Mike McDaniel Says Dolphins Aren’t Hunting

The Miami Dolphins will have nearly $20 million in cap space freed up after June 1

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel runs off the field following a defeat at the hands of their conference rivals the Buffalo Bills during NFL football game Jan 07, 2024, in Miami Gardens. / BILL INGRAM/THE PALM BEACH POST / USA

The Miami Dolphins are one week away from the Xavien Howard post-June 1 cut hitting the books and freeing up $18.5 million in cap space.

Head coach Mike McDaniel said that while the franchise is always looking to get better, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Dolphins will go spending on new players with that additional room.

“Part of our job as a high-functioning NFL franchise is you’re always looking for ways to get better,” McDaniels said. “I know that’s somehting that if [general manager] Chris Grier has a tattoo on his body, it’s probably of that — always getting better with roster. We’re always looking, but I wouldn’t necessarily look … it’s not through the lens of what are we without. We have a pretty deep team that’s high in competition. It’s always balancing the stuff that we’re able to do and what’s out there and can we improve our team. We’ll never stop looking, but we’re not on the hunt.”

The Dolphins’ Offseason

The Dolphins already have addressed numerous positional needs through free agency and the 2024 NFL draft.

The interior of the offensive line needed attention, so the Dolphins added Jack Driscoll on a one-year, $1.8 million deal to compete for the starting job at right guard or be a swing tackle, and Aaron Brewer on a three-year, $21 million deal (Brewer has athletic traits that should make him a good fit the Dolphins offense.)

The trenches on defense were hurting after the departures of Christian Wilkins and Raekwon Davis, so the Dolphins signed a host of defensive tackles — Teair Tart, Benito Jones, Neville Gallimore, Jonathan Harris, Isaiah Mack and Daviyon Nixon — though no one of the same caliber as Wilkins.

Tart has good upside, and Jones could be a space-eater if he earns the starting role alongside Zach Sieler. Gallimore and Harris likely will be competing for a roster spot. Mack and Nixon might be the odd men out, thanks to the Dolphins acquiring so many defensive tackles.

Where would the money go?

The Dolphins could use the money on another offensive lineman or a safety — Jevon Holland, Jordan Poyer, and Elijah Campbell are the go-to safeties on the roster, along with the possibility the Dolphins move a cornerback to safety (such as Nik Needham).

It is not impossible for the Dolphins to re-sign Howard and start fresh with the free agent cornerback. A recent Howard post on Instagram could lead some to believe he is interested in returning to South Florida, and Grier mentioned earlier this offseason that the door would be open.

A move for defensive end Calais Campbell — however fruitful it would be — seems like an outside shot with all of the defensive lineman the Dolphins signed.