With the 7-day CBA extension in place, there is suddenly hope that we will have free agency in March this year after all. There isn’t a consensus about whether the prospects of a new deal being reached is favorable or not, but at least now we have hope. And if a deal is indeed agreed upon by Friday’s deadline, the flood gates will open and hundreds of pending NFL free agents will hit the open market.

We looked at the free agent running backs a few weeks back and now it’s time to turn our attention to the Dolphins’ interior offensive line. With news of Richie Incognito resigning with the Dolphins last week, I’m assuming that center is no longer a pressing need on this roster. Of course, the Dolphins could keep Incognito put at left guard where he started most of the 2010 season, but most would agree that his ceiling is significantly higher at center. Incognito just doesn’t have the athleticism to pull effectively, but does possess the elite strength to be a real force as the Dolphins starting center in 2011. With Richie’s move inside, though, the Dolphins have two gaping holes at right and left guard.

In house possibilities, Nate Garner and John Jerry, could potentially fill one of those voids, but both are far from sure things. The Dolphins could obviously hold off addressing guard until the draft, but with so much upgrading that needs to take place on the offensive side of the ball and with currently no 2nd round pick, Jeff Ireland would be wise to at least contemplate some of these veteran candidates.

1. Davin Joseph, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 27: With Carl Nicks and Logan Mankins no longer being possibilities outside of sacrificing a draft pick, Joseph may now be the Dolphins’ first priority this free agency period. Joseph was in the midst of a stellar 2010 season before he went down with a broken foot. He’s exactly what the Dolphins are missing from a run blocking standpoint and is also solid as a pass blocker. Joseph may be on the verge of emerging as one of the league’s elite guards and would drastically upgrade the Dolphins’ running game. Now it’s just a question of whether or not Jeff Ireland will be willing to dish out a lucrative contract and whether or not Joseph will be willing to move a few hours south.

2. Harvey Dahl, Atlanta Falcons, 29: The Dolphins were enticed by Richie Incognito’s nasty streak last offseason, and if they want to continue with that line of thinking, Harvey Dahl may be atop their wish list. Dahl has established a reputation as one of the league’s nastiest O-lineman and in Atlanta, combined with Ryan Clabo to form a dominate right side.

On a day where the biggest league wide news was supposed to be the opening of the 2011 NFL combine, the Dolphins have had themselves a buzz worthy 24 hours. We all know that the Dolphins have a lot of work to do this offseason on the offensive side of the football, but there was one crucial order of business that needed to be taken care of on the other side.

Of course I’m referring to retaining nose tackle Paul Soliai, who was scheduled to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent before the Dolphins placed the franchise tag on him today. It’s a huge investment for the Dolphins, as Soliai is now guaranteed $12.381 million in 2011. But you could argue that letting him hit free agency would have been considerably more costly. The Dolphins don’t have any legitimate weaknesses on defense, and with Soliai now slated to once again anchor the D-line, Mike Nolan’s unit may be all set to rise to elite status in 2011.

I still think they could upgrade in the pass rushing department and either Reshad Jones or Chris Clemons needs to develop into a reliable free safety, but bringing Soliai back ensures that the Dolphins should pick up where they left off in 2010 as one of the stingiest front sevens against the run in the entire league.

In other news, the Dolphins are apparently the leading candidate to land suddenly available Jeremy Shockey. League sources reported earlier today that Shockey passed a physical with the Dolphins. Although nothing has been confirmed as far as negotiations go, it’s only logical to assume that both parties are interested in getting a deal done.

Shockey reportedly would love to return to Miami, where he played college ball for the Hurricanes and where he currently resides in the offseason. The Dolphins, meanwhile, could use a tight end with the receiving skills Shockey would bring to the table. On paper, everything adds up. But let’s hold off on further delving into how Shockey would benefit the Dolphins until we hear official word of a signing.

Foxsports.com is reporting that the Dolphins are not expected to resign impending free agent left guard Richie Incognito. We were all well aware that the front office would have their hands full this offseason remodeling the interior offensive line, but their mysterious plans for Richie Incognito hindered how we perceived they would go about addressing the issue.

There was the possibility that the Dolphins would resign Incognito to move him over to center, where he showed some flashes of potential in the couple games he saw time there. They could have also brought him back and kept him put at left guard, where he was only decent and was a lackluster puller, but often times the only positive contributor on an otherwise putrid interior. Instead, though, if these reports are accurate, the Dolphins will have a little more work on their hands than we originally thought.

