The window for NFL teams to provide the franchise or transition tag designation on any pending free agent opens today and I can assure you the Miami Dolphins are unlikely to tag any of their players because, well, we don't even know the official tag values yet.
Perhaps the NFL has already signaled teams the likely values but the numbers aren't public.
So I doubt you'll see much action from Miami immediately.
But once the numbers are established, would the Dolphins have use for the tags?
Even that is highly questionable.
First, understand the rules for franchise and transition tags have changed. It is no longer the average of the top five-paid players at a position for the franchise tag and the average of the top ten players at a position for the transition tag.
The franchise tag made it impossible (in most cases) for other teams to negotiate with a free agent. The transition tag required a team signing a player tagged to give up a first-round pick and sometimes other compensation for signing that player.
The lawyers got involved in 2011 and now the franchise tag is based on the five-year average cap percentage for the tag at each position.
The Dolphins have only two free agents even remotely worthy of discussing in franchise tag conversations: DT Jared Odrick and TE Charles Clay.
I doubt either gets tagged.
The likely one-year guaranteed salary for a defensive tackle that receives the franchise tag will be in the $11 million neighborhood. Is Odrick worth that?
The likely one-year guaranteed salary for a tight end that receives the franchise tag will be in the $8 million neighborhood. Is Clay worth that.
Odrick is a good player. He's developed into a starter and is solid against the run and can push the pocket with some regularity. But he's not Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy. He should be a priority to re-sign but failing that, a one-year $11 million tag for him is outrageous and poor use of cap space the Dolphins don't really have anyway at this point.
Clay hurt himself in 2014 by, well, being hurt. He struggled with a knee injury that kept him from practicing most weeks. He also had drops early in the season that were inexplicable. Despite the injury and the inconsistent early play, Clay plowed through. He showed grit and toughness.
But his stats early in the season dipped from 2013 when he caught 69 passes for 759 yards with six TDs. Clay did finish strong with 17 catches the final three games. But his 2014 stats of 58 catches for 605 yards with three TDs was something of a disappointment for everyone expecting him to take the next step in his progression.
Keeping Clay would be a wise thing. Pairing him with a more traditional and proven seam-threat tight end in a double-tight type look would cause headaches. But nowhere in that sentence does it say paying Charles Clay $8 million for one year makes sense.
So no franchise tag that I can see this year by the Dolphins.
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