It feels like we have seen something like this before with the Miami Dolphins. In 2013, they went all out to get wide receiver Mike Wallace by giving him a five-year, $60 million contract. That season, the Dolphins went 8-8, as Wallace caught five touchdowns - a career-low for him. Now it is uncertain whether Wallace will even be playing in a Dolphins uniform in the 2015 season. Last offseason, the Dolphins made one of the biggest moves by adding offensive tackle Branden Albert with a five-year, $47 million deal. He played well last season until he was injured during week 10 and missed the remaining seven games. It feels like whenever the Dolphins try to make a big move, something goes wrong; whether it is because of health, poor play on the field, or not getting along with the coaches.
It appeared as though the Dolphins would not be making any major moves this offseason, as they were close to being over the salary cap. But by cutting players with big contracts that weren’t playing as well as their contracts may have suggested, such as Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson, Cortland Finnegan, and Phillip Wheeler, they were able to make room to bring in Ndamukong Suh. However, the Dolphins will be paying quite the price to add Suh to their defense. According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN, the deal between the Dolphins and Suh is worth $114 million over six years, including $60 million guaranteed - the biggest contract ever for a defensive player.
So, is Suh worth it for the Dolphins? In my opinion, absolutely.
In the three seasons previous to Suh being drafted by the Lions, they came in last in each of those seasons in points allowed - allowing 27.8, 32.3, and 30.9 points per game. In his first year, they ranked 19th in that category - allowing just 23.1 points per game, which is over a touchdown less per game than the previous season. The Lions only allowed over 25 points per game once during Suh’s tenure with the team. In his final season with the team, they ranked 3rd in points allowed - allowing only 17.6 per game.
Suh has 36 career sacks, which is the most amongst all defensive tackles since he entered the league in 2010. However, his impact goes far beyond his individual stats. His ability to destructively get to the quarterback makes life easier for his fellow defensive linemen, since the opponent is often forced to double-team him. This leads to the other pass rushers finding large holes in the offensive line, and clear paths to sacks. With the defensive line being able to get to the quarterback, it will make the secondary’s life much easier as well, since it gives the receivers less time to run their routes and get open. For the linebackers, Suh’s impact in the running game will be a huge help for them because the opposing offense is forced to put multiple blockers on Suh, leaving the linebackers to fill any holes the running backs may have had.
Now, in no ways does this mean that I believe he isn’t being overpaid. But basically every good player nowadays that enters free agency will get overpaid. There are very few events as competitive as NFL free agency and if a team isn’t willing to overpay to get a good player, then they most likely are not going to get him. That’s why it’s such an advantage to draft well like the Seahawks have been doing. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, they have not been able to do that for a long time so they have been forced to build through free agency.
The Dolphins don’t appear to be done this offseason, as they look to potentially add a cornerback and possibly a safety in the near future. They currently only have two of their top-four receivers from the previous season under contract, and one of those (Wallace) may be on his way out. That will probably force the Dolphins to add a receiver during the free agency period and look at options in this years draft.
The Dolphins are still far from being worthy of a Super Bowl appearance, but the addition of Ndamukong Suh absolutely gets them closer.