Cuts? Here are just a few the Miami Dolphins should consider
Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com
The Miami Dolphins will be heading into free agency and making salary cap fixes before the NFL Draft, and a lot of Dolphins fans already know who will be staying and who will be going. The Dolphins finished the 2018 season 7-9 and there were times I felt like they were playoff contenders, but that all went up in smoke due to the incompetence of Adam Gase and inexcusable losses when the Dolphins needed the wins the most. Personally, I do think there are players that were listed as backups (that played better than starters) that deserve to stay and I’ll tell you who I think needs to be cut and who should Chris Grier consider keeping.
Ryan Tannehill– Since 2012 we’ve all seen that Tannehill is not the franchise quarterback for the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins will likely cut Tannehill this offseason, taking the cap hit this year and clearing the decks for the new regime to find their future franchise QB.
Danny Amendola– Amendola is a good locker room guy. BUT, he’s going to cost $6mil in 2019. I understand culture is important, but his production does not match his salary, which means he’s likely a goner.
Andre Branch– Since Branch was drafted by the Jags in 2012, he has not performed like he has when he was at Clemson. He had a good first year with the Dolphins, but hasn’t lived up to the 3 year contract he signed after that season. He has a cap hit of $9 mil this season, $7 mill of which can be saved if the Dolphins cut him.
Akeem Spence– Spence is due over $3 mil this coming season and has shown to be little more than a rotational player. The Dolphins can save all of his $3.25 mil if they cut him.
Robert Quinn – Sticking with the theme that a player is likely to be cut if his play doesn’t match his production, you can probably put Robert Quinn at the top of the list. He’s due just under $13 mil in 2019. Although he played well in 2018, he is a square peg for the round hole that will be Brian Flores’ defense. He’s not a scheme fit and he’s too expensive to build around.
Kiko Alonso – Alonso has good stats if you just look at the box score. However, he makes a lot of boneheaded plays (see: penalties & bad angles). he’s due over $8 mil in 2019 and with Baker and McMillan on the roster (and playing better), the Dolphins should seriously consider moving on from Kiko and saving almost $5 mil.
The Brian Flores hire was the right hire and he is the first head coach with a defensive background since Nick Saban, but let’s hope this turns out better and contend for an AFC East title and a playoff birth not just to get there, but win in the playoffs.
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I am not sure what you are thinking. Brock Osweiler is a FA and doesn’t need to be cut. Sam Young is a FA and doesn’t need to be cut. I would cut Ted Larsen who is contracted who is not on your list along with Josh Sitton for CAP savings. James is a FA as well but will be back at RT. He would be the best FA available for OL and the Dolphins would be stupid to let him walk. But he doesn’t need to be cut. Robert Quinn, another player you left off your list does need to be cut for CAP savings along with Andre Branch. Danny Amendola needs to be cut for CAP savings who is not on your list. Tannehill should be the number 1 player cut but the Dolphins may wait until June 1st designation for more CAP savings. You need to look up who is contracted and who is not before you write an article on who needs to be cut for only contracted players need to be cut, the others you just let walk to FA.