To spend or not to spend? That is, ultimately, the question. And while the temptation to embrace another spending spree lingers for a Dolphins team that may feel like they’re close to a big breakthrough, it seems as though the final marching orders on how this team will attack the 2021 offseason is up in the air. But according to the latest report, which comes from Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, it seems as though there’s been some sort of push from inside Miami’s deliberations to spend big once again. Jackson’s report dropped last night with this fascinating behind the curtain nugget:
“We hear there has been discussion inside the Dolphins about whether to clear out a lot of cap space and be very aggressive again in free agency.
At least one person is the Dolphins upper brass supports another spending spree, but a decision must still be made.” – Barry Jackson, Miami Herald
First and foremost, decoding who among Miami’s upper management is the champion of an aggressive offseason is an impossible chore. But someone amid Miami’s high-ranking officials apparently thinks another big spend is in order.
Such an offseason, with a “spending spree” involved, would push Miami back into familiar waters as a team — and that’s a dangerous game that we thought the Dolphins would be willing to put behind them. The Dolphins of the 2010s were constantly spending big and throwing money at the roster, but cap issues and lack of consistent success retaining their top talents and building an offensive line put a glass ceiling over the team. A second consecutive high-spend offseason in free agency would have Miami teetering on the brink of falling back into such conditions once more unless they knock their NFL Draft selections out of the park and see their 2020 rookie class take significant steps forward in Year 2.
Perhaps the Dolphins feel between the 2020 and 2021 NFL Drafts, the heavy lifting on breaking the trend is already done. Or perhaps they will indeed show restraint with their offseason plan. But whatever direction they choose to take will become apparent to everyone in the next few weeks — as the Dolphins and the rest of the league will open free agency in the middle of March.