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          Miami Dolphins' 2018 free agency: Brock Osweiler gives Miami another veteran option

          • Jeff Legwold, ESPN Senior WriterMar 13, 2018, 08:04 PM
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              Jeff Legwold is a senior writer who covers the Denver Broncos and the NFL at ESPN. Jeff has covered the Broncos for more than 20 years, joining ESPN in 2013. He also assists with NFL draft coverage, including his annual top 100 prospects. Jeff has been a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors since 1999. He has attended every scouting combine since 1987.
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          A breakdown of the Miami Dolphins' 2018 free-agent signings.

          Brock Osweiler, QB

          The Miami Dolphins reached an agreement with quarterback Brock Osweiler, who played last season for the Denver Broncos. Here's a closer look:

          Grade: B-minus. Osweiler gives the Dolphins a veteran presence with Ryan Tannehill. Osweiler has seen the job done as well as it can be done after he spent four seasons alongside Peyton Manning.

          What it means: Osweiler is a known commodity for Dolphins coach Adam Gase; the two were together with the Broncos from 2012-2014. Osweiler has started games in the league and has consistently worked at the job, given his first four years in the league were spent in the same quarterback meetings as the uber-prepared Manning. Osweiler also made seven starts for the Broncos in 2015 when the team was in the stretch drive for a playoff spot and eventually won Super Bowl 50. The Broncos went 5-2 in those starts when Manning was injured.

          What’s the risk: That Osweiler hasn’t completed what Broncos GM John Elway called Osweiler’s much-needed “football rehab’’ last season. Osweiler had a smattering of quality moments in 2017 -- most notably 194 yards passing with two touchdowns to go with a rushing touchdown in a relief effort against the Indianapolis Colts -- but overall he, like the other two Broncos quarterbacks, largely struggled in the Broncos’ balky offense behind the team’s shaky line. Couple that with a decidedly uneven run as the Houston Texans’ starter in 2016, he still has repairs to make his game.

          Josh Sitton, G

          Grade: B-plus. Sitton has missed three games with injuries in each of the past two seasons and will turn 32 in June. But this is a proven player at a position of need for the Dolphins and Sitton had started 16 games in five consecutive seasons with the Packers before he signed in Chicago in 2016.

          What it means: New Dolphins offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains was with the Bears during Sitton’s two seasons there, so this is a known player who will quickly be an upgrade. Many personnel executives in the league said they still consider Sitton, even on the doorstep of 32, to be a top-five or top-seven player at his position in the league. His movement skills will allow Loggains and coach Adam Gase to use him in a variety of ways and he’ll quickly be moved into the left guard spot, which should help left tackle Laremy Tunsil's development as well.

          What’s the risk: At such a high-impact position for a player on the north side of 30, the risk is always going to be whether he can stay on the field. In terms of level of play, there is little risk in this move since Sitton is an accomplished lineman still playing at a high level. If he can stay healthy and in the lineup, his presence will benefit the offense.

          Danny Amendola, WR

          Amendola intends to leave the New England Patriots to sign with the Dolphins on a two-year deal, a source confirmed to ESPN.

          Grade: B. After trading Jarvis Landry to the Cleveland Browns, the Dolphins were on the hunt for help at the position. Amendola gives the Dolphins a player who can work comfortably in a variety of spots in the formation depending on the matchups coach Adam Gase wants to create. Amendola also offers some productivity as a punt returner.

          What it means: With Landry gone, Amendola is the most proven commodity among the Dolphins' receivers. Amendola figures to work out of the slot much of the time and be the middle-of-the-field target Gase wants in the scheme. Amendola’s five seasons in New England, with multiple Super Bowl trips and 13 postseason games in all, mean he will be expected to lead his teammates on the practice field as well.

          What’s the risk: The risk, with any Patriots receiver, is determining what kind of player you’ll have once he’s no longer catching passes from Tom Brady. Amendola has played 16 games in just two of his previous nine seasons and never started more than eight games. And while he’s flourished in the playoffs for the Patriots, including 152 yards receiving in the Super Bowl loss to the Eagles this past February, he’s also never had more than 689 yards receiving in any of his regular seasons.