5 best moves of NFL free agency so far

3. Miami Dolphins sign Byron Jones

Byron Jones didn’t come cheap for the Miami Dolphins, but since they are known as a rebuilding team and had by far the most cap space in the league, agents knew they would have to splash more money than anyone else to attract talent. Therefore, it is important to judge the Dolphins’ free agency signings under a different lens than with other teams.

At the end of the day, the Dolphins need to sign superstar players. They cannot sit around and waste their money on people in the middle of the pack, which they did by grossly overpaying for Ereck Flowers. Even if it takes a lot of out of them, they need to target high-quality players to fill out their roster in free agency, focusing on quality over quantity.

There is no doubt Byron Jones is one of the NFL’s best defensive backs. He may not pick off many passes, but Jones is a shutdown cornerback. He and Xavien Howard could form the absolute best cornerback duo in the NFL next season, building the foundation for the Miami defense under promising head coach Brian Flores.

Last season, Jones had only six passes defended, but he had 14 passes defended in 2018. Jones has only intercepted two passes in his career and never intercepted a pass in ’18 or ’19, but his rare athletic tools and true shutdown potential make him a key addition.

While $82.5 million and $57 million guaranteed over five years is an awful lot, that’s the going rate for a top cornerback. Jones was always going to set the market, especially when signing with a team like Miami.