5 biggest losers of NFL free agency

1. Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins needed to clear significant salary cap space, which meant that, for them, the start of free agency would be more about subtraction rather than addition.

After using the franchise tag on receiver Jarvis Landry, the Dolphins then agreed to trade him to the Cleveland Browns. To replace Landry, they did sign a pair of receivers—Danny Amendola and Albert Wilson—but not before grossly overpaying for the latter (and, arguably, the former, with Amendola counting $6 million against the cap this year). Wilson had only 42 catches for 554 yards and three scores a season ago for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Dolphins also cleared cap space by releasing defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh and center Mike Pouncey. While Miami needed the money, they also have thus lost two key members of their offensive and defensive fronts. Their trade with the Rams for Robert Quinn, meanwhile, cost them two 2018 draft picks that could have been better spent on young players.

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Though Miami picked up Daniel Kilgore via trade with the 49ers to replace Pouncey, the Dolphins’ financially-motivated dump of players hasn’t done much to make the team better as a whole. Free agency has not done much to help the Dolphins hone in on an identity nor help to close the gap between them and the AFC East-dominating Patriots.