Miami Dolphins continue strong rebuild process with Byron Jones signing
The Miami Dolphins made the most of the first day of NFL free agency, signing Byron Jones to a major long-term contract.
The Miami Dolphins entered the offseason with more resources to build their roster than any other team in the NFL. Not only did they have $100 million in cap space to work with in free agency, but they also have far and away the most draft capital in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Dolphins have 14 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, including three first-round selections and two picks in the second round. Simply put, they are in a great position to re-make their roster through the draft this offseason.
However, before we even get to the draft, the Dolphins are still in a great spot to find impact players to add to the mix. Miami had a busy first day of free agency, agreeing to deals with offensive lineman Ereck Flowers, edge rusher Shaq Lawson and linebacker Kyle Van Noy. However, the addition of cornerback Byron Jones was by far the Dolphins’ most important addition of the day.
The Miami Dolphins signed Jones to a five-year, $82.5 million contract with $57 million of it being guaranteed. This deal makes Jones the highest-paid cornerback in the entire NFL, over-taking the deal the Dolphins signed Xavien Howard to last offseason. Spending that much money on one position may seem crazy, but the Dolphins have now put together a dynamic duo at the cornerback position who they can build their defense around.
In today’s NFL, the passing game rules all. Nothing is more important than having a franchise quarterback and being able to protect him. However, being able to stop opposing passing attacks is close. With the addition of Jones, the Miami Dolphins will now be able to match up against any opposing passing attack and shut them down with man-to-man coverage.
Having a shut-down cornerback who can shut down half of the field is extremely valuable on the defensive side of the ball. Having a shut-down cornerback on each side of the field could be absolutely deadly.
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Signing Jones was obviously not cheap, but the Dolphins did a fantastic job of making the most out of their resources in free agency with this signing. This is still an incomplete roster that has a long way to go before it can be considered competitive, but with their signing on Monday, the Dolphins are much closer to their goal than before. Make no mistake about it, this team is on the right track.