Many say our roster is "weak"or "trash" or "not good enough," yet we have players ranked in the top 5 available free agents in so many positions lol. Many Miami fans tend to think that Sean Smith is "average," yet around the league he is considered by many the top CB free agent available and teams seem willingly to give him big money.

NFL.com rankings:

Corner Backs -
1. Brent Grimes, Atlanta Falcons
2. Sean Smith, Miami Dolphins
3. Aqib Talib, New England Patriots
4. Chris Houston, Detroit Lions
5. Keenan Lewis, Pittsburgh Steelers
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000147048/article/free-agency-primer-ranking-the-cornerbacks

Quarterbacks -
1. Matt Moore, Miami Dolphins
2. David Garrard, free agent
3. Jason Campbell, Chicago Bears
4. Byron Leftwich, Pittsburgh Steelers
5. Chase Daniel, New Orleans Saints
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000146724/article/free-agency-primer-ranking-the-top-quarterbacks

Offensive Linemen -
1. Ryan Clady, Denver Broncos (LT)
2. Branden Albert, Kansas City Chiefs (LT)
3. Jake Long, Miami Dolphins (LT)
4. Sebastian Vollmer, New England Patriots (T)
5. Phil Loadholt, Minnesota Vikings (RT)

Running Backs -
1. Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants
2. Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams
3. Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Reggie Bush, Miami Dolphins
5. Felix Jones, Dallas Cowboys

Wide Receiver -
1. Mike Wallace, Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Greg Jennings, Green Bay Packers
3. Wes Welker, New England Patriots
4. Danny Amendola, St. Louis Rams
5. Brian Hartline, Miami Dolphins (re-signed with Dolphins)

- Randy Starks would have made this list had he not got tagged.

- Dolphins re-signed Brian Hartline, which I am in agreement too unlike many others who believe we shouldn't have paid him that much.

- Matt Moore was also re-signed. Could also be used as trade bait.

- I really hope we can re-sing Long. I am not a believer in J-Mart. But I understand not giving top dollar for Long with all the needs we have.

- I am cool with allowing Bush walk, as long as he does not sign with the Pats! LOL! I am a Miller fan tho.

- I definitely wanted to re-sign Sean Smith, I've said it before, the kid can be lock down and obviously a lot of teams see that. He will excel in a more man to man press cover scheme. But if we can snag a defensive back such as Woodson, Reed, Gamble, or a Talib, I'll be happy.

- We need another pass rusher, but I am not too fond of the available free agents with the exception of Osi.

Well judging by our recent accomplishments , I would say weak , trash or not good enough all apply.

Having players ranked in the top 5 of free agents by position is a meaningless stat if that even is a stat.

Face it , if we re signed all our guys & stood pat , we would be disappointed coming back with basically the same group.

Never posted it as a "stat" lmao. Simply throwing it out there that many experts and teams view these players as very valuable assets to a team and you are proving my point exactly, experts and professionals see the value these players bring and you continue to call them "weak, trash, and not good enough," lol.

It is funny how so many people have said in the past, and also this year, how we are only a few pieces away from having a true contender. Well letting the big pieces go, now means you are not a few pieces away and are completely rebuilding. Vonate, Long, and Smith were all high draft picks, that IMO are very good players, yet we let them walk and just continue to rebuild every single season lmao. There is nothing wrong in coming back "with the same" CORE "group" and adding pieces around. That is what the successful teams in the NFL do. Unlike a team like the Eagles that tried to buy a brand new team and failed miserably...

Sorry but Jake Long wasn't the reason we were losing, neither was Bush, or Sean Smith. Those were actually the best players at their position on the Dolphins lol. Those players will only get better with better talent around them...

I guess we shouldn't waste anytime on any of the other CBs that are available on free agency cause if you believe Sean Smith (who according to Adam Schefter says that Smith is looked at as the top cornerback available on the market this year) is "weak, trash, etc," then the rest of the CBs must be horrible, atrocious, and useless. Funny how CB is considered to be the deepest position in free agency LOL. Yet our very own (Sean Smith) is regarded among the best in the class. LOL

Dolphin Fans ...

