Dolphins to cheer for hated Patriot Asante Samuel in '08; Rex Grossman?
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The Miami Dolphins have a lot to address this off-season. They need help at virtually every position apart from running back. Ronnie Brown however, will be coming back from a very serious knee injury, which is never an easy task. See Edgerrin James. So, what seems to be the most secure position on the Dolphins roster, still has some liability.
First, lets consider the top pick in the NFL Draft in April. Miami and Bill Parcells can do whatever they want, either by selecting an excellent player, or trading down to receive more picks, and perhaps the same value. Speculations have been that Parcells and new General Manager Jeff Ireland do want to trade down to a team who might be thinking of drafting Arkansas running back Darren McFadden or Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, the two top skill position players in the draft.
Let’s say the Dolphins keep the top pick and draft defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey from LSU. That would immediately plug up the defensive line, free Jason Taylor and transform the defense in one easy step. So knowing that they can do that, where do the Miami Dolphins go first in free agency?
According to an MDBW poll, 42% of fans think the Dolphins need to address quarterback first. However, John Beck is only in his second year, and it would be unfair to judge him based on his rookie performance as apart the 2nd worst offense (points-wise) in the league. It didn’t help him either to have an injured running back and traded-away wide receiver. He is still a work in progress.
Trent Green says he is ready to come back and play another season at age 38. Green was alright before going down with a concussion against the Houston Texans, thus sidelining him for the season. I’d suggest keeping him as a backup, with Beck as third string, and bringing in a younger veteran to start.
Derek Anderson is the obvious name that comes to mind, but he is a restricted free agent, meaning the Dolphins would likely have to give up draft pick compensation for him as well as a big contract (like the Patriots gave up a 2nd and 7th round pick for Wes Welker last season). However, even though the Browns have Brady Quinn waiting in the wings, Anderson is likely to get a new contract or at the very least, the franchise tag.
 Rex Grossman, however, is a more viable option. Don’t shout at me yet. He was the victim of a bad offense, and a bad offensive coordinator who didn’t play to his strengths. Ron Turner has not done a good job of formulating a system to work around Grossman. He has a strong arm, but sometimes makes bad decisions. Look at the transition of Eli Manning—with the help of a good system and a talented offense (pending), Grossman could turn into the quarterback he was at Florida with the Dolphins.
Unlike the MDBW voters though, I don’t think quarterback should be the Miami Dolphins first move this offseason. It has become too common for us Dolphins fans to see big name free agents out there, and subsequent speculation of Dolphins’ interest in them, only to see nothing happen.
This offseason there are a number of defensive players out there who could immediately improve the Dolphins defense. Assuming Miami plugs Dorsey into the defensive line, and safety Yeremiah Bell comes back strong immediately improving the run defense and pass rush, a player like Asante Samuel of the Patriots would be an excellent addition opposite Will Allen at cornerback.
Samuel is an unrestricted free agent, and according to his contract cannot be given the franchise tag again by the Patriots. So, wherever he goes, whether it be with the Patriots or somewhere else, he is going to cost a pretty penny. But the Dolphins have over $25 million in cap room, so why not spend it and give him a long-term contract, pushing most of the cost towards the latter part?
As I said, he would be a huge upgrade to the Miami Dolphins secondary. The Phins need a ball-hawking corner like Samuel, and haven’t had one since Sam Madison was released, (although he had lost a step due to age anyway) and before that, Patrick Surtain was traded.
He is also very unlikely to be a New England Patriot in 2008 because of all the other player issues the Patriots have to deal with. Randy Moss is a free agent, and they are likely going to want to keep him. Along with that, Donte Stallworth will likely be cut, leading the Pats to resign UFA Jabar Gaffney. They also have to worry about UFA’s Tedy Bruschi, Larry Izzo, and Randall Gay.
The Dolphins absolutely need to pull a deal like this. They are weak in the secondary, and Samuel would be a perfect fit.
Other possible 2nd and 3rd tier free agents the Dolphins might be interested in: Dallas WR Patrick Crayon, Bears WR Bernard Berrian, Seahawks WR D.J. Hackett, Eagles TE L.J. Smith, Patriots CB Randall Gay, Cowboys CB Ken Hamlin, and Denver P Todd Sauerburn.
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