DOLPHINS FANTASY NEWS

February 25, 2006 1:00 PM ET

The Dolphins closed last season with a fury, winning six straight games to finish above .500 in Nick Saban's first season at the helm. And with starters under contract at 10 positions on offense and another 10 locked up on defense, you have to believe the future is bright in South Beach.

That said, standing pat won't get it done for the Dolphins this offseason. Saban is still looking for something more than a stopgap at quarterback, Ricky Williams may or may not be eligible (or traded), and the team will be adjusting to its third offensive coordinator in as many seasons. They're also tight up against the salary cap and may need to part ways with established veterans to create room for a new signal-caller should they go the free agent route.

The Dolphins served notice that they're to be taken seriously in the AFC East by besting division kingpin New England in the 2005 season finale. Whether that serves as a springboard for next season is a question to be answered in part by how Saban addresses his personnel issues this offseason.

Needs
After cobbling together a season of Gus Frerotte and Sage Rosenfels at the helm, the Dolphins are looking for a more permanent solution at the quarterback position. Not that the duo was awful; in fact, they combined for nine multi-touchdown games and a pair of 300-yard efforts. But with Scott Linehan now in St. Louis and neither quarterback viewed as the team's future, expect Saban to either select a quarterback early in the draft for grooming purposes or tread into the free agent waters to pluck a plum signal-caller.

The Dolphins may be fortunate enough to find several talented quarterbacks available; names they've mentioned include Drew Brees, Steve McNair, and Daunte Culpepper. The latter two haven't been made available yet, but McNair's salary could prove unwieldy for the Titans and Miami believes the Vikings may cut ties with Culpepper. One way or another, it appears the Dolphins will have a new man under center in the very near future.

The backfield also used a committee approach last season, but Williams' status is very much in the air right now. His most recent violation of the league's substance abuse policy came to light as the Broncos were performing due diligence regarding a possible trade, so it's clear Williams isn't in the Dolphins' future plans. That's good news for Ronnie Brown fans, but Miami will need to secure some insurance behind him as both Travis Minor and Sammy Morris are unrestricted free agents.

The Dolphins are also reported to be players in the Terrell Owens sweepstakes, though they've already got a marquee wideout in Chris Chambers. Not that Owens wouldn't be an upgrade at the position, especially with three of the team's top six wideouts unrestricted free agents. However, the last time Miami made a play for a talented yet troubled receiver, the David Boston experiment didn't work out so well. The Fish would also need to straighten out their quarterback situation before Owens would entertain thoughts of catching passes in Miami.

Each of the past two offseasons, Randy McMichael has run afoul of the law in incidents involving alcohol and/or spousal abuse. Assuming the third time's the charm and McMike stays clean and sober, the Dolphins should be set at the tight end position. They may, however, want to look into some depth at the position, given McMichael's propensity for going astray and the fact that he was backed up by three street free agents and an undrafted rookie last season.

Miami's offensive line should receive plenty of attention this offseason, both via free agency and the draft. This unit is still seeking an anchor at tackle; to this point Veron Carey, Damion McIntosh, and Stockar McDougle haven't proven to be the answer. Center Steve McKinney is an unrestricted free agent, and to be quite honest they could use an upgrade at the guard position as well.

Defensively, only safety Lance Schulters isn't under contract for the coming season. However, this group—aside from linebacker Channing Crowder and cornerback Travis Daniels—is getting a bit long in the tooth. Experience is nice but it comes with a price tag, and if the Dolphins need to trim salary to get under the cap the cuts will likely come on the defensive side of the ball. That means the draft will be a source not only for depth and grooming but also a few guys asked to play right away.

Salary Cap Situation
The Dolphins are upwards of $8 million over the projected $92 million salary cap for 2006, according to NFL.com.

Unrestricted Free Agents
QB Sage Rosenfels, RB Travis Minor, FB Sammy Morris, WR David Boston, WR Bryan Gilmore, WR Kendall Newson, C Seth McKinney, T Stockar McDougle, LB Jason Glenn, LB Nick Rogers, S Lance Schulters, S Yeremiah Bell

Restricted Free Agents
C Alonzo Ephraim, CB Kiwaukee Thomas

Free Agent Signings
None.

The Draft
The only downer to the Dolphins' fast finish is that they fell to the middle of the first round in a draft that could have potentially yielded their much-needed quarterback of the future. It's unlikely that Jay Cutler will fall to the Fins with the 16th overall pick, which may leave them either trading up to get him, waiting until the second round and pursuing Brodie Croyle, or going the free agent rout.

Nonetheless, there are plenty of needs to fill in the early rounds even if a quarterback isn't on the agenda. Line help such as Winston Justice or Eric Winston can be tabbed with that first-round selection, and the draft is extremely deep at linebacker so the heir to Zach Thomas and Junior Seau could also be a Dolphins' first-day draft priority.

Overall, barring a cap purge the starting lineup in Miami is relatively set—but it's not getting any younger. The draft will be a perfect way for the Dolphins to rectify that situation.

Injury Watch
For the most part the Dolphins stayed healthy last season, one of the reasons they were able to win games down the stretch. Wide receiver David Boston battled leg injuries all season and ultimately wound up on injured reserve after just four catches; it's unlikely he's in Miami's plans for 2006. Rookie runner Brown also suffered an assortment of leg maladies; if he's the only show in town this season—that is, if Ricky gets suspended or traded—he's going to get more than the 207 carries he received last year, and one has to wonder how he'll hold up under the workload. Williams warrants watching not necessarily because of injury, but if he does get suspended he not only leaves Brown without a backup he also removes one of Saban's key bargaining chips as he attempts to upgrade Miami's talent level.

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