Part 2 of a Miami Dolphins On SI free agency mailbag:
From Earlwithan_E:
Alain, I appreciate all your YT vids this week recapping all the FA action. Seems to me after all the Fin moves, they will be focusing on DL, LB, DB & more OL in the draft. Your thoughts?
Hey Earle, yeah, you kind of hit the major spots here, but as I indicated in a story I wrote Saturday morning, I’m thinking early on the focus might be narrowed to DT and CB — understanding they shouldn’t pass up a clearly better prospect at a position of lesser need. And thanks for the shout-out for the All Dolphins Podcast.
From Javier B:
Seems like the chances of drafting a DT in the first round are becoming more likely. Do you think the Dolphins stay put at 13 or move up/back and still get their guy?
Hey Javier, I’m with you on the first part. As for moving up or down, I don’t think the Dolphins are in a position to move up and surrender good draft assets because what they truly need is to build a large pool of young (and cheap) talent on the roster. A trade back would be much more likely if they have a strong conviction a guy they really like would be there a few spots behind 13, and depending on who you believe, it might be that Mason Graham is the only defensive tackle who clearly will go before that spot.
From Roger Dodger:
With no huge splash in free agency (Zach Wilson) and bringing back Liam just a sign that Fins have no real answers to addressing one single playoff win in the last 25 years? Isn’t new ownership , GM, and HC best answer to fixing these problems?
From Roger, I get the frustration, I really do, but I would also suggest to let the rest of the offseason play out. Secondly, I don’t know why any Dolphins fan would have thought they were going to make splash moves in the offseason based on their salary-cap situation and also what they did at this time last year. But, yes, at some point there should be an overhaul if that elusive playoff win continues to wait.
From Lloyd Heilbrunn:
Does re-signing Eichenberg, even as a backup, show they continue to have a culture of no accountability for bad performance…?
Hey Lloyd, I’m not on board with the premise if Eichenberg was brought back with the idea of still finding an upgrade at his position. I wrote Friday that Eichenberg in a backup role on the offensive line makes perfect sense. And while his performance hasn’t been up to par, there has never been a whisper about him not doing things the right way, and that’s what culture is about.
From Nick Soto:
Help me understand… Why are there so many more 1-year deals compared to past decades? Why would a player want a shorter contract? Or is it the team pushing for less commitment?
Hey Nick, more often than not, it’s the team that offers the one-year contract, and that’s to maintain roster flexibility from year to year if things don’t go right. Players always want the security of a longer term unless they’re trying to rebuild their market value, in which case they’ll want to bet on themselves to rebound from either an injury or a sub-par season.
From The Ethan Bonner Knighthood:
Why does christopher grier hate the miami dolphins Alain?
As mentioned earlier, if you’re going by what’s happened so far in free agency, I don’t know who it was who told you to expect some splashy moves … and that person was lying to you on purpose or not in tune with the reality of things.
From BBC1126:
Would you have made the same offer to get Tunsil back with the Fins?
Zero chance. While Tunsil is better than what the Dolphins have at left tackle (with all due respect to Terron Armstead), the Dolphins right now have a surplus at that position with Armstead and Patrick Paul a year removed from being drafted in the second round. Would have been a bad, bad use of resources, as good as Tunsil is.
From FrankieDplus3:
Is Grier being really patient and will pull off some big pre-draft/draft-day trade?
Hey Frankie, I’m not sure if patient is the right word because I think it’s more fiscally responsible. The Dolphins just simply didn’t have the cap space to make big splashy moves. Could they make a big trade at some point in the offseason? I certainly never would say never, but I’m also not sure I actually expect it.
From Olive Grove Jon:
Hey Alain, do you think Stephen Ross is limiting any trade moves for draft picks or not significantly restructuring any more contracts to create cap space? The moves in FA are medium level without being splash moves. Is SR leaving the handbrake on for any potential new GM?
Hey OGJ, I would say the premise on the surface has merit, except that Stephen Ross has never been shy about spending money. He also wants results and I’m not sure how much he cares about how much money it would cost him.
From JK:
How do you grade the Fins work so far? What is good. What not so much.
Hey JK, I was asked that very question in Part 1 of this mailbag and I gave the Dolphins a C+ right now. I really like the Westbrook-Ikhine signing, I like the gamble on Daniels based on the contract structure, taking a shot with Meliwonfu and adding Mattison for short-yardage situations. On the down side, I think signing Zach Wilson to be the backup QB is a bit risky for my taste, I’m not sure Larry Borom is an upgrade over Kendall Lamm, and the DT and CB spots have been ignored so far.
From Justin Jaynes:
Does Grier make it to the end of the season?
Hey Justin, GMs usually get fired after a season, so yes Grier will make it to the end of the season, and also very well could be back in 2026.
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