Which free agents should Miami re-sign?

By Adam Sweeney  |   Tuesday, February 10, 2009  |  Comments( 2 )

Miami Dolphins
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There inevitably will be a few players on the current Miami Dolphins who hightail out of town for a bigger payday when NFL free agency opens later this month. But with $28 million freed up, the questions for the Dolphins are: Which players should take priority, and which ones can be let go in search of better options? The answer isn't crystal clear, but there may be a silver lining to replacing those who leave.

We'll focus on the key unrestricted free agents today, briefly analyzing who is worth their weight in contract gold.

The most glaring weakness for the Dolphins comes in their secondary, so imagine what they will look like if they let safety Yeremiah Bell go. The heavy hitter finally registered a full healthy season, and you'd better believe that his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, will remind Miami of that. How can you let your team leader in tackles go? Quite simply, you can't. Bell is a team-first guy who has seen the Dolphins through the rough times. He deserves to reap the rewards of his patience and low salary as of now, only costing the Dolphins $1.42 million last year.

A lot of talk surrounds right tackle Vernon Carey at the moment, and he definitely was a key member of Miami's squad in '08. Does that mean the Dolphins should break the bank for him? Not a chance. Don't get me wrong, Carey's versatility paid off handsomely when Justin Smiley went down. But that doesn't mean Carey should be overvalued, which he is going to be. There are other holes that need to be filled, and it seems a big risk to invest so much money in a second-tier tackle. Who's to say the Dolphins won't find an adequate replacement in the draft? It's doubtful that Carey will let them wait and find out. He knows that the Dolphins would love to have him return. He also knows that a player like him who can move down the line effectively will be a target for nearly every team in the NFL.

Channing Crowder is another player whom the Dolphins must be cursing themselves over. He's already getting the word out that he feels disrespected, and we know how most of those contract situations end up: either by overpaying the player or losing him and getting burned for it. But Crowder needs to be realistic about his presence on the team, no matter what his statistics say. The guy gets roughed up quite a bit, and he simply isn't a game-changer. He'd be wise to evaluate his situation carefully. The Ravens' Bart Scott, a much better linebacker and free agent, has been discussed as a replacement.

That leaves us with cornerback Andre' Goodman. Isn't it amazing how a secondary can be ripped on so much by the press, and yet the Dolphins still find themselves in dire need of two of the DBs from that corps? Age has to be a concern for the Dolphins with Goodman; after all, he's over 30 and playing a position where speed is key. The best move would be for both team and player to find a middle ground. Miami might be choosing a cornerback in the draft anyway, and Goodman could be of great use (as long as he isn't playing every down). Plus, his role as a mentor to a young cornerback can't be measured in numbers.

Will the Dolphins be able to lock up their four important free agents? It's doubtful. That doesn't mean they can't sign a couple of them to reasonable deals, though. A lot of it depends on how highly these players value themselves, and where the depth in the draft stands at each of their positions. The 2008 season is over, but the Dolphins are learning that the game is just beginning.
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About Adam Sweeney

Adam Sweeney spent 4 years as an opinions and arts & entertainment columnist with the Lone Star Lutheran, also working with Sports Illustrated.com. Along with his work on Realfootball 365 he currently is a contributor for Film School Rejects, SLAM Online, Talkhoops.net, and C-Heads ...
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