The Miami Dolphins finished off their 2023 NFL season with a complete dud. After looking like legit Super Bowl contenders through November, they hit their usual cold streak in December, and fizzled out by giving up the AFC East crown to the Bills and losing in the first round to the Chiefs.
NFL Free Agent Watch: Miami Dolphins
Among the Dolphins pending free agents
Christian Wilkins (franchise tag?)
Robert Hunt (pay a guard)
Connor Williams (will miss time in ’24)
Andrew Van Ginkel (Chubb/Phillips hurt)
DeShon Elliott (played solidly)
Braxton Berrios
Raekwon Davis
Eli Apple
Isaiah Wynn— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) January 14, 2024
There are plenty of questions that loom as we enter the off-season about how the team can right their wrongs from their epic collapse. But long before the players or coaches can do anything about it, Miami’s front office has some serious work to do this spring.
There are multiple high-paid players coming off of major injuries, and the team is projected to be well over the cap before they start their contract restructuring process. The question about Tua Tagovailoa also looms, as the quarterback’s potential pay day will be a story to watch entering the final year of his NFL rookie contract.
While Tagovailoa isn’t yet a free agent, some of the other important players on the Dolphins’ roster are. They are big names who played big roles in the team’s early season success this year and in season’s past, and there will be plenty of interest in the players should they hit the open market.
3 Key Miami Dolphins Players Who Will Be Free Agents
Dolphins DT Zach Sieler hopes to keep the Salt-n-Pepper combination of he and Christian Wilkins together as Wilkins goes into free agency. pic.twitter.com/k9NWCb0mFC
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) January 15, 2024
Here are three key players from the 2023 Miami Dolphins roster who will be free agent this upcoming NFL off-season:
1. Christian Wilkins – DT
Wilkins is the biggest name on the list for Miami, as he has been one of the top defensive tackles in the league over the past two years. He has yet to get the extension past his rookie contract that others in his draft class have received, and he will hit the open market, where he will garner plenty of interest as one of the better young NFL players to be a free agent.
During the 2023 regular season, Wilkins doubled his career high in sacks by finishing with 9, and was a major factor in Miami’s top-10 ranked rush defense.
2. Connor Williams – C
Williams has been playing “out of position” since arriving in Miami two off-seasons ago, and has had his struggles with inaccurate snapping issues throughout both years of his stay. But aside from those problems, he was one of the key pieces to the Dolphins’ high-flying offensive attack, and things seemed to go downhill even further when he was lost for the season in the heartbreaking game against the Titans.
The success of Miami’s offensive line through all of the injuries was one of the stories of the year for the team, and Williams was a massive part of that. Robert Hunt, Isaiah Wynn, and others are also offensive linemen whose contracts are expiring.
3. Jerome Baker – LB
Fans have been calling for an upgrade to Baker at the linebacker position for years, but he has remained the starter and has produced statistically at a high volume during his six NFL seasons. The end of his 2023 season was marred by injuries, which could affect his value on the open market this spring, but there will still be plenty of interest in the 27-year-old linebacker.
The Dolphins haven’t done much to address the position in recent off-seasons, but this year could call for an overhaul with a group of linebackers set to become free agents.
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