OT James would likely benefit from release

Ja’Wuan James would likely benefit from being released by the Miami Dolphins in the coming weeks.

The Dolphins opted into the starting right tackle’s fifth-year option last spring, which commits $9.34 million to the team’s 2014 firstround pick in 2018. But if waived before the start of the league’s new year March 14, the entire salary comes off Miami’s books, creating much-needed cap space.

“He’s healthy and we’ve got to make a decision here coming up,” coach Adam Gase said Wednesday at the NFL Combine. “We’ve still got a couple weeks before we have to make any type of decision.”

The Dolphins actually have 13 days to make a decision, or a deal involving James as of Thursday.

While Miami has been non-committal on whether they will honor James’ fifthyear option, a league source claims the former Tennessee standout would prefer his release because it would allow him to hit the open market as a 25-year-old free agent.

James, who has started all 47 games he played at right tackle the past four seasons, could then possibly land a lucrative multiyear deal similar to the four-year, $40-million deal Washington gave right tackle Morgan Moses, securing his financial future by guaranteeing Moses $20 million.

If released, James would join New York Giants offensive lineman Justin Pugh, New England offensive tackles Nate Solder and Cam Erving, Carolina offensive guard Andrew Norwell, Pittsburgh’s Chris Hubbard, Indianapolis’ Jack Mewhort and Bears guard Josh Sitton as the top offensive linemen in the 2018 free-agent class. If released before March 14, James would get ahead of the other linemen, and could immediately negotiate and sign a deal with a new team.

It is also possible that the Dolphins might try to trade James, who is likely being shopped this week at the NFL combine. Signing him to a contract extension is also an option, but that’s a long-shot as Dolphins coaches and executives view his performance the past two seasons as inconsistent.

However, releasing James before March 14, which is when his fifth-year option becomes fully guaranteed, would mean Miami potentially loses a former first-round pick and gets nothing in exchange because his release prevents him from being in the compensatory pick formula.

Last year James, who turns 26 in June, struggled for most of the eight games he played before getting placed on injured reserve because of what the team labeled a hamstring injury.

Miami’s coaches acknowledge that the team’s offensive line improved when Jesse Davis and Sam Young replaced Jermon Bushrod and James as the starting right guard and right tackle, respectively.

Dolphins coaches labeled Davis’ emergence as a reliable starter as one of the few bright spots of the 2017 season. But Gase would not confirm whether Davis is penciled in as the starting right guard or right tackle of the future.

“[Davis] and Sam really developed something there toward the end. We’ll just see how everything kind of plays out. We have a lot of time here,” Gase said referring to Davis and Young, who is an unrestricted free agent. “We have to make decisions on so many players and kind of see how free agency goes, see how the draft goes.”

The Dolphins are over the projected salary cap of $178 million because of the $16 million that was committed to receiver Jarvis Landry when they placed the franchise tag on him. However, releasing James, tight end Julius Thomas and linebacker Lawrence Timmons would create a little over $21 million in cap space.

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