The Miami Dolphins have plenty of cap space and quite a lot free agents their hoping to get, especially at wide receiver, but maybe not trying to get the most expensive ones out there is the way to go, with Brandon Gibson of the St. Louis Rams looking like a very possible option.
The big names, and expensive ones, in the free agent market, are Mike Wallace coming out of Pittsburgh and Wes Welker, possibly leaving the New England Patriots. However, Wallace is probably looking for a deal that will give him $12 million a season, and Welker is also searching for someone to give him over $9 million a year. The Dolphins already signed Brian Hartline to a 5 year, $31 million deal, and might be looking for a player commanding those sums instead of looking to become one of the highest paid in the league.
While Brian Gibson, probably leaving the Rams, doesn’t offer amazing numbers and great speed when compared with other options the Dolphins may have, he has excellent hands, dropping only 5 passes of the 75 targeted at him last season, and finished 2012 with 51 catches for 691 yards and 5 touchdowns, and has a very good ability to find himself open without having to rush past cornerbacks.
He’s only 25, and securing him as the #2 guy next to Hartline instead of breaking the piggy bank to sign Wallace or Welker on a riskier deal – Wallace has shown signs of decline while Welker is possibly more of a system kind of yards producer, Gibson offers a player on the rise who’ll come at a much more affordable price.