In retrospect, it's not surprising that Julius Thomas' best years came when Peyton Manning was throwing him the ball. In 2013 and 2014, the tight end, then with the Broncos, caught 108 passes for 1,277 yards and 24 touchdowns. Those gaudy numbers prompted the Jaguars to give Thomas a five-year, $46 million deal in March 2015.
But after two injury-plagued and inconsistent seasons later, the Jags shipped Thomas to the Dolphins.
In Miami, Thomas was reunited with Adam Gase, who was the offensive coordinator in Denver. Not only that, but Manning thought enough of Thomas to recommend him to the Dolphins.
Thomas' stay in Miami won't make it a full year, according to the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero, who writes that the team will cut him by March 14, saving $6.6 million in salary-cap space. In addition to Thomas, the team is also expected to part ways with linebacker Lawrence Timmons, who was signed last offseason (and would save $5.4 million against the cap), and possibly offensive tackle Ja'Wuan James (a $9.34 million savings).
That would put the Dolphins, who just franchised Jarvis Landry and would have to pay him $16.2 million in 2018, roughly $11 million under the cap.
There's also the question of what the Dolphins will do with Ndamukong Suh, who will count $26.1 million against the cap next season, the most by any non-quarterback in the NFL. Last October, CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora wrote that Suh wasn't in Miami's plans after the 2017 season, and Salguero writes that the team could try to trade him or designate him a post-June 1 cut, which would save $17 million in cap space.
Whatever happens, the 2018 version of the Dolphins won't look a lot like the 2017 team that went 6-10.