The Miami Dolphins entered the 2024 NFL off-season with one of the worst financial situations of any team in the league. But there were three different things that took place on Friday that will help Miami dig out of their salary cap hole, and they are now just a few moves and restructures away from getting out of the red.
NFL: Dolphins Get Plenty Of Cap Relief On Friday
The #Dolphins have informed Xavien Howard he will be cut at the start of the new league year.
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) February 23, 2024
First, it was the announcement of the inflation of the salary cap. The roughly $30 million increase will of course help teams league-wide, but will be especially beneficial for teams like the Dolphins, who came into the off-season so far over the limit. They still ranked 3rd overall when it comes to getting under the cap limit, but the move signified some serious relief for Miami.
They made some other moves later in the day that will help as well. First, it was reported that the Dolphins would be releasing Xavien Howard when the new league year starts on June 1st, marking the end of the cornerback’s eight-year tenure in Miami, the only NFL home he’s ever known.
Howard had All-Pro seasons and was named to four Pro Bowls after being the team’s 2nd round pick in 2016, and is widely considered to be the best cornerback in franchise history. But he has been slowed by nagging injuries over the past couple of years, and gave up an unusual amount of big plays in 2023.
So Miami has decided to part ways, and the move will give them $18.5 million in relief.
Both Howard And Obgah Will Hit The Open Market
Per @AdamSchefter, the Dolphins are officially releasing Emmanuel Ogbah today. This move clears $13.7M in cap space for Miami. pic.twitter.com/7g8gTvZWBN
— King of Phinland🐬👑 (@KingOfPhinland) February 23, 2024
But that wasn’t the only cut. In news that was officially released by the team, the Dolphins are also cutting defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, effective immediately. Ogbah signed a 4-year contract worth over $65 million a couple of years back, but hasn’t come close to living up to the money. After back-to-back 9-sack seasons in 2020 and 2021, he has just 6.5 total sacks since, and played in just 25% of the defensive snaps in 2023. And most of those came in the latter portion of the season due to injuries to the defense.
Ogbah’s release will give the Dolphins another $13.7 million in relief, which is already reflected on their payroll.
Miami still has plenty of work to do in order to get under the salary cap, and they have holes to fill all over the roster if they hope to be a contender for the 2024 NFL season.
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