Miami Dolphins: Landing Zach Brown Worth Ponying Up For
Linebacker Zach Brown is reportedly deciding between the Oakland Raiders and Miami Dolphins, and Miami needs to up the ante and make this move.
In 2016, the Miami Dolphins linebacker corps was a detriment and perhaps the team's most glaring weakness by year's end. So far this offseason, they have inked proven veteran Lawrence Timmons and re-signed Kiko Alonso, who was the one shining star in their group of linebackers last season. They now have a chance to turn that liability into a strength by bringing in Zach Brown—and they need to get this deal done.
The Dolphins need to pay up for this talented 27-year-old defender. He showed a ton of promise during his first two seasons in Tennessee before having a bit of a down year in his fourth season coming off injury. However, he bounced back in a major way last season.
With the Buffalo Bills in 2016, Brown tallied 149 tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception. Through four full 16-game seasons (he did not play in 2014), he's racked up 410 tackles, 14 sacks, four forced fumbles, three recovered fumbles, seven interceptions and two touchdowns. Those numbers are nothing at all to scoff at. If not for a pectoral injury in 2014, this guy may be getting treated like a premier linebacker.
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The issue appears to be money. According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, Brown is looking for about $6 million per year, but Miami's ceiling looks to be no higher than $4 million. With that said, the Dolphins also are believed to have offered the most money and have a lot more money to offer him than the Oakland Raiders, who they are competing with for his services. The Dolphins also have a more pressing need at the position.
It's time for the Phins to pay up for a much needed addition to their defense. I'm not saying they should go crazy and overpay for him. Nevertheless, it wouldn't kill them to open up the purse and meet him around the $4.6 to $4.9 million range. This is an asset the team desperately needs and, at just 27 years old, he could be a staple alongside Alonso and a drafted rookie for years to come.
Not only would this help stabilize the position for 2017 and forward, it also frees up a lot of options for Miami in the 2017 NFL Draft. If you add Brown maybe you don't have to go linebacker in Round 1. Trading down for more picks would become an option as would targeting an edge-rusher or maybe even a top safety. Signing Brown would also allow them to draft and groom a young linebacker and transition him into the lineup in 2018 with Timmons then on an expiring contract.
This move would not only help Miami on the field immediately, it would free up a ton of options for the remainder of the offseason. The deal needs to get done sooner rather than later.