The Dolphins’ brass, including head coach Mike McDaniel, general manager Chris Grier, president Tom Garfinkel, and owner Stephen Ross, have spent the previous few days in Orlando for the NFL’s annual owners meeting. It was a busy period for the franchise’s top executives, with McDaniel speaking for the first time since the NFL Scouting Combine in late February. Grier, a member of the league’s competition committee, also attended multiple sessions when the NFL voted on rule changes. Here are three takeaways from the owner’s meeting.
In recent years, Miami has been one of the most aggressive spenders during the initial wave of free agency. With a roster overhaul and multi-year reconstruction, the Dolphins consistently placed near the top of the league in cap space. However, after spending draft money to acquire high-priced players, and with several homegrown players up for new contracts, Miami found itself in a difficult cap position. This resulted in numerous key players leaving the Dolphins during free agency, while Miami retooled with a number of low-cost but possibly high-value deals. McDaniel used an appropriate analogy to highlight the sensitive nature of the Dolphins’ cap predicament.
