Street Free Agents or Bust? I’ll Bust

Street Free Agents or Bust? I’ll Bust

Over the weekend, one of the Dolphins’ senior beat writers suggested that it was easier to put together a competent team from current street free agents that would be better and more successful in 2026 than the current Miami roster.

In the words of Michael Jordan: “I took that personally.”

The realities of Omar Kelly’s two-pronged attack – via both podcast and newspaper article – are nuanced and require proper investigation, because it isn’t as simple as simply pulling a few names from Spotrac and pretending everything will be okay. And this isn’t me tearing down another journalist: I’ve known Omar a long time, and I enjoy his work and his company. It’s just looking at the facts.

And the facts of the matter, above and beyond anything else, are this: the Dolphins are cash-strapped. Our current pre-June 1st cap space is $1,531,976, which would rule out almost everyone on any free-agent list before we even get going.

Many of the better street free agents – Joey Bosa, Jadeveon Clowney, Bobby Wagner, Kyle Van Noy – will all sign with teams closer to the start of the season for fees far outweighing what Miami could offer. The sedentary nature of their springs and early summers is more about resting old bodies rather than a lack of league-wide interest.

Secondly, from his very first press conference, Jon-Eric Sullivan has been completely intentional about building the team from within, about following the Ron Wolf/Ted Thompson/Brian Gutenkunst way of ignoring pricey free agents and using drafted players and draft capital to build a winner. And why wouldn’t we believe him? He’s literally followed through on everything he’s said he’d do when he walked up to that lectern in Miami Gardens on the day he was hired.

Thirdly, Sullivan and HC Jeff Hafley have told prominent national media members that this team won’t be ready to compete at the level they expect until 2028, that a period of team and culture building and of empowering young players needs to take place. And although this hasn’t ever been said out loud, we all know it’s down to the atrocious job the previous regime did in drafting, cap management, and roster building.

And finally, the Dolphins need good players. They have a handful of foundation pieces in place, but they need young, Super Bowl-caliber talent for 2028 and beyond, very little of which they’ll find on the street free agent rack. This year’s schedule is a brute, and they’ll struggle to win three games in 2026. So why, ahead of what could be a draft for the ages, would you ever want to put yourself in a position to be out of the playoffs but far enough away from the first overall pick so it renders you helpless? Lost in some footballing netherland when you could have stuck to the original plan and found yourself with a player like Dylan Stewart or Leonard Moore or Jeremiah Smith, rather than have 34-year-old Russell Wilson throwing behind 37-year-old Kelvin Beachum.

To what end does that help the Dolphins?

So let’s go through Miami’s projected starters versus what’s available on the street, ignoring the fact that most are end-of-the-line veterans looking for a final payday.

QUARTERBACK: The Dolphins made the easy decision to pick up Malik Willis in free agency after he flashed the sort of developmental upside that could make him a top ten quarterback based on his performances for the Packers. Last season, nothing was off the table in terms of how he ran the offense, and the only plays that were different from the scheme Jordan Love ran were the addition of RPOs that allowed the former Liberty passer to hunt explosives with his legs. Along with his insane deep ball numbers – he went 13-15 for 456 yards and 2 TDs on deep passes with Green Bay – it was an easy decision for the Dolphins.

There are no street free agent quarterbacks in Willis’s zip code, and anyone who believes the aforementioned Wilson could be the answer only needs to look at his tape over the last three campaigns.

RUNNING BACK: De’Von Achane is a top-five running back in the NFL and has just been paid like one. Nobody else on a free agent list that includes Austin Ekeler and Najee Harris – both coming off torn Achilles; Joe Mixon, who missed all of 2025 with a foot injury; or Nick Chubb, who never regained his pre-2023 ACL form – is remotely close to the former Texas A&M speedster.

WIDE RECEIVER: The biggest concern internally in Miami is this: with a draft class that might include Arch Manning, Dante Moore, Drew Mestemaker, Drake Lindsay, Trinidad Chambliss, LaNorris Sellers, Julian Sayin, and more, how can Malik Willis truly be judged with the underwhelming receiving corps the Dolphins have? Surely it would be better for him to throw to a combo platter of Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill, and Deebo Samuel? Or Nuke Hopkins, Tyler Lockett, and Keenan Allen? And on many levels, you could make that argument. But all six are into their thirties: Diggs and Hill are 32, and Hopkins, Lockett, and Allen are either already 34 or turning 34 just after the start of the season. Diggs and Hill have been serial malcontents, with the latter also coming off a knee dislocation and multiple ligament tears. Both have had multiple court appearances since their last NFL catches. Lockett’s last 1,000-yard season was in 2022, and he had just 32 grabs at two spots last year. Deebo Samuel seems headed to Seattle.

