Tag: Connor Williams

2024 NFL Free agency: The most underrated offensive players

2024 NFL Free agency: The most underrated offensive players (via @NFL_DougFarrar):

When the new league year begins at 4:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 13, the NFL’s legal tampering period will already have gone on for two days, and several top-tier free agents will be off the market… hypothetically, of course.

There are multiple levels to free agency, of course. The big names and best players are generally picked off as quickly as possible, and then, it’s musical chairs for the best of the rest — and this where smart teams will have their eyes on the ideal value guys who can come in without a great deal of fanfare and solidify positions of need.

These are the players we’re choosing to focus on here. These players are not at the top of most free-agent list for the 2024 league year, but make no mistake — they can be key contributors to any team they’re on.

We’ll begin with the most underrated impending free agents on offense.

Dolphins will have plenty of offensive line options in draft

The combine showcased a number of offensive linemen that could make perfect Dolphins.

The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine has concluded after a week of measurements, interviews, evaluations and on-field workouts of top prospects. NFL coaches and general managers will now take all their notes and the film that comes with it as they construct their updated draft boards before late April’s annual selection meeting, otherwise known as the NFL Draft.

Coinciding this week with the deadline to designate potential franchise tag players, the Dolphins have a lot of due diligence ahead, as this is a massively important draft for the franchise and general manager Chris Grier.

With the recent news that they won’t utilize a franchise tag on defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, Miami and Grier may have to look to other markets to replace the 2019 13th overall pick. Whether that’s the draft or free agency is yet to be determined, but should Wilkins walk in free agency, Miami must do whatever they can to fill those cleats.

Regardless of the defensive line and the Wilkins drama, the combine featured outstanding prospects on the opposite side of the line, that being offensive. With Miami also not guaranteed to re-sign right guard Robert Hunt or center Connor Williams, the Dolphins have major needs within the offensive trench. Further adding to this would be the often-injured veteran, yet elite when available left tackle, Terron Armstead.

So, one could argue that heading into the free agency period and even the draft, Miami could be very much in need of one or two starters on the line and an insurance policy as well, should Armstead return for 2024.

Looking at the crop of prospects this weekend, many linemen caught the national eye while doing their drills and speaking to the media. Most notably, Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson, who arguably has been the most talked about non-skill position player dating back to even the Senior Bowl.

Even on Monday morning on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football, Peter Schrager expressed his thoughts on what could be a generational class of offensive linemen.

“My big takeaway from the 2024 Combine is that it’s the greatest offensive line draft class we’ve seen in some time… maybe ever. There are twelve- yes, twelve- guys who I could see get taken on Day One,” Schrager said.

This could be music to Dolphins fans’ collective ears, as many have been banging the drum for a dominant offensive lineman, especially in the middle at center.

Beyond Powers-Johnson, another interior lineman making waves is West Virginia’s Zach Frazier.

Frazier could be a fine fallback should Powers-Johnson be selected before Miami’s first-round pick at No. 21. Their second-round pick at No. 55 is an area to focus on guys like Frazier, and even Kansas State’s Cooper Beebe could be options should Miami not get a first-round lineman.

Another name to watch if Miami opts to go another way in the first round would be guard Christian Haynes from UConn, who even played a bit of center during the Senior Bowl.

Back to those potential Day 1 selections, Miami will not have a chance at the top tier like Joe Alt of Notre Dame, and it looks like Taliese Fuaga of Oregon State, as well as Troy Fautanu of Washington, raised their stock with their combine performances. Fuaga is definitely a top-20 pick, and if Fautau is available at No. 21, Miami must strongly consider.

So, if the Dolphins are focusing on a top-tier lineman at No. 21, there very easily could be five to seven of these guys selected before Miami gets a chance to make a pick. Add in names like Georgia’s Amarius Mims, Alabama’s J.C. Latham and Penn State’s Olumuyiwa Fashanu, and that number of 12 names referenced by Schrager for Day One offensive linemen, could hit.

Moreso in Miami’s exact range in round one could be Graham Barton out of Duke. Barton had a Combine Total Score of 87, which ranks him first in that metric and Production Score of 81. He ranked third in Athleticism Score. Barton projects as a late Day-One pick, and Miami could even be in trade-down territory should the above names all be gone by No. 21.

Should Miami entertain a trade back to the mid or late-20s, Barton and Oklahoma Sooner tackle Tyler Guyton could still be there. He could be an option with his ability to play left should Armstead call it a career. Even if Armstead returns, Guyton is a player who could learn from the veteran and, of course, provide sporadic starts. In a pinch, he could play the right side as well.

It seems like there are a very safe 10 names that could be Day One offensive linemen selections, and should teams react to these players flying off the board, you never know if another surprise name or two moves from Day Two to top-32 as the evaluation process continues into March.

Make no mistake; the Dolphins have plenty of needs, especially with the potential of players not returning, so these next several weeks of preparation are extremely important and significant for this franchise’s immediate and foreseeable future.

4 Dolphins make Touchdown Wire’s top 101 free agents of 2024

4 of Miami’s free agents among Touchdown Wire’s top 101 hitting the market.

The Miami Dolphins have a huge free-agent class this offseason, as 29 of their players are set to hit the market when the new league year starts.

Some key members of their roster, including Christian Wilkins and Robert Hunt, who often battled during practices and training camp, could be finding new homes in the next month, but Dolphins general manager Chris Grier will try his best to keep his team intact.

Touchdown Wire recently released their rankings of the top 101 free agents for 2024 and four Dolphins made the list: Wilkins, Hunt, Andrew Van Ginkel and Connor Williams.

Here’s a quick look at where they ranked:

Dolphins Connor Williams’ agent says he could wait to sign this offseason

Dolphins center might be willing to wait to sign with a team this offseason.

Miami Dolphins center Connor Williams was having one of the better years of his career in 2023 before he suffered a torn ACL just six snaps into the team’s Week 13 battle with the Tennessee Titans.

Williams is set to hit free agency this offseason after spending the last two seasons with Miami on a deal that paid him $14.04 million, but he held out for more before the year, so he’ll be looking for more than the $7.02 million he was making annually on his next contract.

Speaking on WQAM’s “The Joe Rose Show,” Williams’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, shared some information on the center’s offseason plans.

“I do think that we’re going to be very methodical and take our time relative to the contract,” Rosenhaus said (transcribed by the Miami Herald’s Daniel Oyefusi). “A lot of it may be predicated on how Connor is feeling physically. He may not be a player who signs at the very start of free agency. He may take more time based on how he’s feeling physically.

“Connor’s situation has a degree of uncertainty that’s going to be tied to how he’s feeling. And really, we’ll just take it one day at a time once we get into the offseason. But I’m not sure that that is one that’ll be resolved as quickly as some of the other players that we represent.”

This may be good for Miami for two reasons.

First, it allows the teams that are going to be big spenders this offseason to get their big contracts out of the way first, meaning there could be less competition for Williams’ services later in the offseason.

Second, the Dolphins could get some cap relief with a post-June 1 relief of cornerback Xavien Howard. If Williams were to wait that long to be signed, a portion of the savings ($18.5 million) from Howard’s dismissal could be used to re-sign the center to a long-term deal.

ESPN projects best landing spots for 3 Dolphins free agents

ESPN projects best fits for 3 Dolphins free agents, and fans really won’t like one of them.

With the start of the 2024 NFL free agency period less than a month away, the Miami Dolphins have 29 players who are set to hit the market and potentially find new homes among the 31 other teams.

This week, ESPN’s Matt Bowen projected the best fits for his top 50 free agents this year, and three Dolphins appeared on his list – defensive lineman Christian Wilkins (No. 5), right guard Robert Hunt (No. 14) and center Connor Williams (No. 43).

Here’s where Bowen thinks all three would thrive in 2024 beyond:

Dolphins free agent profile: Should Miami bring Connor Williams back?

What should the Dolphins do with Connor Williams?

The Miami Dolphins have 29 players who are expected to hit free agency in March, including an offensive lineman who suffered a torn ACL during this past season – Connor Williams.

Williams, 26, originally entered the NFL as a second-round selection of the Dallas Cowboys in 2018 following a collegiate career at Texas that included an All-American season in 2016.

During his four seasons with Dallas, Williams played both guard positions, but he did lose time in just his second year due to a torn ACL and was often criticized for his penalty issues.

The Dolphins signed Williams to a two-year, $14 million deal in 2022 to be the team’s starting center, a position that he never played before. He played every single snap in his first season with Miami, but a groin injury and another torn ACL, the second of his professional career, cut his season short at only nine games played.

