Miami Dolphins vice-president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum has revealed that the club spent big in free agency to land Ndamukong Suh to bridge the gap to the New England Patriots in the AFC East.

The Patriots have won the division for the past six seasons, securing the automatic playoff berth that comes with winning the title, and in the last campaign went on to win the Super Bowl.

Miami moved to end their six-season playoff drought by making Suh the most expensive defensive player in NFL history to disrupt the play of Tom Brady, although Tannenbaum is adamant that signings mean very little until they get on the pitch.

He told The Boston Globe: "Look, it really doesn't mean anything sitting here in March. What's important is what it looks like on opening day and every week. [The New England Patriots are] going to look different come the regular season like we are, so we've got a long, long way to go.

"We were extremely opportunistic on Suh. I think he's going to bring so much to our table that you can't even quantify. Can we make the pocket dirty for Tom Brady? Those are constantly the questions you have to ask yourself.

"Look, the Patriots are the defending division, conference, and world champs, and it starts with them. The Bills and Jets aren't sitting still, either. So, we have a lot to do."

The Dolphins finished with an 8-8 record in the 2014 campaign.