The Miami Dolphins have seen significant change this offseason after losing defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and guard Robert Hunt in free agency. Head coach Mike McDaniel spoke about the reality of the NFL, per Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team:

“Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel on DT Christian Wilkins and G Robert Hunt leaving in free agency: ‘It all comes back to the fact that there’s a finite salary cap, and sometimes we can't be the kids spending the money; we have to be the parents who need to make sure we can pay the water bill.'”

The Dolphins coach makes a good point, though fans may not want to hear it. At a certain point, franchises need to be responsible with their spending. While it would have been great to bring back both players, Wilkins and Hunt each snagged $100 million deals with other teams. That kind of price tag just wasn't feasible for the Dolphins to match. While the team could have franchise tagged Wilkins, that would have been kicking the can down the road.

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Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier, head coach Mike McDaniel, and new draft pick Chop Robinson in front of Hard Rock Stadium.

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Miami Dolphins head coach MIke McDaniel next to Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Mike McDaniel has a speech bubble with iMessage three dots/ellipsis.

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Chris Grier on one side, Jaylen Waddle and Jaelen Phillips on the other side with the big eyes emoji over their faces

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Christian Wilkins

The Dolphins took a risk by letting Wilkins enter free agency, and the Las Vegas Raiders quickly capitalized – signing the defensive tackle to a four-year deal worth up to $110 million. Miami was presumably not interested in paying a substantial amount of money to a player who nearly recorded as many sacks last season (9.0) as he did in the three combined that preceded it (9.5). It obviously remains to be seen which team is right, but the decision is sure to impact both franchises in the immediate future.

Wilkins also recorded 65 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 23 QB hits for the Dolphins in 2023-24. He joins a Raiders squad that sneakily finished inside the top 10 for fewest points per game allowed in the NFL. General manager Tom Telesco cannot take a bow yet, though, as he and the front office must get to work on filling some of their huge holes on offense.

Robert Hunt

The Carolina Panthers needed to shore up Bryce Young's protection unit, and they partly addressed that concern by signing former Dolphins guard Robert Hunt to an enormous five-year deal that's worth $100 million. His contract comes with $63 million guaranteed money.

The hope is that Hunt will be able to help Carolina improve its pass protection and rushing attack. Hunt has yet to receive an All-Pro nod or All-Pro selection, but in 2023, Pro Football Focus gave him a solid 77.1 overall rating. He also got a 74.5 pass-blocking grade and a 75.9 run-blocking rating.

Robert Hunt was the 6th-highest rated Guard by Pro Football Focus this past season playing for a Dolphins offense that was among the best in the NFL. While he was limited to just 11 games last season due to a hamstring injury, Hunt has been otherwise healthy throughout his career.