Dolphins free agents 2024: Walk, tag, re-sign – Eli Apple

The Miami Dolphins’ 2024 free agency list includes 27 players who are set to hit the open market. We break down what the Dolphins should do with each one, starting with cornerback Eli Apple.

The 2023 NFL season is in the rearview mirror, with the Kansas City Chiefs winning Super Bowl LVIII just over a week ago. As the calendar begins to move toward the 2024 offseason and the start of free agency, it is time to start taking a closer look at each of the players scheduled to become free agents from the Miami Dolphins’ roster.

The Dolphins have 29 players who could hit the open market this year, free to sign with another team when the new league year begins on March 13 at 4 p.m. ET. Two of those players are eligible to receive restricted free-agent tenders. At the same time, the other 25 7 will be unrestricted free agents if Miami does not sign them to a contract extension or use their one franchise tag. Over the next few weeks, we will work our way through those 27 players, giving you a chance to share your thoughts on what Miami should do with each of them.

We will start the annual “Walk, Tag, Re-Sign” series this afternoon with a look at cornerback Eli Apple. You can vote in the poll at the end of the article to give us your thoughts on what the Dolphins should do, and feel free to jump into the comments to discuss Apple’s future with the team as well.

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Biography

Eli Apple

Age (when season begins): 29

Draft: 2016 10th-overall pick by New York Giants

Experience: 8 years

Previous Teams:

• New York Giants (2016-2018)
• New Orleans Saints (2018-2019)
• Carolina Panthers (2020)
• Cincinnati Bengals (2021-2022)

Pro Bowls/All-Pro: None

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Expiring Contract

1-year, $3.5 million ($1.6 million cap)

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2023 Review

10 games played (4 starts)
46 tackles
0.5 sacks
9 passes defensed
1 interception

Apple signed with the Dolphins just after the start of training camp, providing the Dolphins with a veteran cornerback to replace Jalen Ramsey, who sustained a knee injury that could threaten his season. He allowed a 65.2 percent completion rate for receivers when he was targeted, the highest mark of his career (not including his two-game, three-target 2020 season with the Panthers). His 91.4 passer rating, when targeted, was down from last year’s 96.9, but was not close to the low 70s marks he established early in his career.

He served as the primary depth option for most of the season, filling in for Ramsey and Xavien Howard as injuries mounted during the season – but he was hidden whenever Miami could get away with not having him on the field, including not playing in three games and being inactive in four others.

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2024 Outlook

Apple is clearly on the backside of his career and, while he could be a valuable veteran option deep on a depth chart, he does not feel like a player who needs to be in the regular rotation for cornerbacks on a team. Even if the team moves on from Xavien Howard this year, Apple feels like someone who will be an option for a team to sign again when training camp injuries happen – not someone who will be a team priority when free agency begins. Apple’s career is winding down and likely will have to continue somewhere not in Miami in 2024.

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Walk, Tag, Re-Sign?

Walk. The Dolphins will need to address the cornerback position this offseason, but Apple is not the right player to provide a replacement for Howard or a depth option on the roster. Miami is better off finding what they have in Cam Smith rather than relying on Apple this season.

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