The Miami Dolphins are going to have to make major moves this offseason to get back under the salary cap. We take a look at the current roster as of January 23.
The Miami Dolphins are well into their 2024 offseason planning and preparation process after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card Round of the 2024 NFL playoffs. As the Chiefs prepare to face the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game on Sunday, Miami is looking forward to the start of free agency, the 2024 NFL Draft, and all of the administrative and personnel decisions that are looming.
A big piece of this offseason is going to be the shedding of salary cap money as the Dolphins move from somewhere around $45 to $50 million over the projected 2024 salary cap to a team with space to sign free agents, make trades, add draft picks, or any other move they may want to do. This is going to be an extremely busy offseason for Miami, who are going to need to add to a roster that struggled with injuries and execution down the stretch, but also will have to let talented players walk away because of the cap situation.
Last week, we began our look at Miami’s offseason with at look at the Dolphins’ players expected to hit the free-agent market this year. It is a long list, with 26 players projected to be unrestricted free agents when the new league year begins on March 13. Miami also has two players who could become free agents if the team does not extend a restricted free agent tender to them.
The Dolphins have already signed nine players to Reserve/Future contracts, essentially signing players who were not on active rosters to contracts that kick in with the start of the league year. The first group of eight signings included several of Miami’s practice squad players from during the season, including tackle Ryan Hayes, defensive tackle Brandon Pili, tight end Tanner Conner, and cornerback Ethan Bonner. The Dolphins then added free agent wide receiver Matthew Sexton, who has spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, and New England Patriots since going undrafted out of Eastern Michigan in 2021; he spent the 2023 season in the XFL.
Miami also has to worry about players retiring this offseason. Tackle Terron Armstead has hinted that he could be considering retirement, but that he has not made a decision yet. If Armstead were to retire, it would make Miami’s already rough salary cap situation worse.
Step two of our offseason breakdown of the Dolphins is a look at who is on the roster for 2024. Some of these players may become cap casualties as the team starts to create space, or the Dolphins could work to extend or restructure some of their contracts. Here is Miami’s roster as of January 23 as it will stand on March 13 when the new league year kicks in.
(Note: I have included the two Restricted Free Agents on the roster assuming Miami will tender both of them. The RFA Tenders are projected at $6.5M for a first-round tender, $4.6M for a second-round tender, and $2.8M for a right-of-first-refusal tender.)
Miami has 47 players on the roster, with the top 51 counting against the salary cap once the league year begins. Teams will be allowed to reach the 90-man offseason roster limit beginning on March 13.
Player name (Years remaining on contract, 2024 salary cap number, cap savings if released)
Quarterbacks (3)
Tua Tagovailoa (1, $23.3M, $0)
Skylar Thompson (2, $1M, $964K)
Mike White (1 year, $5.2M, $3.5M)
Running Backs (4)
De’Von Achane (3, $1.2M, $520K)
Chris Brooks (2, $915K, $914K)
Raheem Mostert (1, $3.4M, $2.7M)
Jeff Wilson, Jr. (1, $3.7M, $2.9M)
Fullback (1)
Alec Ingold (3, $4.3M, $2M)
Tight Ends (3)
Tanner Conner (Future / 2, $985K, $985K)
Julian Hill (2, $919K, $910K)
Durham Smythe (2, $4.9M, $1.6M)
Wide Receivers (6)
Erik Ezukanma (2, $1.2M, $804K)
Tyreek Hill (3, $31.3M, -$22.3M)
Braylon Sanders (Future / 2, $915K, $915K)
Anthony Schwartz (Future / 1, $985K, $985K)
Matthew Sexton (Future / 2, $795K, $795K)
Jaylen Waddle (1, $8.6M, $23)
Offensive Linemen (8)
Terron Armstead (3, $20.2M, -$3.9M)
Lester Cotton (1, $1.1M, $1.1M)
Liam Eichenberg (1, $2.6M, $1.8M)
Ryan Hayes (Future / 2, $915K, $915K)
Chasen Hines (Future / 2, $915K, $915K)
Austin Jackson (5, $4.6M, -$7.2M)*
Robert Jones (RFA)
Kion Smith (1, $985K, $985K)
*Jackson’s contract has five years remaining, but the last two of those are voided years designed to spread his signing bonus over additional seasons.
Defensive Linemen (2)
Brandon Pili (Future / 2, $915K, $915K)
Zach Sieler (3, $10.7M, -$4M)
Linebackers (10)
Jerome Baker (3, $14.8M, $9.8M)*
Quinton Bell (Future / 1, $985K, $985K))
Bradley Chubb (4, $26.9M, -$15.6M)
Cameron Goode (1, $915K, $915K)
David Long, Jr. (1, $6.7M, $4.5M)
Emmanuel Ogbah (2, $17.7M, $13.7M)
Jaelan Phillips (1, $4.6M, $0)
Duke Riley (1, $3.1M, $2.5M)
Channing Tindall (2, $1.4M, $951K)
Zeke Vandenburgh (2, $961K, $960K)
*Baker’s contract has three years remaining, but the last two of those are voided years designed to spread his signing bonus over additional seasons.
Cornerbacks (6)
Ethan Bonner (Future / 2, $915K, $915K)
Keion Crossen (1, $3M, $3M)
Xavien Howard (4, $25.9M, 2.8M)*
Kader Kohou (1, $995K, $985K)
Jalen Ramsey (4, $27.3M, -$5.3M)**
Cam Smith (3, $1.6M, -$1.1M)
*Howard’s contract has four years remaining, but the last year is a voided year designed to spread his signing bonus over an additional year. Howard is a candidate to be designated a June 1 cap cut, a move that would give Miami no immediate salary-cap relief, but would generate $18.5M in cap space this season beginning on June 2. That money could be the Dolphins’ draft class cap space and the team’s emergency fund for during the season.
**Ramsey’s contract has four years remaining, but the last two of those are voided years designed to spread his signing bonus over additional seasons.
Safeties (2)
Elijah Campbell (RFA)
Jevon Holland (1, $2.8M, $1.8M)
Kicker (1)
Jason Sanders (4, $4.5M, $2.4M)*
*Sanders’s contract has four years remaining, but the last year is a voided year designed to spread his signing bonus over an additional year.
Long Snapper (1)
Blake Ferguson (3, $1.3M, $850K)
All contract information via OverTheCap.com.
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