The hunt for Mike Wallace looks to be about over. A slew of teams have shown interest in the wide receiver since free agency began, but now one team has emerged as the leader. The Miami Dolphins are expected to land Wallace and sign him to a long-term contract soon.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the Dolphins are the lead contender to sign the receiver, a position they are in great need to improve. The Dolphins did re-sign receiver Mike Hartline to a five-year deal worth $31 million last week, but he is a No. 2 receiver at best. Pairing Wallace on the other side of the field with Hartline will give Miami a much desired passing attack they have been lacking in recent years. It would benefit quarterback Ryan Tannehill's development as he enters his second year with the team.
Wallace has proven himself to be a big-play wide receiver and a deep-pass threat. Wallace had 64 receptions for 836 yards and 8 touchdowns in what was a down year for both him and the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2012. Tannehill completed 58.3 percent of his passes for 3,294 yards and 12 touchdowns in his rookie season with Miami. Adding Wallace should only increase his stats.
The Dolphins have $35 million in cap space to spend this season and are expected to sign Wallace to a contract somewhere in the five-year, $55 million range. They are also positioned well for next year with just over $71 million committed to players. That is the second-lowest in the NFL. If the Dolphins want to challenge the New England Patriots in the AFC East, they will have to start spending money, beginning with Wallace.
As the team looks to sign one player, they are letting another go. Running back Reggie Bush is not expected to re-sign with the Dolphins. Multiple teams have shown interest in the free agent, but the Dolphins are not one of them. Miami is choosing to go with backups Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas instead. Bush proved he can be any every down running back in Miami, rushing for 2,072 yards and 12 touchdowns in his two seasons with the team. He played every game in 2012 and fell just shy of his second consecutive 1,000-yard season, rushing for 986 yards.
With the money the Dolphins have left over, they could attempt to sign a veteran running back to a smaller contract to help in the backfield, but with the set of wide receivers they have it is unlikely they will reach out to a big name to bring onto the team.
