Part 1 of a Pro Bowl weekend Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:
From Reza Hariri:
I know we have needs but good organizations draft good football players. I would rather draft the TE from Penn state or in 3rd round RB from ASU than reach for OL. You become better by drafting good football players.
Hey Reza, I completely agree with you because good football players always have value and that’s how you build a sustainable contender. There are some exceptions, however, such as if a team is closer to have a legit championship contenders — and the Dolphins are not there at this time. The Dolphins also are in a unique situation because of what appeared to be the shaky status of Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel, who need immediate impact from the draft more so than a team with a GM or head coach on completely solid ground.
From Thee Dolphins Dum Dum:
What’s up with New Orleans? They were one of the first teams to fire their coach but they seem to be shooting themselves in the foot by taking so long to choose a coach.
Hey Dana, understand it takes two to tango and the Saints weren’t necessarily a very desirable destination because their cap situation is really bad and they don’t have a long-term answer at quarterback with Derek Carr. Having said all that, the Saints apparently have locked in on Kellen Moore as their preferred candidate, but they can’t hire him until after the Super Bowl because he’s busy with the Eagles.
From Jason Kirkland:
Hi Alain, why do you think that Miami settled on a STC who, in his previous job, didn’t have rankings much better than they just got rid of? Especially, when there are still a couple big name STC coaches available. Your thoughts?
Hey Jason, I think one factor that can’t be dismissed here is that any job on the Dolphins coaching staff at this time might not be the most desirable because there’s reason to wonder whether Mike McDaniel will be back in 2026 if the Dolphins miss the playoffs again. So the more desirable assistant coaches aren’t in a hurry to go a team that might blow up its entire coaching next offseason. Those are just facts.
From Sal Cano:
How impactful do you feel a special teams coach is? Outside of a good punter, clutch kicker and a returner who won’t fumble, what percentage of the game do you really feel special teams impacts the game?
Hey Sal, it’s obviously not as significant as offense or defense but the margin often is so small that the kicking game absolutely can be the difference between winning and losing. And while there might not be much separating different coaches, there’s also a reason some always have special teams units that rank among the best in the NFL and others have units that rank among the worst.
From Luis Rodriguez:
Hi Alain, Fins have never had a winning season when they are the home team for an international game, does that streak end in 2025?
Hey Luis, that’s a very good nugget right there and the Dolphins indeed failed to make the playoffs when they were the home team for an international game, which happened in 2007, 2015 and 2017. It don’t think there’s a correlation there. It just so happened the Dolphins were really bad in 2007 and 2015, and 2017 was the season they had to go to Jay Cutler at quarterback after Ryan Tannehill injured his knee at the start of training camp. If the Dolphins miss the playoffs again next season, it won’t be because they have a home game in Spain.
From Prince-Bishop Militantly Aardvark:
So far, your suggestions for the Dolphins are long on injured players, short on anything that feels like hope for the future (whatever that is). Can the Dolphins afford to become even more of a hospital ward for the NFL? Hasn’t Dr. Grier already collected enough experimental invalids.
Hey PBMA, did I hit a nerve? I mean, who exactly do you think the Dolphins can land given their salary-cap situation among players who never have had injury issues? Do we want the Dolphins to trade more draft picks to land a big-name veteran? Also understand that most players who have been in the NFL for any length of time have had injuries. That’s the nature of the sport. I refuse to reject the idea of signing a player who has had injuries because that’s going to reduce the talent pool way too much.
From Teej:
What are the key dates/events for Dolphins off-season? Trying to ID when/where we see who we lose (beyond what we know now) & remaining needs that Grier/McD don’t immediately fill. New NFL season starts Contracts renew if not released. 1st tier FA $$$$ Draft 2nd Tier FA $$ Post-Draft – URFAs. Also, what’s the cap space meter looking like right now for FA? What can we expect to alter that (plus or minus) with known contracts up for renewal (like Chubb)?
Hey Teej, lot of unwrap there. The biggest date on the NFL calendar is March 12, which is the start of the new league year and the day free agents can sign with different teams and trades can become official. As for cap space, the Dolphins currently stand at about $11 million over the cap, per overthecap.com, and they’ll have moves to make with cuts and/or restructures to get in compliance by March 12.
From Phil Zone:
Do you see Malik Washington expanding his role next season?
Hey Phil, I do expect Washington to get more opportunities, but not necessarily a huge increase because I think the focus will be getting back to getting Hill and Waddle more touches. Washington should be the returner and will fight for the No. 3 wide receiver role.
From Richard:
Hi Alain, in what order would you rate positions of need for the team?
Hey Richard, funny you should ask because I wrote an entire story addressing that very topic. Here’s the link to the story, but let’s just say the lines and the secondary stand out.
From Mike Jones:
Why hasn’t Tyreek had surgery on his wrist by now? And why are Fins reporters not asking the same question?
Hey Mike, there really was no need to ask during the season because Tyreek himself explained he was holding off on the surgery because he wanted to keep playing. As to whether he’s had surgery since the end of the season, I don’t know but, yes, that is a question that will be asked.
From Jayco:
Hello Alain, a lack of leadership has haunted this team for years. I believe it’s connected to the philosophy of handing out large contracts to older veterans and a coach that tries too hard to be cool. Is the owner blind to this crucial aspect?
Hey Jayco, it’s difficult to argue with any of the points you made, though with McDaniel, it could be a case of wanting to relate to his players more than trying to be “cool.” But the overall point is valid, but Ross clearly thinks it can work. And the large contracts weren’t necessarily handed to “older veterans,” but the Dolphins still were overly generous in my opinion considering they didn’t even so much as win a division title or a playoff game in the first two years of the McDaniel regime. This was why I didn’t necessarily agree with the idea of giving Hill, Jalen Ramsey and McDaniel new contracts when they had more than one year left on their deals.
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