The Miami Dolphins are looking to be spenders this offseason as they enter with plenty of salary cap space to burn. The team released high-priced players like Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson to make room for top free agents. The Dolphins have big plans in mind as they prepare to chase a few names, but are a few more moves in need of taking place before the Dolphins can officially make moves at the start of free agency?
After denying the defensive end the use of the franchise tag, Ndamukong Suh is not likely to return to the Detroit Lions. The team looks to be out of the running after his contract demands were simply too high to meet. So where could he land? Miami is hoping Suh likes South Beach. According to ESPN's Mark Dominik, the Dolphins have a real shot at signing Suh because of his relationship with general manager Dennis Hickey. Miami also has a leg up on being able to afford his mega-contract demands thanks to Florida's lack of taxes.
Miami needs a lot of free agency help and they need to decide if it is worth having one player eat up a majority of their cap space. If Suh seems like a realistic option, Mike Wallace has to go. The receiver simply cannot stay put if Suh's contract is coming on board. Miami has yet to make a decision about the receiver. After releasing both Hartline and Gibson, it would seem unlikely for the team to also let go of Wallace considering they would just be left with Jarvis Landry. However, having both Wallace and Suh on board would kill the team's chances of making any other significant upgrades.
The Dolphins are also considered a strong landing spot for DeMarco Murray who is preparing to exit the Dallas Cowboys. NFL.com lists Miami as a strong landing spot as they look to build around Ryan Tannehill. The team has Lamar Miller returning. He has shown some great potential, but Murray is an obvious upgrade for Tannehill to work with. The Dolphins could opt to re-sign Knowshon Moreno who sat out with injuries for most of last season. He would be cheaper, but he is also an unknown in terms of health.
The Dolphins need to add another wide receiver. They need to add a cornerback to the mix and they need a top linebacker. Suh and Murray would be nice, but they might be too expensive to make it worth it.