Dolphins free agency 2016 shopping list 2.0: Updated following legal tampering period

The NFL's free agency period officially begins at 4pm Eastern time today, kicking off what should be a fast-and-furious time of signings, followed by rumors and speculation, followed by more signings. A couple of days ago, we published a shopping list for the Miami Dolphins, looking to see where the Dolphins have to address weaknesses on their roster, as well as looking at some of the posiible targets the team could look to fill those needs.

As the league's "legal tampering" period, a two-day pre-free agency time frame in which teams can talk to the agents of players scheduled to become free agents, but they cannot visit with the player, talk directly to the player, or officially sign the player, comes to a close and free agency prepares to begin, things have already changed for Miami. The team has signed defensive end Mario Williams, almost traded for Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonso, removed the transition tag from Olivier Vernon, and appeared to accept that Lamar Miller will end up somewhere else in 2016.

All of these changes make us need to update the shopping list for the Dolphins.

Shopping List

There are several needs for the Dolphins to address this offseason, whether it be in free agency or in the Draft. That means, some of these areas listed below may not be addressed by the signing of a player over the next few weeks. Ultimately, the new coaching staff could even decide they are going to use an in-house option to fill a need, rather than sign or draft someone. Whatever the ultimate case, here is Miami's offseason shopping list for 2016:

• 1 Middle Linebacker (Starter, potentially strongside as well)
• 2 Cornerbacks (1 starter, 1 nickel)
• 2 Guards (Starters)
• 1 Running back (Starter if Lamar Miller leaves - depending on evaluation of Jay Ajayi)
• 2 1 Defensive ends (1 Starter if Vernon leaves, 1 backup) - Mario Williams signed
• 1 Free Safety
• 1 Quarterback (Backup)
• 1 Offensive tackle (Backup/Developmental)
• 1 Defensive tackle (Potential signing, depending on money and evaluation of Jordan Phillips)
• 1 Wide receiver (depth signing, especially if Rishard Matthews leaves the team)

Potential Targets:

I've listed some of the top targets I would consider for the Dolphins. Some of these positions skip top free agents because I do not see the Dolphins spending that king of money. Some of them look more toward developmental players than top players because Miami is fairly well set at the starting position, but need depth. Here are some of the targets Miami could consider to fill their shopping list:

Linebacker

1. Danny Trevathan
2. Jerrell Freeman
3. Mark Barron
4. James Laurinaitis
5. Tahir Whitehead
6. Nigel Bradham
7. Zach Brown
8. Stephen Tulloch
9. Rolando McClain - Re-signs with Dallas

Cornerback

1. Janoris Jenkins - Agrees to terms with Giants
2. Adam Jones
3. Sean Smith
4. Prince Amukamara
5. William Gay - Re-signs with Steelers
6. Casey Hayward
7. Nolan Carroll

Guard

1. Kelechi Osemele - Agrees to terms with Raiders
2. Alex Mack (center)
3. Alex Boone
4. Evan Mathis
5. Ramon Foster - Re-signs with Steelers
6. Brandon Brooks
7. Richie Incognito - Re-signs with Bills
8. Jahri Evans

Running back

1. Doug Martin
2. Matt Forte
3. Arian Foster
4. Chris Ivory - Agrees to terms with Jaguars
5. Bilal Powell
6. Alfred Morris
7. Reggie Bush

Defensive end

1. Jason Pierre-Paul - Re-signs with Giants
2. Mario Williams - Signs with Dolphins
3. Tamba Hali - Re-signs with Chiefs
4. Chris Long
5. Charles Johnson - Re-signs with Panthers
6. Robert Ayers
7. William Hayes

Safety

1. Eric Weddle
2. Reggie Nelson
3. George Iloka - Re-signs with Bengals
4. Walter Thurmond
5. Rodney McLeod
6. Rashad Johnson

Quarterback

1. Chase Daniel
2. Matt Flynn
3. Josh Freeman
4. Thad Lewis
5. Colt McCoy - Re-signs with Redskins
6. Matt Schaub

Offensive tackle

1. Kelvin Beachum
2. Mitchell Schwartz
3. Donald Penn
4. Jake Long

Defensive tackle

1. Jaye Howard
2. Paul Soliai
3. Nick Fairley
4. Ian Williams - Re-signs with 49ers
5. Haloti Ngata
6. B.J. Raji
7. Terrance Knighton
8. Akiem Hicks

Wide receiver

1. Anquan Boldin
2. Jermaine Kearse
3. Brian Quick
4. Marc Mariani
5. Marvin Jones - Agrees to terms with Lions

Tight end (Impulse buy at the register)

1. Dwayne Allen - Re-signs with Colts
2. Coby Fleener
3. Ladarius Green