Miami Dolphins free agency 2020: Grades, analysis for early signings

The Miami Dolphins wasted little time making big moves in 2020 NFL free agency. Assessing, analyzing and grading their early free-agent haul.

Let’s get the obvious pun out of the way: The Miami Dolphins made a huge splash on Monday as the legal tampering period of 2020 NFL free agency opened, allowing teams to officially begin negotiating contracts with players.

The day was headlined by deals with cornerback Byron Jones (five years, $82.5 million – $57 million guaranteed) and outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy (four years, $51 million – $30 million), though deals with edge rusher Shaq Lawson (three years, $30 million), guard Ereck Flowers (three years, $30 million) and safety Clayton Fejedelem should not be overshadowed.

Were they the right moves? Let’s dive into it (no pun intended).

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Overall Vision

These moves all stem from a three-tiered philosophy that general manager Chris Grier and head coach Brian Flores share when looking for new players: Leadership, versatility and financial flexibility.

Each of those five players can contribute to the team in multiple ways, which I’ll get to more in a bit. They also possess some qualities of leadership, most notably Van Noy and Fejedelem. Van Noy was a staple on a very good Patriots defense the past four seasons, while Fejedelem emerged as a core special-teamer for Cincinnati since 2016.

As for the financial aspect, the Dolphins entered Monday with a league-leading $89 million in cap space, per Spotrac. It only makes sense that they would spend some of that dough early on, though Miami fans certainly know about the cautions of spending loads of cash.

The massive contracts have understandably made Dolphins fans weary, especially when you think about their previous offseasons as “big spenders.” If you’re wondering how those have turned out, remember that Miami has had one winning season since 2009,

So why is this season any different? The Dolphins’ brain trust was smart about the structure of these contracts. They front-loaded the contracts with guarantees, thus giving the team an easier way to get out of the contract later if they choose to do so.

While official figures have not been released yet, Jones’ deal has $40 million paid out in the first two years. For you non-mathematicians out there, that’s nearly half of the deal’s money gone by the time Jones turns 29. Not only will this give Miami flexibility, but it could give Jones incentive to play better as his time in a Dolphins’ uniform progresses.

Byron Jones, Cornerback

Speaking of Jones, pairing him opposite Xavien Howard does more than giving Miami the most expensive secondary in football. It could give it the best.

According to Pro Football Focus on Twitter, Jones has produced a coverage grade of at least 70 in each of the last four of five seasons. He was graded at 76.1 in 2019, too, and that’s just as a cornerback. While Jones didn’t fare as well as a free safety during his first two seasons in Dallas, it doesn’t mean that Flores can’t use Jones in other roles on the defense if necessary.

Of course, the loudest critics of Jones point out his two career interceptions, a measly number for a guy who’s played in all but one game in his five-year career. But there’s more to a defensive back’s game than just picks. If Jones can continue his stellar level of play, then he and Howard can form one of the NFL’s scariest secondaries for quite some time.

Initial Grade: A-

Kyle Van Noy, Outside Linebacker

This is the move Dolphins fans were waiting for. Kyle Van Noy was pegged as an early target for Miami by multiple media members, so it wasn’t too much of a surprise when the ex-Patriot jumped ship to warmer waters.

Van Noy resurrected his career upon a trade from Detroit during the 2015 season and, since then, became a staple in one of the fiercest defenses seen this century. A big possible reason for the deal? Van Noy’s reunion with Flores, who coached him during his revival in New England.

Like I said earlier, Van Noy brings versatility and that Patriot mindset that Flores has tried to (successfully?) establish in South Florida. He’ll fit nicely alongside youngsters Jerome Baker and Raekwon McMillan, while undoubtedly aiding Miami’s league-worst pass rush. He’s a little on the older side (he turns 29 next week), but his style of play almost perfectly emulates the vision Flores has for this team.

Initial Grade: A-

Ereck Flowers, Guard

Contrary to very popular belief, Ereck Flowers is not bad. He was a bad offensive tackle while playing for the Giants. But last year he was reborn as a guard for the Redskins. Besides, Flowers is certainly better than anyone the Dolphins trotted out last year at the position.

I was initially confused by the signing, but further research got me to come around, as evident by my earlier tweets:

Assume Miami is getting the 2019 version of Flowers.

Initial Grade: B

Shaq Lawson, Edge Rusher

The 19th overall pick in the 2016 draft, Shaq Lawson has had some ups and downs in his career. 2019 was an up. Despite not starting in any game, he played the most snaps of his career and in doing so, set a career record with 6.5 sacks. Lawson also led Buffalo in quarterback hits with 18 and was tied for the most tackles for loss.

Is Lawson a star? No. Is he a reliable starter? That remains to be seen. Either way, he’s done more than any other edge rusher currently on the roster and can be a solid rotational piece at minimum. And if Lawson doesn’t work out, his contract will end by the time he’s 28.

Initial Grade: B-

Clayton Fejedelem, Safety/Special Teams

Clayton Fejedelem may be listed as a safety, but don’t be mistaken: His value will mostly come on special teams. In his four seasons as a Bengal, Fejedelem was on the field for over 80 percent of snaps on special teams. He also never missed a game due to injury.

Oh, and he did this in 2018.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1038881619635912704?s=20

As the cherry on top, Fejedelem got married over the weekend, so I guess it was a pretty good week for the former seventh-round pick.

Initial Grade: B-

Final Thoughts

There’s always the possibility that things go south. Players underperform and get injured all the time. For Dolphins fans, that statement seems like more of a reality than it should be. It can be easy to get lost in the hype of “big-name” free agents. Or, if you’re especially pessimistic following year’s of Miami’s mediocrity, it can be just as easy to discard any hope or positivity that can accompany yesterday’s moves.

When the Jones deal was announced, my phone blew up with messages of happiness and anger. The brutal truth? We won’t know how good these moves were until later. It will probably take a year or two before the Dolphins reap the benefits of these deals or they have to play damage control, again.

I’m taking the benefit of the doubt. In his first season as coach, Flores established a winning culture while finding new ways to bring out the best of multiple players. Nik Needham and Preston Williams are just two examples of undrafted players who played effectively in roles down the stretch. (Williams got hurt in Week 10.)

For now, enjoy these moves as you should. Here’s hoping we don’t look back on any optimism in a few years with shame.

Initial Overall Grade: B+