Twelve realities that have become clear a week into Jon-Eric Sullivan\u2019s first foray into free agency as Dolphins general manager:<\/p>\n
\u25aa Sullivan sees value in adding 20-something players who were good starters at one point but haven\u2019t achieved as much since.<\/p>\n
That was the case with receiver Tutu Atwell and Jalen Tolbert, who had career years in 2024 but fell off last season partly because of injuries (in Atwell\u2019s case) and fewer snaps (in Tolbert\u2019s case, after the Cowboys acquired George Pickens to pair with CeeDee Lamb).<\/p>\n
If the Dolphins get the 2024 versions of Atwell (42 receptions, 562 yards) and Tolbert (49 for 610, seven touchdowns), they will be great value rotation receivers, with Atwell providing an explosive deep threat and Tolbert delivering speed and a red zone target.<\/p>\n
The same could be said for former Plantation American Heritage cornerback Marco Wilson, who had three interceptions and an impressive 77.1 passer rating against as an Arizona Cardinals starter in 2022 but has fallen off since.<\/p>\n
Keep in mind that Wilson and Tolbert are only 27, Atwell 26.<\/p>\n
\u25aa Sullivan likes taking chances on former second-round draft picks, hoping there is more that can be extracted.<\/p>\n
He snagged five of them in his first two months on the job, with edge players Joshua Uche and David Ojabo, receivers Atwell and Terrace Marshall Jr. and safety Lonnie Johnson.<\/p>\n
Uche, picked 60th overall by New England in 2020, might still have untapped upside as a pass rusher; last season, he led the NFL in quarterback pressures per pass rush for players with similar snap counts.<\/p>\n
Ojabo, chosen 45th by Baltimore in 2022, has been a decent backup for the Ravens the past two seasons after his first two years were largely ruined by a torn Achilles sustained at Michigan\u2019s Pro Day and a torn ACL early in year two.<\/p>\n
The speedy Atwell (picked 57th by the Rams in 2021) has a sterling 14.6 average on 105 career catches. For perspective, that 14.6 career average would have ranked 15th among more than 150 NFL receivers last season.<\/p>\n
Johnson, selected 54th by Houston in 2019, is a serviceable stopgap at safety, though he\u2019s on his sixth team in five years.<\/p>\n
Marshall, the 59th pick in 2021, was a disappointment with Carolina and spent part of last season on the Eagles\u2019 practice squad. But he\u2019s only 25, had 10 receiving TDs from Joe Burrow in seven games in his last year at LSU and is worth a no-risk flyer.<\/p>\n
\u25aa You must be able to play multiple positions on the offensive line if you want to play here.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no coincidence that Sullivan\u2019s first offensive line addition was a player, the Chargers\u2019 Jamaree Salyer, who has extensive experience at both guard and tackle. Unless you\u2019re a star, this regime believes that roster spots, and spots on the game day active list, are too valuable to invest in single-position linemen.<\/p>\n
Salyer \u2013 who was the Chargers\u2019 second-best pass blocker last season, per PFF – potentially could serve as both a starting guard (if he wins the job) and Miami\u2019s No. 3 tackle. He has been an adequate NFL starter (better than that at times) at left tackle and right guard.<\/p>\n
\u25aa If you\u2019re over 30, you need not apply for a job here. At least not yet.<\/p>\n
Under Sullivan, the Dolphins so far have signed (or re-signed) 27 players. Not a single one is older than 30.<\/p>\n
Only one (Lonnie Johnson) is 30. Most are in their mid-to-late 20s.<\/p>\n
\u25aa You can pretty much rule out two prominent players for the Dolphins\u2019 pick at 11, but they could figure into the team\u2019s strategy in a significant way nonetheless.<\/p>\n
Though Sullivan says he will pick the best available player, two potential top-15 picks wouldn\u2019t make sense because of their position – Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.<\/p>\n
Though Kansas City signing Seattle\u2019s Kenneth Walker Jr. last week greatly lessens the chance of the Chiefs taking Love at No. 9, some draft analysts believe the Commanders will pick him at 7.<\/p>\n
But what if he\u2019s somehow on the board at 11 and a team selecting below Miami is enamored by a player that multiple ESPN analysts have compared to Saquon Barkley? Perhaps Miami could seize on that, trade down a bit and pick up another high draft choice.<\/p>\n
And what if a team with a pick in the teens or early 20s falls in love with Simpson and wants to grab him at 11? What if the Jets, who pick 16th, become enamored with Simpson and are determined to jump the Rams, who pick 13th and need to start planning for a post Matthew Stafford era?<\/p>\n
So Love and Simpson obviously wouldn\u2019t make sense for Miami, but they could be pawns to extract more draft picks.<\/p>\n
\u25aa If you\u2019re a defensive back, you can\u2019t be a smurf in the Sullivan regime.<\/p>\n
So far, Sullivan has signed nine defensive backs. Not a single one is shorter than 6 feet. Most are 6-1 or 6-2. The two holdover defensive backs he signed \u2013 Ethan Bonner and AJ Green – are 6-1 and 6-2 respectively.<\/p>\n
He bypassed re-signing 5-10 Kader Kohou and 5-11 Jack Jones.<\/p>\n
\u25aa Sullivan was serious when he said he wants competition.<\/p>\n
Miami has 12 cornerbacks before even going through the draft process.<\/p>\n
The Dolphins were the only team to sign two established veteran kickers, even though nobody would have thought twice if they had signed only one among Riley Patterson (27 of 29 on field goals last season) or Zane Gonzalez (19 of 22).<\/p>\n
Some Malik Willis critics have cited his signing as contradictory to Sullivan\u2019s remark that he wanted competition at quarterback. But signing someone who\u2019s the obvious heavy, heavy favorite to start wasn\u2019t a reason not to sign the most dynamic, athletically gifted unrestricted free agent quarterback at a salary that places him in the bottom third of NFL starters and at a 2026 cap hit that\u2019s close to the lowest among starters.<\/p>\n
\u25aa The Dolphins need help everywhere, but safety absolutely must be addressed in the first two days of the draft. And cornerback and edge very likely need to be, as well.<\/p>\n
With the veterans currently under contract, the only position that the Dolphins could not realistically make it through a season are safety, where only Johnson, special teams ace Zayre Anderson, Dante Trader Jr. and developmental players Omar Brown and Jordan Colbert are under contract.<\/p>\n