A week shy of free agency, we have a pretty good idea of who won’t be on the Miami Dolphins‘ roster in 2024.
But as for who will actually be on the team? That’s still a pretty significant mystery.
And how Dolphins general manager Chris Grier goes about filling about a dozen needs over the next two months will reveal just how close he and Mike McDaniel believe this roster to be.
Will Miami Dolphins Go for It in 2024?
Two things are true: This is the best stretch of Dolphins football in two decades. And yet they remain a tier below the best of the AFC’s best.
Miami last year secured its fourth straight winning season for the first time since 2000-2003. That long-ago core — built on a power-running offense and a suffocating defense — was the funhouse mirror of this era’s high-flying Dolphins.
While that turn-of-the-century group went about its business differently than Mike McDaniel’s squad, the ultimate results have been all too similar.
The Jimmy Johnson/Dave Wannstedt Dolphins posted winning records for seven straight seasons from 1997-2003 but had just three playoff victories to show for it.
There was a hard ceiling they never could break.
This version of the ‘Fins has — at least so far — been the same.
With Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow in the conference, the Dolphins need to put together a near-perfect roster and season to advance to the Super Bowl.
Does Grier think that roster is attainable — particularly with Christian Wilkins, Xavien Howard, Jerome Baker, and Robert Hunt all potentially out the door? They are poised to have yet another incomplete draft class and little cap space.
So Grier has two choices:
A soft cap landing in 2024 — with moderate activity in free agency — that would allow him to attack the 2025 offseason.
KEEP READING: 2024 NFL Top 100 Free Agent Rankings
Or double down on this year with big moves and worry about the consequences down the road.
As we discuss in the latest PFN Miami Dolphins podcast, the path Grier and McDaniel take will reveal much about their evaluation of their current roster.
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