Kelly: Don’t stop at Marcus Maye. A couple more free agents adds can make Dolphins legit contenders

There’s enough quality NFL talent still available in free agency to put together an expansion team if we really wanted to.

The roster would be old, injury prone, and probably full of divas. But it would be competitive with the right coaching.

Ryan Tannehill would be the starting quarterback, and tailback Dalvin Cook would handle the carries.

Problem is, there might not be enough capable talent to assemble a respectable offensive line, but Carl Lawson, Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue and Zack Cunningham, who are all free agent defensive linemen looking for work, might deliver more sacks than a handful of NFC teams in 2024.

The Miami Dolphins signed Marcus Maye this week, fortifying depth in the secondary by adding a safety who has started 77 games in his NFL career.

While Maye has struggled to stay healthy during his seven NFL seasons, and is rehabbing a shoulder injury that could prevent him from participating in contact work during the early portions of training camp, if he’s the reliable contributor he has been since leaving the University of Florida in 2016 he will team up well with Jevon Holland and Jordan Poyer, making Miami’s defense better.

But Maye shouldn’t be the last free agent addition the Dolphins, which have roughly $15 million in cap space to work with, make before training camp opens in late July.

The Dolphins could use a few more capable starters at specific positions. Here is a look at some of the best free agents still available.

It’s always important to keep an eye on veterans who are still available because injuries happen during training camp and the exhibition season, and teams often use these veterans to patch holes in their roster, like when Miami signed Eli Apple in the middle of training camp after Jalen Ramsey suffered a serioius knee injury.

Defensive lineman Calais Campbell

It’s unclear if this 37-year-old defensive lineman wants to play a 17th season in the NFL, but he’s still wildly durable and effective. He started all 17 games for the Atlanta Falcons and contributed 56 tackles, 6.5 sacks with one forced fumble and one fumble recovered last season. The Dolphins could use Campbell, and his 105.5 career sacks, for situational roles. He’s stout against the run, already knows defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s scheme, so the Dolphins could use a talent like him to replace Christian Wilkins and Raekwon Davis, who each left as free agents.

Edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue

Ngakoue, who like Campbell has a history with Weaver from their time together in Baltimore, is the best pass rusher available. Even though the Dolphins have veteran Shaq Barrett and draftees Chop Robinson and Mohamed Kamara to handle the edge spots until Bradley Chubb (ACL) and Jaelan Phillips’ (Achilles) make a full recovery from their complicated injuries, the Dolphins might be one edge player short of what they need for the season unless Quinton Bell or Grayson Murphy show they can handle the work. Ngakoue is coming off a down season by his standards. He finished with career lows in sacks (4.0), pressures (34) and pressure rate (8.7 percent), snapping a streak of seven consecutive seasons with 8 or more sacks. There’s a reason a 29-year-old edge rusher with 115 starts and 69 career sacks has become an NFL nomad. It might be his asking price considering he was paid $10.5 million by the Chicago Bears last season.

Safety Justin Simmons

Simmons, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, leads the NFL in interceptions (30) since the 2016 season. Why the 30-year-old, who was released from Denver in a cap-clearing maneuver, hasn’t signed yet is unknown. Last season the Florida native contributed 70 tackles, three interceptions and eight pass deflections and had an 89.1 passer rating allowed when targeted, per Pro Football Reference. However, the signing of Maye indicates Miami already addressed the safety spot.

Defensive lineman Emmanuel Ogbah

Ogbah played the past four seasons in Miami, and served as a starter until the past two years, where injuries cut his 2022 season short, and a spot in Vic Fangio’s doghouse limited his playing time and opportunities in 2023. However, he still tallied 20 tackles and five sacks in 246 defensive snaps. He’s a situational player at this point, but far more accomplished than Jonathan Harris and Neville Gallimore, the 3-4 ends signed this offseason to replace him.

Offensive guard Phil Haynes

There are slim pickings out there for offensive lineman right now because every team is carrying 15-plus offensive linemen on their training camp roster. But Haynes, 28, is versatile enough to upgrade some of the weaker interior spots on Miami’s offensive line. He began last season as Seattle’s starting right guard, but landed on injury reserve at midseason because of a toe injury. The Dolphins need to ask themselves if he’s a better option than Lester Cotton or Chasen Hines. And if he might be, do what it takes to add him to the training camp roster because those interior spots are one injury away from becoming problematic.

Cornerback Xavien Howard

Only Simmons has produced more interceptions (29) than Howard since the 2016 season, which explains why this four-time Pro Bowler can still argue that his services should be in demand. Problem is, Howard has struggled to stay healthy the past few seasons and is working his way back from a season-ending foot injury he suffered in December. Howard also has some off-field drama that will require a ton of explaining to his future employer. But if Miami loses one of its frontline starting cornerbacks to a serious injury like last season general manager Chris Grier should seriously consider patching things up with Howard because he’s still an NFL starter, and remains Grier’s best ever draft pick.

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill

Tannehill’s time in Tennessee concluded once the Titans gave the keys to Will Levis, and Tannehill has been unable to find work despite his career 91.2 passing record and 81-70 win-loss record. Tannehill isn’t a starter at this point of his career, but he’s clearly better than Mike White and Skylar Thompson, which means if something tragic happens to Tua Tagovailoa the Dolphins should consider a reunion with the team’s 2012 first-round pick. He’s not an ideal fit for this timing-based offense, but Tannehill gives Miami the best shot to deliver a fifth straight winning season.

Center Connor Williams

Williams tore his ACL in December last season, and there’s league-wide talk that his playing career is over because of the complexity of the injury. If that’s not true, it’s possible that Miami could add the 27-year-old center for a minimum-based salary and give him an opportunity to work his way back into playing shape with the team, where he can serve as a possible backup in November or December. When healthy, Williams was Miami’s top offensive lineman. The big mystery is does he want to continue playing?

Safety Jamal Adams

Adams was cut after four underwhelming seasons in Seattle. He never started more than 12 games in a single season with the Seahawks and was little more than a glorified linebacker. However, the 28-year-old, who has contributed 21.5 sacks and produced four interceptions in his seven-year career, might be exactly what Weaver’s missing in this defense, a defensive back who brings a physicality to the game. A change of scenery could do well for the three-time Pro Bowler.

Receiver Michael Thomas

Injuries have derailed Thomas’ career. He led the NFL in catches and receiving yards in 2019 but hasn’t played a full season healthy since. He showed flashes in 10 games in 2023, pulling down 39 receptions, which he turned into 448 yards and one score. Receiver happens to be a deep spot for the Dolphins, but one injury in training camp or the exhibition season could change the complexion of the unit drastically. The Dolphins lack a big target like Thomas, who needs to prove he’s still a force in some team’s training camp.