Miami added three free agents in Tutu Atwell, Terrace Marshall, and the intriguing Jalen Tolbert, who had a strong 2024, only to see his playing time diminish after the Cowboys signed George Pickens, to add to the Washingtons, then added three wideouts in the draft, all with intriguing skillsets, notably Louisville’s Chris Bell.

Adding a savvy veteran to this group would be a plus, but Sullivan may argue that Tyler Lockett could be a pathway blocker to the development of Kevin Coleman, who they believe will help this team in the longer term, rather than a higher-priced band-aid.

TIGHT END: Rinse and repeat here in terms of affording Willis the opportunity to show his ability. And you could make the argument that former Dolphins Jonnu Smith and Darren Waller could improve this group, but Miami wants to work out of 12- and 13-personnel. It’s why they drafted the best blocking TE in the draft in Will Kacmarek. Unfortunately, Jonnu can’t block a pop-up, and that’s not really Waller’s game either. Smith’s last contract was for $12 million, and even taking into account the fact that he fell off a cliff in Pittsburgh, it’s unlikely there’s a deal to be made. Waller, who’ll be 34 at the start of the season, played in nine games last year and had 24 catches for 283 yards at 11.8 yards per grab. Greg Dulcich, who has a base salary in 2026 of just $1.1 million, had more catches, for more yards, at a better YPRR average, at a better yards per catch average, and has only just turned 26.

It’s not even a decision.

OFFENSIVE LINE: The Dolphins have added some much-needed competition on the OL with the drafting of Kadyn Proctor and DJ Campbell and the shrewd FA signing of versatile G/T Jamaree Salyer. The return of Austin Jackson, along with the continued improvement of Patrick Paul and elite center Aaron Brewer, makes this an interesting unit. There isn’t a scenario where I’d consider Taylor Decker, Cam Robinson, or Mekhi Becton . The former took a step back last season, and Miami already has emerging LT Patrick Paul in that spot. Any move for Decker would stymie Paul’s progress, with many expecting him to take another step up after last year’s solid campaign. Could the Dolphins do with a dependable RT who could step in when the inevitable Austin Jackson setback happens? Of course. But none of the street free agents – that include Jonah Williams, Jack Conklin, or Andrus Peat – could hold a candle to Jackson. And many expect first-rounder Proctor to kick to the right side should the former USC star miss any extended time.

So what about a challenger for RG Jonah Savaiinaea, who had an almost historically bad rookie season? Again, it would be a smart idea, but having invested a second rounder in the Arizona Wildcat, surely it makes far more sense to see whether a move back to his more natural right side, as well as a new coaching regime, can help the kid who only turned 22 in January. Becton was dreadful in LA last year with rumors surrounding both his weight and his work ethic. Neither of which is a Sullivan trait.

DEFENSIVE LINE: At the edge, the Dolphins are a mess. But there’s only so much money and only so many draft picks. Miami needs a big season from underwhelming former first-rounder Chop Robinson, who has to prove he’s more than just a sub-package nearly man. There’s hope that one of the free agents they signed in March – Josh Uche or David Ojabo – can help here, but don’t be surprised to see one of the DT’s kick outside on early downs. There’s been some interest – albeit at the wrong price point – in former Bills edge AJ Epenesa, and I could see a late summer move for someone like Jadeveon Clowney if there are issues in training camp. But adding Cameron Jordan or Joey Bosa – and his $12 million per salary – makes little to no sense, especially with intriguing youngsters Max Llewellyn, Trey Moore, and Mason Reiger all pushing for playing time. Inside, there was a major investment last year with Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips, and Zeke Biggers, and any idea that bringing in 34-year-old Daquan Jones or 32-year-old Larry Ogunjobi helps this team moving forward by taking snaps away from that trio seems illogical. As for Christian Wilkins , he hasn’t taken a snap since October 6th, 2024, and less than two months ago, his agent David Mulugheta said he was still rehabbing the Jones Fracture he suffered in that game.