*** DOLPHINS NEWS ***

---

Mar 08, 1996: -- Coleman's Out, Bailey's In... --

The Dolphins announced yesterday that they wouldn't match the Charger's offer to Marco Coleman. Head Coach and General manager Jimmy Johnson said that the Dolphins "examined a number of ways to keep Marco in a Dolphins uniform. Unfortunately, we were unable to do so..."

Coleman was designated a transition player at the beginning of the free agent period so that the Dolphins could match any offers he got. However, the Dolphins decided not to match the three year, $9.6 million dollar offer sheet that Coleman signed with the Chargers last week.

The departure of Coleman marks the third time this spring a Dolphins' defensive starter from 1995 has left the team as a free agent. Bryan Cox and Troy Vincent also left the Dolphins to sign with other teams.

Also in the news, the Dolphins announced that they have signed free agent cornerback Robert Bailey to an undisclosed contract. Bailey (5'9",176 lbs) played his college football at the University of Miami under Coach Johnson before being drafted by the Rams in 1991.

He played 31 games with the Rams before being cut last summer and being picked up by the Redskins. Washington kept him from September to October, when he was waived and then picked up by the Cowboys. He finished last year with 9 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 5 special teams tackles.

Also in the News - the odds of Keith Sims staying in Miami are improving. According to his agent, Alan Herman, Sims may stay in Miami rather than going to Indianapolis or Cincinnati. Sims is seeking a reported $2.8 million per year.

My Comments:

Coleman's loss is the least important of the three on defense this year, but it still hurts. However, there is no way that Marco Coleman is worth a cap figure of almost $4.5 million ($3.2M in base salary and $1.3 M in bonus). He's good, but he's not that good.

Bailey's history is not impressive, but perhaps under JJ's system, he will flourish. Given his stats, I would guess that he's mainly a special teams player.

As far as Sims is concerned, it sure would be nice to keep him.

Related Links: