Five Logical Dolphins Free Agent Targets

The 2025 NFL free agency legal negotiating period opens Monday, and the Miami Dolphins have a lot of roster holes to fill.

The team needs starters at interior defensive line, linebacker, cornerback, offensive guard, safety, and in-line tight end. The depth chart also must be filled out at running back, wide receiver, quarterback, and edge rusher.

Before the craziness starts next week, we’ve decided to break down five free agents the Dolphins should consider signing.

5 Free Agents Miami Dolphins Should Pursue

Tre’von Moehrig, S, Las Vegas Raiders

Safety is arguably the Dolphins’ biggest need since both of last year’s starters, Jevon Holland and Jordan Poyer, are unrestricted free agents. Holland is the harder of the two to replace, but Tre’von Moehrig is the best option on the free agent market.

Moehrig has developed into an incredibly versatile and productive player through four years with the Raiders.

Last season, he played 439 snaps in the box, 361 at free safety, and 191 in the slot. All of those snaps helped him record 10 pass breakups, two interceptions, 104 total tackles, two forced recoveries, one sack, and 10.5 run stuffs.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Moehrig’s profile is how many snaps he played. He was on the field for 98.7 of the Raiders’ defensive snaps last season and has played in all 17 games in three out of his four years in the league.

Miami has gotten incredibly unlucky with injuries on defense the past two seasons, so targeting someone with Moehrig’s durability should be a priority.

The last noteworthy positive for Moehrig is his age. He won’t turn 26 until June, and he’s gotten better in pretty much every season. The Dolphins could give him a long-term deal and feel good about it aging well, which is rare for free agent contracts.

Moehrig made $3.4 million last season.

Will Fries, IOL, Indianapolis Colts

If safety isn’t the Dolphins’ biggest need heading into free agency, then it’s offensive guard. Last year’s starters, Liam Eichenberg and Robert Jones, are unrestricted free agents and were below-average players.

Will Fries is one of the better guard options hitting the market and would be an excellent fit in the Dolphins’ outside zone scheme. A seventh-round pick by the Colts in the 2021 NFL draft, Fries broke into the lineup in 2022, starting in nine games.

He held down the starting right guard job for all of 2023 and took a huge step forward in his development, as he allowed just four sacks that season.

Fries was poised to have a career year in 2024 but suffered a broken tibia in Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In his four games before injury, Fries had allowed just six quarterback pressures and three hurries.

Obviously, durability has been a significant problem on the Dolphins’ offensive line, so Fries’ recent injury isn’t ideal. Still, young players (Fries will turn 26 in April) who are good scheme fits and have high-quality film are always worth considering.

If Miami is scared about Fries’ medical history, it could sign a versatile offensive lineman like Daniel Brunskill to back him up.

Fries' 2024 base salary was $3.1 million.

Dre Greenlaw, LB, San Francisco 49ers

The Dolphins hit a home run by signing Jordyn Brooks in free agency last offseason but couldn’t find him a viable running mate.

David Long Jr. struggled so much he was cut midseason, and while Anthony Walker and Tyrel Dodson had some admirable performances, they’re not ideal long-term options. Greenlaw is another player who had an injury-riddled 2024 season.

He spent most of the season recovering from a torn Achilles he suffered in Super Bowl 58. He returned in Week 15 against the Rams but injured his calf in Week 16 against the Dolphins, ending his season.

Before the injury, Greenlaw was on track to becoming one of the best linebackers in the league. In 2023, he recorded 120 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, 4.5 run stuffs, four passes defended, and two interceptions.

dAchilles injuries are hard to recover from, so it seems unlikely that Greenlaw will ever return to his peak. That said, the Dolphins don’t need Greenlaw to be a dominant player. They just need someone who can provide average play next to Brooks.

It’s a small sample size, but Greenlaw performed incredibly well in Week 15 against the Rams last season. He recorded seven tackles and four run stops on just 30 snaps.

Greenlaw’s injury could benefit the Dolphins since it will likely drive down his price after he made $8.1 million last year. Miami could sign him to a one-year prove-it deal and choose to extend him during the season if he stays healthy.

Greenlaw is a risk, but he’s just 27 years old and would be paired with a player who can carry the load in the middle of the field. The Dolphins have so many needs they’ll need to make concessions in some areas.

Poona Ford, IDL, Los Angeles Chargers

The Dolphins need a lot of help on the interior of the defensive line. Zach Sieler is locked in, but most of the team’s contributors from last season are hitting the open market.

Signing Poona Ford as a nose tackle is a good place to start for a team that needs to get stronger in the trenches. Ford had a career resurgence with the Los Angeles Chargers last season after flaming out with the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills.

He figures to get a hefty raise after making $1.8 million on a one-year deal in 2024.

Betting on players like that is risky, but the Dolphins are an excellent landing spot for Ford. The Chargers’ defensive coordinator, Jesse Minter, comes from the Mike Macdonald coaching tree, just like Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.

Ford’s box score numbers won’t blow anyone away, but he was decently productive last season, considering his role. He recorded 25 total tackles, three sacks, 14 hurries, and 25 run stops.

That last stat is the most important one for the Dolphins. Ford, who weighs 310 pounds, is incredibly hard to move in the middle of the line. He does an excellent job keeping linebackers clean and will stack and shed blocks to make his own plays.

If the Dolphins want to run Weaver’s scheme to the best of their abilities, they need to add a player with Ford’s skill set this offseason.

Marcus Mariota, QB, Washington Commanders

If it wasn’t apparent to the Dolphins already, last season nailed home the value of having a reliable backup quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa is good when he’s on the field, but he’s played one full season in his career and has suffered a myriad of injuries.

The Dolphins need to add a capable QB2 and developmental QB3 this offseason, and Mariota falls into the former category. He spent last season with the Commanders, playing just 106 snaps and made zero starts, after signing a one-year, $6 million contract.

However, he saw significant action in Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers and Week 18 against the Dallas Cowboys. Mariota performed well in both games, completing roughly 80 percent of his passes for 366 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

He also added 90 rushing yards and one touchdown on 16 total carries. That mobility should appeal to the Dolphins. Mariota would give the Dolphins something different to throw at teams if Tagovailoa goes down.

Plus, if the Dolphins wanted to, Mariota could have his own package in short-yardage situations. We saw the Commanders get creative using him in short-yardage situations, even when Jayden Daniels was healthy.

Mariota hasn’t played significant snaps since appearing in 13 games in 2022 with the Atlanta Falcons, but even those numbers hold up well for a backup. He completed 61.3 percent of his passes for 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Mariota isn’t a long-term QB2 solution for the Dolphins, but he would be far better than some combination of Tyler Huntley, Mike White, Tim Boyle, and Skylar Thompson.

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