Cincinnati Bengals Non-Playoff Team Free Agency Targets: Miami Dolphins

We’ve embarked on a series looking at free agents the Cincinnati Bengals should pursue on teams which sat out the 2017 playoffs. Next up: the Miami Dolphins.

The Cincinnati Bengals have a big offseason ahead. They missed out on the playoffs this past season, but still feel like a team that has clear areas that they can address to get right back into the mix. That all begins with 2018 NFL Free Agency on March 14.

To prime fans for the offseason, we’ve been looking at free agents from each team that the Bengals could target. We started with a look at each of the 12 playoff teams. Following the conclusion of that series, our attention has turned to a series regarding non-playoff teams.

We’ve previously taken a look at players from the Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, and Baltimore Ravens. Now we view a player from the Miami Dolphins.

Michael Thomas, S

Michael Thomas has about as generic of a name as you’ll find this side of Joe Smith, and his career stats wouldn’t make you believe he’s more than just another guy. He’s never been a full-time starter, but twice taken significant snaps for his team across a season. He hasn’t made impact plays with consistency and he has been a player his team has often looked to upgrade on.

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That picture isn’t the whole story, however. His team has been the Miami Dolphins since they picked him off the scrap heap in 2013, and they aren’t exactly a bastion of good decision-making. This is a team which constantly pays top dollar for mid-tier talents (see: Jarvis Landry getting the franchise tag this year, free agency pretty much every season), and though they achieve success every now and then, oftentimes the team is stuck with outcomes like we saw this past year. Suffice to say, he’s not really in a place which puts their players in the best situation — or even uses the right players when they have them available.

Despite his lack of consistent usage on defense, he has had some shining moments when actually given the opportunity to play. He’s racked up 10+ tackles on three separate occasions. He forced two fumbles in a win against Buffalo in 2016. He made a crucial pass knockdown on the final drive against the Patriots in a 2014 victory, and had a critical interception against them to end a win against them the year before as well.

The spot where he could have the most impact for another team, however, is special teams. Miami was No. 10 in Weighted Special Teams DVOA last season, and Thomas was a major key to that. He played numerous positions on both the return and coverage units. According to Pro Football Focus ,he didn’t miss a single special teams tackle all year, and was able to stonewall coverage men when he was tasked with blocking. His play in that area of the game was so stellar it got him named Pro Football Focus’ Special Teams Player of the Year.

Despite his clear strengths though, Miami may not bring him back. They are well over the cap after using the franchise tag on Landry, so before even considering retaining or adding players they must find a way to cut costs. Make obvious moves like cutting Lawrence Timmons and giving Landry a long-term contract, and the team still may not even have enough to cover the costs of their currently-slated draft picks.

Make bigger moves such as cutting Ndamukong Suh or Ryan Tannehill and the team still won’t have much opened up for free agency moves (while also subsequently having even more holes to fill). People are going to get lost in the shuffle, and Thomas could easily be one of them.

Should that happen, Cincinnati would be wise to pounce. They could use a boost in special teams play (No. 26 in Weighted Special Teams DVOA in 2017); Thomas could immediately be a leader for both sides of that unit. It isn’t as if their safety spot is solidified, either; Thomas could prove to be a decent depth option there as well, improving upon what someone like Clayton Fejedelem would provide.

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This could all be for an affordable price too. Thomas was kept in Miami last year with a tender costing under $1.7 million; it shouldn’t cost much more for him on a one-year or multi-season contract this time around. Career special teamer Matthew Slater has stayed in the $1.8-$2.2 million range per season for much of his career; it will be a major miscalculation for any team to offer more than that, even if they envision a bigger defensive role for Thomas going forward.

Between his timely defensive potential, special teams prowess, and expected cheap cost, Thomas would be a perfect low-key addition for a franchise which relies on them.