The Miami Dolphins lost a wealth of talent in free agency when Christian Wilkins, Robert Hunt, Andrew Van Ginkel, among others, left for higher paying contracts elsewhere. But the moves the team made in the wake of those departures impressed ESPN’s Seth Walder.
In an article published Tuesday, Walder gave the Dolphins an “A-” for their 2024 offseason. Miami was one of only five teams in the NFL to receive a grade higher than a “B+.”
“The deal I really like is for Fuller, a reliable veteran corner who is costing the Dolphins only $15 million for two seasons with just $8 million fully guaranteed,” Walder wrote. “He allowed 1.3 yards per coverage snap (average for a corner) or better in each of the past five seasons, per NFL Next Gen Stats. I’m less excited about Brooks, considering his 35% run stop win rate was unspectacular and he struggled in coverage prior to 2023.”
Two of the Dolphins’ AFC East rivals fared similarly in the last few months, in Walder’s opinion. He gave the New England Patriots an “A-” as well and the New York Jets got a “B+.” But the reigning division champs, the Buffalo Bills” got a “C+.”
“Buffalo did not have a ton of options after dealing [Stefon] Diggs, as it’s tight up against the salary cap this year and next,” Walder wrote. “But the Bills didn’t have to trade Diggs, and once they did, they should have looked at a higher-caliber veteran at the position.”
The Dolphins have continued rounding out their roster into June, adding safety Marcus Maye and defensive lineman Calais Campbell in the last week.
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