Carver , never intended this to be your stat , sorry if it came off that way. But here is the thing. For so many years now , no matter who the QB has been or who our best player on defense has been , the excuse here has been .... "well could you imagine if he had better talent around him". So that tells me that our guys simply are not that good (trash is a bit harsh). But in reality the proof is in wins or lack of wins which of course leads to lack of playoff appearances. Having guys in the top of their fields in free agency is misleading. While some of our guys might be nice players , none of them should give fans of other teams that sense of "now we are set" if they sign them. I dont really care what the experts say about this point. We have hardly been the mecca for drafting guys & having them turn into studs. Once again , nice players yes but studs no which is why we are who we are right now.
Sarcasm aside & I know I am guilty of throwing a lot of that out there , I dont think we are close. I think we need more than a few pieces. Not saying it cannot happen though. Sorry for not being the homer that some guys would prefer to post here but for being a fan for so long now this team has something to prove to me. I have seen it go from being proud to being a joke & now trying to claw its way back to respectability. Lets hope we have a productive , positive season.
And if Sean Smith is considered the best at his position in free agency then in my opinion it is a weak class.

Fairly put. Now you're making valid points. Your first comment was exactly what I was trying to prove. That many people, especially our own fans, refer to a player such as Sean Smith as "trash," which is clearly not the case.

But I can respect this response you gave.

well off the top of my head Sean Smith lost the Indianapolis game when he whiffed on a 'pop fly' interception and allowed an easy touchdown to T.Y. Hilton. Most disgusting highlight of the season.

Reggie Bush left a gallon of yardage on the field this year with all of his dancing through holes that the line made for him.

Maybe they aren't trash but they are severely overrated. Jake Long included.

Every player in the NFL can be nit-picked for plays they miss fired on or "whiffed" on. It happens. Seems like a lot of people just love to point out the negatives.

As for Bush I said I'm ok with letting him walk. Too many holes to fill to pay him what he wants. We also invested two picks in two young RBs (one with tons of potential in Miller).

Jake Long overrated lmao... Wow it's so funny how people's opinion can change after one season. A season ago he was a 4-time bowler and the best tackle in the league and franchise player. Today he is "overrated" lol.

OK, then where are the positives? where are the game changing interceptions or touchdowns?
I actually always thought Jake was a tad overrated. Even when he was playing at a high level. Always thought Clady and Thomas were better than him.

Where are the positives? For starters he's one of the few CBs with that size n speed. He locked down AJ Grenn and Fitz last year when he manned them up! Smith is not regarded the "top free agent CB available" for no reason. He has very good cover and press skills. And that is just "off the top of my head."

As for Long, just cause u believe there are two better offensive tackles in the ENTIRE league, that makes Long overrated? Ok so in your estimation Long is the 3rd best offensive tackle in the league, yet he's overrated? Lol

no, now I think there are 7 or 8 tackles better than him. Yet he still says he is the best in the league and wants to be paid that way. Why? Because he was drafted #1 overall? I think that's why he's always put in the Pro Bowl, purely on his name alone.

As for Smith those are the only 2 games that stick out to me over his uneventful 4 year career.
And he really didnt lock down Fitzgerald, our pass rush manhandled their QB into submission. Arizona's QB and offensive line were atrocious so Fitz never had a fair chance at big numbers.

Bottom line is when the ball hits him right in the hands and he has the opportunity to step up and change the game for us, he fails every time. 5 career interceptions and 0 touchdown returns should not earn you 8 to 10 million a year.
And I could care less about his size because he plays soft as butter. Not a willing tackler in run support.

Funny that you'd bring up the Arizona game because it was Sean Smith that got burned for the game tying TD to send the game to OT..

I will give credit to where credit is due and say he did play pretty good that game cause for the most part he kept Fitzgerald in check but my biggest knock on him is consistency. He had a chance to finish that game off and he didn't, if I'm paying top dollar for a corner or any position for that matter I want him to make those plays at the end of games

I think both your guys points are valid but in reality it only confirms mediocrity.

Exactly. Maybe these guys are not trash, but they are mediocre. The bottom line is Miami has been below .500 for the last 4 years. Retaining these free agents keeps Miami mediocre. Long, Smith & Bush are worth more to other teams than they are to the Dolphins. Miami can fill more holes with the money it would take to retain those 3. Miami was able to resign Hartline, Starks & Matt Moore with the money it would have taken to sign Jake Long. Other teams might be willing to pay Jake Long huge money and gamble that he has recovered from his recent injuries. Miami isn't.

Long , Smith & Bush are worth more to another team only if that team IS close & needs to fill a hole with a complimentary player. Any of those guys going to a team lets say like the Dolphins will have a few year wait to honestly believe there is a ring in their immediate future. Sort of like when we make our impending big splash in free agency , which is why most free agents say they prefer to go to a team that is a contender. Good thing a guy like Wallace I feel will go to the highest bidder.