set to open in just over a week, and at that point, the Miami Dolphins<\/a> will have roughly 40 players hitting the market, and many will have the opportunity to sign with another team freely.<\/p>\n Among Miami’s large group of unrestricted free agents this offseason is guard Cole Strange, who could return to the Dolphins or sign another deal elsewhere.<\/p>\n Before the year kicks off, let’s take a look at the decision that new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley will have to make regarding Strange’s future.<\/p>\n Cole Strange 2025 season recap<\/p>\n Strange entered the NFL as a first-round pick (No. 29 overall) of the New England Patriots out of Chattanooga. After three seasons, the Patriots cut him, and he spent some time on the Cleveland Browns<\/a> practice squad early in 2025 before the Miami Dolphins<\/a> signed him to the active roster.<\/p>\n Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.<\/a><\/p>\n After Miami’s starting right guard, James Daniels, suffered a pectoral injury that ended his season just three snaps into the opener, and Kion Smith was benched in Week 3, Strange was named the starter.<\/p>\n He went on to start 14 games for the dolphins and earned a 54.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus<\/a>, which was good for 58th out of 81 qualified guards.<\/p>\n Potential replacements for Cole Strange<\/p>\n With Daniels already cut and the trio of Strange, Liam Eichenberg and Daniel Brunskill all hitting the market, Miami’s only starting guard options internally are Smith, Braeden Daniels and Josh Priebe, who are all on reserve\/futures contracts.<\/p>\n There are, however, plenty of options that they could sign in free agent, including Elijah Wilkinson, Daniel Faalele, Zion Johnson, David Edwards, Dylan Parham, Ed Ingram and Chris Paul.<\/p>\n What contract could Cole Strange receive in free agency?<\/p>\n Strange played the 2025 season on a one-year, $1.1 million contract, and after starting 14 games, he’s projected to receive a little bit of a bump. Spotrac<\/a> has Strange’s market value at $1.5 million annually, and they predict that he’ll sign another one-year contract for 2026.<\/p>\n Should the Dolphins re-sign Cole Strange?<\/p>\n Miami shouldn’t go into the season with the idea that Strange will be a starting guard, but if they use a pick on a guard on Day 2 or Day 3 of the 2026 NFL draft, they can bring back Strange on a cheap deal to either compete for the job or fill the backup role. With all of the offensive linemen set to leave, they could use the help.<\/p>\n