The Miami Dolphins have opened their Super Bowl window with the acquisitions of Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb, and Jalen Ramsey in the past year to go along with a strong young nucleus but there are still some areas that the team should and could address in the coming months. Today we dive into the pre-draft roster and take a look at each position and provide thoughts and opinions on what should happen next at the position.
QB: Tua Tagovailoa, Mike White, Skylar Thompson
- No matter what you think of Tua Tagovailoa, there is no question that this team is committed to him for at least the next two seasons. In an ideal world, he balls out again this year and you extend him next off-season to move some of that 5th year option money and spread it out to open some cap room. BUT, Tua has to stay healthy. He proved last year that he can be a good to potentially really good starting QB in this league providing he stays healthy. Is he ever going to wow you with his traits? No. But he's accurate, moves great in the pocket, has incredible anticipation, and has a staff that fully believes and backs him now. Oh, and this is the first time Tua will have the same OC and play caller for the first time since high school. I expect Tua to take another major step this season. As for Mike White and Skylar Thompson, both of them will be given the opportunity to compete for the #2 job this off-season but to be completely honest, if Tua goes down, I don't see either one of these guys being that dude at back up QB that can carry Miami to the promise land (which shouldn't surprise anyone, they are backups for a reason). Mike White had flashes last year with the Jets and Skylar had some bright moments for the Dolphins and I think both of them can have success, but the ceilings for both aren't super high.
RB: Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, Salvon Ahmed, Myles Gaskin
- I figured that Miami would run it back at running back next year but I didn't expect run it back to mean re-signing literally every back including Myles Gaskin and bringing in no one else. This isn't necessarily the worst thing in the world as the running backs were productive despite the team abandoning the run (like vs Buffalo) and the play of the offensive line when it was decimated by injuries. Still, I would love to see Miami add to the room in the draft but I don't expect them to use either of their day two picks on a back unless Jahmyr Gibbs is there in the second round or Zach Charbonnet in the third which both seem to be unlikely.
FB: Alec Ingold, John Lovett
- This one is pretty easy. Alec Ingold was really good for the Dolphins last season and barring injury will continue to be the Dolphins' fullback. Depending on what happens at tight end this off-season I think we could see an increase in snaps for Ingold past the 39.5% he played this year.
WR: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Braxton Berrios, Cedric Wilson, Erik Ezukanma, River Cracraft, Braylon Sanders, Freddie Swain
- Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. That's the tweet. The duo posted over 3,000 yards receiving last year to go along with 16 total touchdowns and honestly, that production could've been a lot more if Tua Tagovailoa was able to stay healthy. I am expecting that duo to continue to dominate and while it'll be hard to top what they did this year, in spite of Tua missing time, it kinda feels like that might be the standard for the two. Meanwhile, Miami saw their #3 receiver Trent Sherfield sign with the Bills but Miami has plenty of other guys who can step up and take the target share. Braxton Berrios figures to handle the kick and punt return duties but also should see a fair share of targets from the slot. IF he's not traded, Cedric Wilson figures to make some sort of impact in year two. The weird thing about Cedric is he had some nice moments despite only being targeted 18 times but there is just something off there considering but not surpirsingly outside of salary reasons but Trent Sherfield and River Cracraft jumped him on the depth chart. The biggest wildcard to the receiver room is Erik Ezukanma. The 4th round pick from Texas Tech caught 1 pass for 3 yards on his only target of the season and was inactive for basically the entire season as he learned the playbook but he has the size and ball skills that many of the Dolphins' receivers don't have. It'll be interesting to see how the competition for WR3 takes shape but whoever wins the job should find their job much easier considering they have the Penguin and the Cheetah lifting coverages.