A couple other in house solutions to the interior mess include right guard John Jerry and the ever so versatile Nate Garner. Jerry didn’t show much promise as a rookie, but the fact that he was only a rookie leaves the door open for drastic improvement down the road. Garner was sidelined for the entire season with a foot injury, but he looked like starting material in 2009 when he was forced to play tackle, guard, and center due to a plague of injuries. It wouldn’t be shocking if one could fill one of the three voids inside, but to bank on both would be foolish.

I wouldn’t mind seeing the Dolphins allowing Jerry and Garner to battle it out on the right side in training camp, but that still leaves two gaping holes that need to be filled. But with Incognito supposedly soon to be out of the picture, we now know that center will be one of the biggest needs on the roster this offseason, with guard, either left or right, or potentially both being not far behind. Keep in mind, though, this is all still speculation at this point. These Incognito rumors come from Fox Sports, not one of the usually reliable South Florida media outlets. Until we hear consensus from the Dolphins’ beat writers or a statement from the team itself, let’s not rule out the possibility of Incognito returning.

Earlier tonight, Adam Schefter reported that the St. Louis Rams have released veteran free safety O.J. Atogwe. In the past two offseasons many fans let it be known their desire for the Dolphins to pursue Atogwe, as the free safety position has been a hole on this roster for several years.

Ultimately, though, upper management never made a serious play for Atogwe. Instead, they decided to bring in Gibril Wilson two years ago, who plagued the secondary with missed tackles and appalling coverage all of 2009, and last offseason, they chose to stay out of the Atogwe sweepstakes and entrusted the starting position to second-year safety Chris Clemons.

That decision should probably be looked at under a positive light, as Clemons was far from a disappointment and rookie Reshad Jones exhibited enough potential to forecast a stiff competition for the starting free safety job in this year’s training camp. Still though, both have a long way to go before we can proclaim that the Dolphins finally have themselves a solid starter at free safety. So when a sure bet like Atogwe becomes available, should Jeff Ireland seriously contemplate making a play for his services?

Matt Williamson of ESPN’s Scouts Inc. told ESPN’s AFC East Blog yesterday that “Miami’s defense is one good free safety away from being one of the elite units in 2011.” In his six seasons in St. Louis, Atogwe totaled 390 tackles, 22 interceptions, and broke up 38 passes. I would say that would qualify as a good safety. If it’s really that simple, should Stephen Ross open up the checkbook for a likely pricey contract if it means the Dolphins would project as an elite defense in 2011?

Considering rumors have been circulating for about a week now that the Dolphins have a strong interest in Cam Newton, it is a fitting time to evaluate Newton as an option to fill this franchise’s long pressing quarterback void. While I take every rumor I hear with a grain of salt or two this time of year and really all the way up until the draft, the fact of the matter is, Newton may be the most realistic option for the Dolphins if they plan on staying put at pick #15 in order to invest a mid-first rounder in a quarterback.

I fully expect Jeff Ireland to pursue every avenue possible to recover the second round pick the Dolphins lost in the Brandon Marshall trade a year ago, but if he is really sold on Newton, or becomes so sometime in the draft scouting process, it would be worth staying put in the middle of the first round if Newton falls that far, or if he doesn’t, contemplate trading up into the top ten.

Being already void of a second round pick, trading up would further prevent the Dolphins from filling all their holes in the draft. But if Newton shines as bright as most scouts think he will in shorts in the next couple months, no matter how irrelevant that may be, trading up may be the only way the Dolphins can snag the reigning Heisman trophy winner.

Pros: Obviously, when you begin to list Cam Newton’s strengths, there’s no better place to start than his superb athleticism. Don’t compare him to Micheal Vick; he’s not that fast. But don’t compare him to the biggest bust this regime has brought in so far, Pat White, either, because at 6’6, 250 pounds, Newton has the size to successfully translate his running game over to the pro level.

Of course, he won’t be as dominate, defenders are just too big and too fast in the NFL and he will never run the type of spread offense he did at Auburn either. But at the very least, Newton is going to be able to keep plays alive on a regular basis and be the type of improviser in the pocket that Ben Roethlisberger is for the Steelers. If the Dolphins don’t plan on doing away with their wildcat package with new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, Newton, unlike Pat White, has the size to run the ball between the tackles, which is the formation’s bread and butter.

As far as a passer, Newton has very solid arm strength. He struggles at times with deep ball accuracy, but he has the ability to make every throw in football. Besides deep ball accuracy, he was usually pretty consistent at hitting his receivers in the short to intermediate passing game and showcased an ability to put touch on his passes when need be. If the Dolphins want to draft someone who isn’t in the same mold as Chad Henne from a leadership standpoint, Newton may be their guy. He’s the type of rah-rah leader that can lead a pregame chant to rally the troops, and would likely be able to establish a good communication level with his coaches and receivers.