The NFL offseason is officially here, although the Miami Dolphins have long turned their attention away from a disappointing 2015 season. The team fired Joe Philbin early in the year, replacing him with interim head coach Dan Campbell. He provided a quick burst of success, but the Dolphins ultimately struggled to a 6-10.
Miami hired Adam Gase to be their new head coach, landing one of the most coveted coaches in the NFL. With the offseason now here, Gase and the Dolphins' front office look to get the Dolphins back to the playoffs. Several of the key pieces are already in place, but Miami still has plenty of needs to address. The rumors and news will be plentiful during the offseason, and we're here to recap the latest.
Dolphins Expected To Release Quinton Coples
The report comes from Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, and this shouldn't be a surprise at all. The Dolphins claimed Coples off waivers from the Jets, but he had little impact. Cutting Coples will save the team $7.75 million in cap space next year.
Olivier Vernon The No. 1 Priority
With that extra cap space, the Dolphins will try to resign DE Olivier Vernon. The Dolphins are already over the cap, although restructures and cuts will help out. The team wants to bring back Vernon, who had a breakout season.
"There is no doubt that defensive end Olivier Vernon is the team’s No. 1 priority among players heading toward free agency," reports the Palm Beach Post.
The Dolphins have Cameron Wake and Derrick Shelby at the other DE spot, but Wake is aging with a large contract and Shelby is also a free agent. For more on the Dolphins' offseason plans, download the Chat Sports Android and iPhone app.
Jennings And Matthews Gone?
With limited cap space the Dolphins are highly likely to cut WR Greg Jennings. Cutting him would save the team $4 million. The Palm Beach Post reports both Jennings and free agent Rishard Matthews are unlikely to return. Matthews might be cheap enough for the Dolphins to bring back, but he'd be the fourth option behind Kenny Stills, DeVante Parker and Jarvis Landry. He'll likely want a bigger role somewhere.