TE: Durham Smythe, Eric Saubert, Tanner Conner
- Perhaps the most disappointing and underwhelming position group on the roster, the tight end room is undergoing a major face lift after last year's group underwhelmed in Mike McDaniel's offense. I know a lot of Dolphin's fans were disappointed because of Mike Gesicki and his production/getting franchise tagged but the reality of the situation was Miami needed pass catchers and when the tag was applied, Miami had no idea they would be adding Tyreek Hill, Cedric Wilson, and Trent Sherfield to the offense. Durham Smythe figures to return for the last year of his two year contract but we all know what Durham Smythe is. He's an average blocker and a below average receiver. Eric Saubert was drafted as a receiving tight end but has developed into a pretty solid blocking tight end while having barely any receiving production. And of course we can't forget about WR turned TE Tanner Conner who Miami clearly loves considering he made the 53 man roster. At this rate, I would be SHOCKED if Miami did not take a tight end on day two of the draft. If Darnell Washington is on the clock when Miami picks at 51 I expect them to sprint to the podium. They need someone who can win the point of attack on the strong side of the formation. Miami made a living running away from the strength last year because their tight ends couldn't win the point of attack. That needs to change this year.
OT: Terron Armstead, Austin Jackson, Geron Christian, Kendall Lamm, Kion Smith
- The good news? Terron Armstead is pretty good. The bad news? He missed time with injury again. The worst news? Austin Jackson is still horrible and the depth at offensive tackle is well offensive. According to Barry Jackson, Miami has been sniffing around the right tackle market and guys like George Fant but you have to think at this point they are waiting until either the draft or post June 1st to add someone at tackle to compete with Austin. This group needs bodies and solid depth pieces so that if/when Terron misses time they aren't in a situation where they are playing a Greg Little type player at tackle.
G: Robert Hunt, Liam Eichenberg, Lester Cotton, Robert Jones, Dan Feeney*
- The good news? Robert Hunt is pretty good. The bad news? Liam Eichenberg is awful. The main difference between my concerns at tackle and my concerns at guard are that they just need someone at left guard to be serviceable and not get beat as badly as Liam was at points in the season. Robert Jones has proven to be a solid depth piece but he probably isn't ever going to be anything more than that. Lester Cotton played okay in the Wildcard Round vs the Bills but he hasn't been able to find a spot before that. The interesting thing that Miami did was signing Dan Feeney for over $3m this upcoming season. That kind of money doesn't scream back up center, it screams competition for a spot on the OL.
C: Connor Williams, Dan Feeney
- Raise your hand if you were worried after Miami was reportedly moving Connor Williams to center and then you saw all of the snapping tweets during training camp? Connor Williams was outstanding this year for Miami and should only continue to improve as he continues into year two in the system. With only a year left on his contract I wouldn't be surprised if extending him becomes a priority after the team extends Christian Wilkins considering how much the Shanahan tree relies on their centers. Dan Feeney should get reps here as well in case something happens to Williams but as noted about, should be in the running for the left guard spot.
DL: Christian Wilkins, Zach Sieler, Emmanuel Ogbah, Raekwon Davis, Jaylen Twyman, Josiah Bronson
- This line has the potential to be stacked. We all know that Christian Wilkins is that dude. Wilkins continues his ascension into stardom this past season as he dominated opposing offensive lines all season. Wilkins ended the year with 98 tackles (ridiculous) and 3.5 sacks and now moves into the Vic Fangio defense where he should continue to shine. Zach Sieler also enjoyed a great season and moves into the final year of his contract (unfortunately and predicatively I think this will be his last year in Miami before he gets the bag). Raekwon Davis should bulk up after cutting some weight last year as the Fangio defense relies on a big bodied nose guard to play over the center or shaded in a 1T. The biggest wildcard here is Emmanuel Ogbah coming off a down year and then a season ending injury. Part of me still expects him to be traded during the draft for each picks/trade up but if he is back, what role does he play considering Wilkins and Sieler expect to get the majority of snaps inside and Phillips and Chubb expect to get the majority of snaps off the edge. Ogbah as a rotational guy off the bench would be great if he wasn't accounting for $17,185,294 of the cap.
