After visiting with the Miami Dolphins over the weekend, free agent defensive end Mario Williams could be headed back to South Beach to make a deal today, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
“Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Dolphins are the clear front-runners to sign Williams. There’s currently a push to get a deal done Tuesday.”
After signing Ndamukong Suh to a ridiculous contract last offseason (which didn’t help the team win games) and reportedly making a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles for cornerback Byron Maxwell and linebacker Kiko Alonso, the Dolphins are clearly doubling down on defense this year.
However, these moves are all puzzling.
Miami isn’t exactly brimming with cap space, though the organization is desperately trying to trim the fat. Williams is rumored to be seeking upwards of $10 million per season, which is a nice price for a top pass rusher. However, it remains to be seen if the 31-year old defensive end is worth that kind of cash any more.
He had only five sacks last year playing out of position with the Buffalo Bills in Rex Ryan’s 3-4 defense but piled up 38 sacks in three years before 2015 playing in a 4-3. Miami runs a 4-3 scheme, so Williams could certainly get back to double-digit totals if he’s still the same dominant player.
However, rather than investing more on defense, the Dolphins would probably be wiser to spend any remaining cap space on offensive linemen to protect Ryan Tannehill. Investing so heavily on defense sounds good when considering the New England Patriots are the team to beat, but offense is important too.
Tannehill has struggled without proper protection since entering the league. The Dolphins continue to perceive defense as the main priority, but chances are they’ll continue to languish under the Pats if the offense doesn’t catch up.