Miami Dolphins: Reshad Jones can draw leverage from one area

Ever since he broke out in the 2012 season with 96 tackles, four interceptions, and nine passes defended as a third-year player, Miami Dolphins strong safety Reshad Jones has been a key leader and presence in a secondary that started to fall apart last season.

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Cornerback is the Miami Dolphins primary position of need heading into the draft, and it would be wise for them to double-dip at the position, regardless of when they choose to first address the position. If Ezekiel Elliott proves to be too good to pass up on at No. 13, then that means Day 2 will be the time for Miami to nab a CB. Trading for Byron Maxwell gives them one starter, but do the Dolphins really want to rely on Maxwell, Jamar Taylor, Tyler Patmon, and former college wide receiver Tony Lippett as their top quartet at the position? I don’t think so.

Unfortunately for the Dolphins, their worries in the defensive backfield aren’t restricted to the cornerback position, because Reshad Jones has pounced on the team’s lack of talent in the secondary by holding out.

According to the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero, Jones is not happy with his contract and will not partake in offseason activities until Mike Tannenbaum and the front office do something about the situation.

You’ll find all sorts of reactions to this news. Some, predictably, are so upset that they would be willing to see the Dolphins cast Jones off elsewhere, whereas others are worried about the state of the secondary and believe something between both parties should be re-worked, especially since Jones is a true star who has served this team well over the past few years.

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Unanimous, however, is the belief that Jones is currently being compensated fairly, because he is one of the NFL’s highest-paid safeties. Per Spotrac, Jones will carry cap charges of slightly over $8 million in each of the next two seasons, and no true strong safety makes more per season. Maybe Jones will use Mark Barron‘s recent deal with the Los Angeles Rams as a leverage point, but that won’t go over too well. Firstly, Barron is 26, while Jones is 28. Secondly, Barron isn’t a strong safety anymore, but rather an inside linebacker who provides a distinct amount of value in that respect.

Is Jones one of the best safeties in the NFL? Yes, and his track record over the past four seasons speaks for itself. More importantly for him, he’s also extremely difficult to replace from a leadership and ability standpoint, because the Dolphins just can’t plug anyone in there to replace him. Leveraging himself before the draft was not the smartest idea, but will the Dolphins be able to pursue an upgrade at safety this week?

Consider that the Dolphins other safeties are Isa Abdul-Quddus (brought in to replace the injury-prone Louis Delmas at the other safety spot), Michael Thomas, and Walt Aikens. All three of those players can provide some sort of value, but none of them are proven starters, let alone difference-makers like Jones.

As far as leverage goes, that’s it. Jones is banking on the fact that the Dolphins will crap their pants at the thought of losing their best DB (and one of their four best players overall) and give into his demands.

So what does Jones even want? If his base salaries are over $7 million each in his final two years, what is he looking for? There’s just no way the Dolphins give him more money for one of those two seasons, so he has to be interested in more security. Even though Jones has done nothing but produce over the past couple of seasons, his current deal takes him through his age-30 season; the Dolphins have no reason to extend him, and it seems like he is choosing now to leverage himself for more years before the team has a chance to add more talent to the defensive backfield.

I don’t see Tannenbaum biting. This is a guy who let both Olivier Vernon and Lamar Miller– two incredibly talented, important, and home-grown players- leave this offseason. Jones is older and less valuable than these two as an in-the-box safety.

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At least ostensibly, there’s no major risk in trying to ask for more money or years. However, Jones could be setting himself up for disappointment if he takes too much of a hardline stance, because if Tannenbaum chooses to act as sharply as he has with others this offseason, the drama is just beginning.