The NFL free agent period for 2014 starts officially on Tuesday and the Miami Dolphins have targets in Target Branden Albert, Darren McFadden, Julian Edelman, LeGarrette Blount and TJ Ward from the Cleveland Browns as well as names like Maurice Jones-Drew and Justin Tuck, as the franchise has money to burn and they could spend for the second year in a row.
Last season the Dolphins made a splash with Mike Wallace, Dannell Ellerbe and Phillip Wheeler as new signings and while some of those players performed well, the team missed the playoffs yet again and now they are looking to improve this offseason. The offensive line is clearly a mess with the Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin situation and that means the team will likely look there for support and Albert appears to be coming to South Beach already.
Last season there were trade rumors about Albert coming from the Chiefs since he has a home in Miami and now it looks like he will be signing there. The team has over $30 million in cap space and according to Pro Football Talk, Albert will be looking to sign with Miami and he plans on doing it on Tuesday after the deadline window opens. The Dolphins have had major issues at left tackle since they let Jake Long go and with Eric Fisher coming in as a number one pick last season, the Chiefs are content to let Albert walk.
The Dolphins have a number of their own free agents and some names the team may look to keep includes Randy Starks, Chris Clemons and Tyson Clabo and with the money they have they still should be able to spend while keeping some of their own players. The team gave up nearly 60 sacks last season and with the team ranking 26th in rushing, the offensive line is going to get a huge boost from the front office no matter what.
The team needs a running back ahead of Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas and McFadden could be an option if his asking price is not too high, while Maurice Jones-Drew and Ben Tate could fit in under the same circumstances. The Dolphins may wait until the draft to look at that position and ESPN.com reports that Carlos Hyde, Tre Mason and Jeremy Hill could be options for the team. Last season Mason had over 1,800 yards, while Hyde had 1,521 yards and they each had 15 touchdowns or more on the season, with Mason adding 23.
Julian Edelman, LeGarrette Blount and TJ Ward are all solid targets and if Clemons leaves, the team will need a new safety option and Ward or Jairus Byrd could be it. Blount and Edelman are two Patriots looking for contracts and the Dolphins could be open to signing those players as well.