EDGE: Jaelen Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Andrew Van Ginkel, Malik Reed, Cameron Good
- Remember when Dolphins' Twitter was calling Jaelen Phillips a bust? Good times. While his sack numbers fell from 9 to 7 this past season, Phillips was a menace this past season for the Dolphins both off the edge and rushing inside from a 3T. Now in the Fangio system Phillips should thrive even more as a true edge rusher so don't be surprised when Phillips surpasses double digit sacks next season. Bradley Chubb was acquired at the deadline and, truth be told, was fairly disappointing considering Miami traded a 1st and 4th round pick along with a $110m contract. Chubb logged 2.5 sacks in the regular season and 1 more in the Wildcard round but an ankle sprain limited him and his production this season. Reuniting with Vic Fangio, we should hope that Chubb is able to become a dominant edge rusher again because with the max contract restructure, Chubb is going to be here for a while. The return of Van Ginkel is surprising but very welcoming and should provide Miami a good rusher off the bench. Same goes for Malik Reed who reunites with Vic Fangio, whom he had great success with, but is coming off a down year in Pittsburgh
LB: Jerome Baker, David Long, Channing Tindall, Duke Riley
- The Fangio defense relies on linebackers who are able to cover which makes the addition of David Long very exciting. Miami signing Long for only $5.5m per season is a steal and he should pair favorably with Jerome Baker who hopefully can take a step up in the Fangio defense otherwise I wouldn't be surprised if this is Jerome's last year in Miami. Miami drafted Channing Tindall in the 3rd round last year and after not starting at Georgia and red-shirted him but his athleticism would fit perfectly in this system. Duke Riley returns as a special teams guy and coverage specialist who should see a solid amount of snaps this season.
CB: Xavien Howard, Jalen Ramsey, Kader Kohou, Nik Needham, Trill Williams, Elijah Campbell, Keion Crossen, Noah Igbinoghene, Tino Ellis, Justin Bethel
- Adding Jalen Ramsey to this defense is game changing. Miami missed Byron Jones last season (and really every corner on the roster) and when they moved on from him, I didn't expect the team to make a play for Ramsey but hey, if the Rams call and want to give you an All-Pro corner for a 3rd and a 3rd string tight end you can't say no right? Xavien Howard no doubt had a bad year but considering he was playing on a hurt groin(s) in a man heavy single high defense you hope he has a bounce back season. Kader Kohou was a revaluation for Miami last year and played really well as the season went on. He should slide in as the 3rd corner who moves opposite of Ramsey as Ramsey should play both inside and out. Nik Needham and Trill Williams (potentially moving to safety) return from season ending injuries for depth and competition to go along with Elijah Campbell, Tino Ellis, Justin Bethel and Keion Crossen as special teams guys, and of course everyone's favorite first round pick Noah Igbinoghene. Miami should be improved at corner and with a scheme change that will allow the corners to play more zone than man, hopefully this group can produce more interceptions this season.
SAF: Jevon Holland, Brandon Jones, DeShon Elliott, Verone McKinley III
- Jevon Holland did his best to hold down the secondary despite all of the injuries and still had a strong season despite the fact it wasn't as strong as his rookie season. Brandon Jones returns after starting strong before suffering a torn ACL against Pittsburgh and DeShon Elliott joins Verone McKinley as depth guys who can come in and play as the 3rd safety in big nickel sets. I would not be surprised if we see Miami address safety again either in the draft or after June 1st. The position is too valuable in the Vic Fangio defense with all the 2 high, quarter quarter half coverages for Miami to only have 4 (maybe 5 depending on Trill Williams) safeties on the roster especially considering Brandon Jones and DeShon Elliott do their best work closer to the line of scrimmage.
Specialists: Jason Sanders, Jake Bailey, Blake Ferguson
- Is Blake Ferguson the new John Denney? I would have loved the Dolphins to keep Thomas Morstead after an outstanding season but they went in a new direction and added former Pro-Bowl punter Jake Bailey from the New England Patriots to replace him. Bailey was suspended by the team last year but should be on par with what Morstead was able to do last season. The big question is Jason Sanders. He was awful at points in the season but towards the end of the season actually kicked fairly well. Miami has too much money guaranteed on his contract to move on so we have to hope he gets back to his 2020 All-Pro form again.