[jwplayer k2NWU37M-ThvAeFxT]
Coming into the 2020 NFL free agency window, the Miami Dolphins were the leaders in the clubhouse as far as spending power. Miami boasted nearly $100M in salary cap space at their disposal — and they didn’t exactly waste any time getting to spending it. The Dolphins, with their first wave of free agent additions in tow, have significantly boosted the team’s personnel on the defensive side of the football.
But that, of course, comes at a cost. And after the flurry of signings that saw the Dolphins pluck Byron Jones, Shaq Lawson, Kyle Van Noy and others off the market, the Dolphins’ cap situation is looking a bit different than it did a week ago.
Here’s the good news — Miami is still in great shape. Depending on what resource you visit, the Dolphins are listed to have somewhere between $47M and $49M in salary cap space. That number will dip once the Dolphins’ 2020 NFL Draft class is in the building; Miami will require somewhere around $18M in cap space to sign their entire rookie class — assuming they keep all of their NFL Draft capital.
But the Dolphins’ long-term forecast is still bright. The team can add nearly $10M in cap space by cutting WR Albert Wilson. An additional $20M in cap space is tied up into dead cap for players who are no longer on the roster. The most notable among that group is safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and Reshad Jones, who combine for $13M in dead cap. That $20M will become available to the Dolphins in 2021.
So by the time the 2021 free agency window rolls around, the Dolphins are likely to be looking at owning somewhere around $50M in cap space — barring another big signing or acquisition of a veteran along the way. With heavy guaranteed cash for big names in 2020 and 2021, the Dolphins will easily be able to pivot, part ways with underachieving talent and replenish cap space for the long haul if needed. But hopefully it won’t come to that and each of Miami’s big name signings lives up to the expectations their new contracts command.