Dolphins salary cap 2017: Projecting Miami cap space next season

The 2016 regular season is three weeks from being complete, but the league is already starting to think about the 2017 season. According to USA Today reporter and Sirius XM NFL Radio host Tom Pelissero, teams were told on Tuesday that the 2017 salary cap is projected to be between $166 million and $170 million. That is an increase between $11- and $15-million over this year.

And, as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport points out, the final salary cap each season typically ends up being higher than the initial projection.

The salary cap talk brings us back to the Miami Dolphins, and how they will look heading into the 2017 free agency period. It is probably better than you realize.

Without making any additional roster moves, the Dolphins have about $38 million in salary cap space. This number will fluctuate some, depending on where you are looking and what numbers you are using. For example, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson recently wrote that the Dolphins are internally using a number around $13 million for their rollover into next year. The differences come from bonuses that may not be paid or adjustments to cap numbers for injuries (a team is not required to pay the salary for a player on the Non-Football Injury list, but they can choose to pay that salary or come to a deal to pay a portion of the salary) or other missed games that may not yet be public. As we get closer to the 2017 season, these numbers will eventually work themselves out.

There are moves that the Dolphins could - and some they are expected to - make, which will add more salary cap space to the team. These are not going to be players like quarterback Ryan Tannehill, center Mike Pouncey, and offensive tackle Branden Albert. It could very well be players like Mario Williams (cap savings of $7.2 million), linebacker Koa Misi (cap savings of $4.2 million), and defensive tackle Earl Mitchell (cap savings of $4 million). Another interesting player to watch will be defensive end Dion Jordan, who, as he will miss the entire season on the Non-Football Injury list. There are rules under which Jordan’s contract could toll again, giving Miami an additional year of having his rights, but those rules are not exactly clear, so for now, we will assume he remains with his current contract as it is. If Miami were to cut him, he could give the team $3.2 million in cap space - but it might make more sense for Miami to keep him, at least through training camp, to see if their 2013 first-round pick can become a contributing member of the team.

Some of the Dolphins’ salary cap space will obviously go toward re-signing some of their upcoming free agents in 2017 or contract extensions for players entering the final year on their current contract.

Even with Tannehill’s cap number jumping to $20.3 million and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh at $19.1 million, Miami is in a good salary cap position for next year. They already have nearly $40 million in space, based on the low-end of the NFL’s 2017 salary cap projection, and they could very easily add another $10- to $15-million with a few roster moves. They do have a few free agents they need to lock up, but even then, the team appears to be in a good position to possibly add a key free agent at a position like linebacker or defensive tackle to bolster the team before heading into the 2017 NFL Draft.