The Miami Dolphins have 29 players who are expected to hit free agency in March, including a versatile offensive lineman who is the team’s lone restricted free agent – Robert Jones.
Jones, 25, was originally signed by the Dolphins in 2021 as an undrafted free agent, following a collegiate career at Middle Tennessee.
Jones made the team out of camp as a rookie, appearing in eight games and starting one at right tackle. Over the last two years, he’s only played guard, but he has a fair amount of experience (24 games and 12 starts)for a backup due to injuries to Robert Hunt, Isaiah Wynn and others.
Dealing with his own injuries in 2023, Jones was Pro Football Focus’ 44th-best guard, receiving a 57.6 overall grade, and he was their 29th-ranked run-blocking guard, earning a 62.3 grade.
Miami has a ton of questions to answer on their offensive line this offseason. Hunt, Williams and center Connor Williams are all set to be free agents, meaning there could be three new starters in 2024.
Jones, as a restricted free agent, could be tendered this offseason. A first-round tender would cost $6.82 million, a second-round tender would cost $4.89 million and a right-of-first-refusal tender would equate to roughly $2.99 million.
The last tender would probably be the most fitting for Jones, considering other teams probably aren’t going to be signing him to an offer sheet. However, wouldn’t be surprising to see the Dolphins just give him a one-year deal before the start of the offseason just in case.
Versatility on the offensive line is always great to have, and Jones can play four spots, and he’s not terrible at any of them. For that alone, Miami should do what they can to get him back for at least one more year.
