Dolphins' roster farther from championship contention after first day of free agency | Schad

The Dolphins didn't win a playoff game with Christian Wilkins, Xavien Howard, Jerome Baker, Andrew Van Ginkel, Brandon Jones, Emmanuel Ogbah and Robert Hunt on the roster.

And now, in 2024, they'll try to win a playoff game without any of them.

The task is much harder after a Black Monday in Miami Gardens.

Needing to trim salary as they were up against the cap in the worst way, Miami had previously decided to cut Howard, Ogbah and Baker from their defense.

And yet on the first day free agent deals could be struck, Miami saw Wilkins, Hunt, Van Ginkel and Jones all leave, for the Raiders, Panthers, Vikings and Broncos, respectively.

Oh-for-four. Not surprising, but stunning nonetheless.

It could be argued that the Dolphins have met or exceeded regular-season expectations for the last five seasons. Expectations may very well be lowered in Mike McDaniel's third season.

The Dolphins tore their organization down to a point where their roster was humiliating in 2019. And that tear down has resulted in exactly zero playoff wins.

NFL Free Agency: Dolphins gutted on Day 1

And now, Miami has lost four players who were good draft picks in that rebuild wave.

Wilkins and Hunt, in particular, are extremely painful to see walk away.

Wilkins is physical, tough and a dedicated worker on defense.

Hunt is physical, tough and a dedicated worker on offense.

They're the type of players the Dolphins wanted to build around. And now they're gone, instead off to be centerpieces of the Raiders' and Panthers' rebuilds.

Why didn't Miami franchise tag Christian Wilkins?

Miami should have found a way to make the 1-year, $22.1 million Wilkins franchise tag work. How can anyone say that would have been a bad deal, considering the Raiders felt he was worth $27.5 million per season?

Why didn't Miami complete contract restructures in time to make earlier moves?

"We’re not really, right now, concerned about where we’ll be in March, salary cap-wise," Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said in January.

Perhaps he should have been more concerned.

In general, teams don't want to overpay defensive tackles and guards.

And we understand that Miami did not want to come close to the $20 million per season for five that the Panthers gave Hunt.

But there are whopping holes now.

Miami will need, either through free agency or the draft, to find at least one left guard, center, right guard, defensive tackle, nose tackle, linebacker, edge rusher and safety.

Miami added edge rusher Shaq Barrett, a two-time Pro Bowler for the Bucs, serviceable center Aaron Brewer and solid linebackers Jordyn Brooks and Anthony Walker after the initial wave of pain on Monday. It's ever-so-slightly lessened the sting.

But this was a talent drain.

This Miami Dolphins roster is a long way away

Van Ginkel's departure to Minnesota for $10 million a season?

Even with the addition of Barrett, 31, that leaves Miami with three edge rushers coming off serious injuries: Bradley Chubb (ACL), Jaelan Phillips (Achilles) and Cam Goode (knee). There's also Quinton Bell and Zeke Vandenburgh.

There is so much work to do.

This is a gutted roster. And there is nothing intentional about it this time.

Miami, in retrospect, should have closed a deal with Wilkins prior to the 2023 season. Same with Hunt.

We realize Phillips and Jaylen Waddle and Jevon Holland will all need new deals in the not-too-distant future.

Miami can't allow them to get to their own Free Agency Frenzy.

Was there no way to make Wilkins or Hunt work, if not Wilkins and Hunt?

And I don't mean on Monday. I mean, any time prior to Monday.

We knew the Dolphins couldn't keep everyone with Tua Tagovailoa's $50 million-plus contract on the horizon. But did we think they would lose everyone?

It didn't feel like that was necessary.

Taken one by one, it could easily be argued that the four players Miami lost just a few hours into Monday's free agency frenzy, will eventually all be described as overpaid, and perhaps some become eventual cap casualties.

But on this day, it's hard not to just view what has occurred as an enormous net minus.

The Dolphins have been tapping into concurrent short-term and long-term strategies on how to build a championship roster.

One thing is for sure: by end of business on Monday, the Dolphins' distance from championship contention seemed a heck of a lot farther away.

Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: NFL Free Agency 2024: Miami Dolphins lose Christian Wilkins, Robert Hunt