The Miami Dolphins are currently mired in a playoff push and hopeful in securing their first winning season since 2016. But this year’s team has a much different feel to it than the 2016 Dolphins, who went 10-6. The biggest reason why? The Dolphins of 2020 embraced the fact that they had to get worse before they could getter and endured a frustrating and challenging 2019 season to set the table for future successes — both in 2020 and beyond.
And while this year’s Dolphins team has already exceeded their 2019 win total by two with five additional games left to be played, some fans are already pondering what the ceiling of this team is. Admittedly, it isn’t as high as the ceiling of some of the league’s Super Bowl contenders in 2020. But that was always to be expected when you factor in Miami’s tear-down in 2020 and the team’s youth and inexperience at so many critical positions.
Miami’s defense has been a bright spot this season — but the offense seems to captivate everyone’s attention and demand their criticism despite Miami currently being on pace to log their 4th season in franchise history with over 400 points scored. Expectations are high with a young standout quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa and so much invested into the offensive line this past offseason.
Which raises the question of who might be a high-priced investment the Dolphins make for the unit in 2021?
Touchdown Wire has assembled the 2021 NFL All-Free Agent Team to spotlight the cream of the crop for the upcoming free agent class. And if you’re looking for targets for the Dolphins’ offense, good news! There are a couple of logical fits. Who stands out the most? Miami won’t sign all of these players, the ceiling would probably only be one out of the five. But the options offer plenty of intrigue.
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Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones
The Dolphins were reportedly tied to Melvin Gordon this past offseason as a potential free agent back. And the Dolphins’ 2-year, $10M signing of Jordan Howard (about as bad of a flop as we’ve seen Miami make since 2019) proves that the team isn’t afraid to pony up cash for a running back. Jones is like a juiced up version of Myles Gaskin; he’s a better athlete, he’s a better receiver, he’s more experienced and more productive.
And, well, he’ll be more expensive, too. By a ton. Spotrac estimates his 2021 market value to be somewhere around $13M per season. That’s a pretty penny to pay. But Jones, who is 25-years old, accounted for 1,500+ yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns in 2019 as the Packers’ feature back. He’s been used less frequently in 2020 and missed time with a lower body injury; but his per-touch production is in line with that monster 2019 season.
This is a hard sell based on the financials and given the fact that Jones was drafted in the 5th-round only seems to reinforce the idea that Miami should invest in volume at running back and allow the universe to align itself. But there’s no denying this is a big fit.