Our Miami Dolphins were expected to undergo some level of roster purge before free agency, both because the team was above the salary cap for 2026 and because of a new regime. The purge kicked off this morning with the release of Bradly Chub and was further highlighted with the release of star wideout Tyreek Hill and at least two others (at the time I wrote this post). Even if the cap was in good shape, which it has not been for years now, we all knew that the new regime would want to turn the roster over to some degree to shape it in their own vision, as every new regime does.
I think, as fans, we can assume or already know that further moves will be made, be it cuts or trades, to include, at some point, former starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. As for trades, the team can begin trading any players they wish, starting on March 11th, the official start of the 2026 NFL league year. That same date will apply to teams, allowing them to designate up to two players as post-June 1st cuts, thereby delaying some of those players’ dead cap hits by pushing them into the 2027 league year. Among the names widely mentioned as possible players Miami may trade, include Tua (assuming anyone is willing to trade for him), wideout Jaylen Waddle, and running back Devon Achane.
As it applies to Tua, for those who are curious, his cap hit in 2026, if left on the roster for the league year, would be $56,267,647. Cutting Tua before June 1st would accelerate the cap hit to $99,200,000, or an additional $42,932,353 in cap charges. Trading him pre-June 1st would cause a cap hit of $45,200,000, giving the team a cap savings of $11,067,647. A post-June 1st cut or designation would cost the team an accelerated amount of $67,400,000, or an additional $11,132,353 in cap charges. A post-June 1st trade would cost the team $13,400,000 against the cap, with a savings of $42,867,647 against the cap, assuming the new team would not require Miami to take on more of, most of, or all of Tua’s salary, which actually seems more than likely with either trade scenario.
With all of that in mind, this eveings Phinsider Question Of The Day is:
With all of the cuts that we have already seen today, who else should the team cut before free agency begins, or try to trade after the beginning of the league year? Additionally, were there any of the cuts that you disagree with, and why?
For further reference, you can look up all players currently under contract with the Miami Dolphins here at OverTheCap.com. They have a feature that lets you view each option for each player, showing cap savings and any dead cap added. They may or may not have updated the roster with this morning’s cap moves by the time this is posted.
Please share your thoughts and answers in the comments section below-
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