Williams held out from mandatory minicamp prior to the start of the 2023 season for a new contract, but he returned to the field for training camp without any guarantees.

After suffering an injury that cost him the remainder of the season and might’ve impacted his free-agent market this offseason, it wouldn’t be surprising if Williams had a sour taste in his mouth about the last 12 months.

According to Spotrac, Williams should receive a deal that’s roughly $67.68 million over five years ($13.54 annually), which would be nearly double what he was making the last two seasons.

The center has been good when he’s on the field (aside from a few poor snaps here and there), there’s no doubt about that, but should the Dolphins be willing to pay nearly twice their current rate for that performance? It’s up for debate.

Miami doesn’t have any depth at the position under contract right now. Liam Eichenberg filled in for a bit, but it wasn’t necessarily something the Dolphins should want to see each and every week. That plays into Williams’ side of the negotiations.

General manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel could look elsewhere, at other free agents or a rookie coming into the league, to replace the former Texas Longhorn. It might not be ideal, but that might be the best for the team considering their current cap position heading into 2024.

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Ranking 2024’s top 12 free-agent interior offensive linemen

The Panthers’ interior offensive line was decimated by injuries at both guard positions. They’ll keep that in mind this spring.

If any team knows about the importance of interior offensive line depth, it’s the 2023 Carolina Panthers—who fielded six different starters at left guard and seven different starters at right guard. So while Brady Christensen and Austin Corbett will both likely be back, there’s still some work to be done.

Here are the best interior hog mollies the Panthers could take a look at in free agency:

Projected market value for 5 Dolphins entering free agency

Spotrac has projected the market values of 5 Dolphins expected to hit free agency.

The Miami Dolphins are set to have 29 players hit free the market this March, meaning they could be losing a big chunk of the roster that had them in contention for the division and the second seed in the conference up until the last week of the regular season.

While negotiations are always unpredictable, Spotrac has projected market value’s for a few of the Dolphins free agents.

Here’s what deals might look like for some members of the aqua and orange hitting free agency in just a few weeks.

Titans named potential landing spot for 4 free-agent O-linemen

PFF’s Brad Spielberger believes the Titans are a potential landing spot for four free-agent offensive linemen.

The Tennessee Titans have had one of the worst offensive lines in the sport the last three years, which will send them back to the drawing board in 2024 in the hopes they can improve things upfront for quarterback Will Levis.

Of last year’s starting group, only 2023 first-round pick and left guard Peter Skoronski is locked into a starting role.

The Titans will definitely make a change at left tackle, where Andre Dillard was the league’s worst in 2023, and starting center Aaron Brewer, who struggled in pass protection, is set to hit free agency.

The good news is, the Titans may have a pair of in-house solutions on the right side. Right guard Daniel Brunskill and right tackle Dillon Radunz are both under contract, but neither should be considered a lock to start, despite solid showings overall.

The Titans figure to add to their offensive line in the draft, with the almost universal hope among fans being the team can land Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt with the No. 7 overall pick to alleviate their biggest need.

But Tennessee will navigate free agency first, where they are also expected to add some help upfront.

Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger recently speculated that the Titans are a potential landing spot for four free-agent linemen. Here’s a look at who they are and our thoughts on each:

30 free agents Cowboys should try to sign in offseason

After over a decade of passivity, will Jerry and Stephen Jones actually be players on the free agent market? If so, here’s a collection of top talent that fits the Cowboys’ roster holes. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys are going all in, allegedly. That’s what owner Jerry Jones said from Mobile Alabama as the team’s brass is attending the week of Senior Bowl workouts. Now, there’s a lot of wiggle room to what that could mean. With the team staring at three cornerstone pieces ripe for new contracts, Jones’ statement doesn’t have to necessarily refer to bringing in outside talent.

Based on his inglorious track record of double talk, Jones could easily clarify his statement after the first wave of free agency by referring to new deals for Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons as going all in. But let’s pretend that for the first time in over a decade, Dallas decides to be actual players in that first wave and compete for some of the bigger names to hit the open market.

Who has a chance to hit the open market? Who are some of the fits? Here’s a list of the top free agents of 2024 at the positions where Dallas could use an influx of more talent. This is a Cowboys-curated version of Pro Football Focus’ list of top free agents.