Defensive line – Current depth chart and needs

LDE – John Jenkins , Avery Moss

NT – Davon Godchaux , Gerald Willis, Zach Sieler

RDE – Christian Wilkins , Taco Charlton

If the offensive line is near the top of the list for most important positions to fill in FA and the draft, the defensive line is right there with with it. That’s a little misleading because in the 3-4 defense which is our base defense at least, pass rush can be coming from a number of places, especially from the outside linebackers, but if we can get another impact player for the interior to team up with Wilkins and Godchaux, that could really be a strong foundation for our defense. Both the rookie Wilkins and the 3 year vet Godchaux had excellent season’s last year. Wilkins had the most tackles for any rookie DL (56) and Godchaux had the most tackles for all DL with 75. DE Taco Charlton who played in 10 games for the Dolphins (starting 5) led the team with 5 sacks and made an impact in his first season with the Dolphins. John Jenkins was a nice pickup last season and he helped solidify the line playing mostly at DE. We need more, and potentially adding a player like Derrick Brown is very appealing, and he should be available when we choose at #5. After that, he’s long gone.

Both Godchaux and Wilkins have rotated as the NT and both are pretty good there. Both have obviously also played DE too and done well there as well, but we’re not getting enough in the pass rush department. In the draft, A.J. Epenesa could be a target. He’s a very strong edge setting DE who has pass rush ability, but is a stronger run player at the moment. Javon Kinlaw is another DL who could help the Dolphins if we decide to look elsewhere at pick #5 and he might be available at our next pick at #18. Another potential fit would be DE Yetur Gross-Matos. He’s basically a 4-3 end 3-4 OLB type of player. We don’t always play an odd front and employ 4 DL at times during the game so he would have the ability to play multiple roles. K’Lavon Chaisson would be a similar player to Gross-Matos, but Chaisson is probably the better pass rusher of the two and much more explosive.

Free agents that are available are Jadaveon Clowney, although after last year it would be surprising if we revisited that avenue. I’ve decided to only look at players 28 or younger, not because that’s directly from Davie but that’s what I’d think would best suit our team. Shaq Lawson had a career high 6 sacks last season which isn’t fantastic but he’s another multiple role player (OLB/DE). Vic Beasley who has 37 sacks in 5 seasons with a career high 15 in 2016, hasn’t broken double digits since then though. Big Arik Armstead (6’7 292) from SF is a FA this season, coming off his career best 10 sacks as part of that fearsome SF defense. Armstead also added 54 tackles playing both DT and DE. SB winning DT Chris Jones is a FA who has 33 sacks in 4 seasons playing both DT/DE for KC. He’s another guy that could help us and free up a spot in the draft. That’s how I look at this, anyone we get either for the OL or DL in FA just frees up another spot in the draft to get a different type of player. It will be a good time to have all that cap space available because we can choose where we want to spend and I believe Miami is now a desirable team to play for with Coach Flores and MFFF reinforcing why he needed to be jettisoned. I’ll bet our pick at #18 won’t be such a pu$$y!

GO DOLPHINS!!

#staythecourse

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431 Responses to Defensive line – Current depth chart and needs

  1. Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

    Build a talented front 7 and the wins with come. You have to be good up front to play good defense.

  2. Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

    πŸ‘

    • Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

      Oops, that was supposed to be a reply to your post Tim

    • Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

      You know what it is, Mike. Really good defensive teams beat mediocre and bad teams often with the exception of a surprise game here and there. Then really good defensive teams can keep games manageable against teams with top offenses. If you have a solid offense with a top defense you can go along way.

      • Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

        Yep, no question. Every year solid defensive teams are in the playoffs, and sometimes teams with poor offenses get carried by their defenses. This year’s SB was a bit of anomaly because Sf had enough offense and a better defense to contend with the Chiefs but they didn’t execute well enough. I thought SF was the more well rounded team but they didn’t play well enough to win

      • Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

        Agreed. What got lost with the Mahomes lead Chiefs offense, was their defense although not great, came up big when they had to. But the Chiefs offense is never out of a game with how quickly they can score.

        What I like about Flores is he wants selfless, smart, tough and physical players. When you build that way and then have some playmakers on both sides of the ball, you’re in most games and then those playmakers can make a few plays that change a game.

        Let’s get this thing started the next few months. πŸ™‚

  3. bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

    Yep, a top 10 front 7 could be the difference between 7-9 and 9-7. Improve the OL with the front 7 and we could see a difference 7-9 and 11-5.

  4. Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

    Tim – You angry that Steve Cohen pulled out his offer to by the Mets? I’m very disappointed. I was really looking forward to the change.

    • Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

      I really have no idea what happened there. I’ve heard a lot of different views and one of them was Cohen will likely never be approved to buy a team. Not sure what he did but it was reported. The Mets will have new ownership at some point, the Wilpon’s are still selling the team.

  5. bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

    Yep, turn our front 7 into a top 10 and improve the OL would be enough to put us in 10-6 ish range.

  6. bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

    Dang, first response didn’t post right away and didn’t exactly remember what I said so posted something like it again. lol

  7. bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

    I was taking into consideration signing at least 1 top OL (maybe 2) and a CB in free agency so I could build on what we got. Addressed front 7 and added 2 more stud OL.

    5 Derrick Brown, IDL Auburn
    18 K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE LSU
    26 D’Andre Swift, RB Georgia
    39 Cesar Ruiz, IOL Michigan
    56 Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB LSU
    70 Joshua Uche, EDGE Michigan
    135 Anthony Gordon, QB Washington State
    144 Ezra Cleveland, OT Boise State
    147 Devin Duvernay, WR Texas
    165 Reggie Floyd, S Virginia Tech
    177 Reggie Robinson II, CB Tulsa
    223 Mitchell Wilcox, TE South Florida

    • bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

      5 OT’s went before I picked at #18. First time that happened. Wasn’t going to draft interior OL in first. LSU center went at 35. Came down to Ruiz and Hennessey at 39 as the best OL on the board.

  8. bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

    MikeE, LOL. I guess I meant to say, improve our front 7 and OL and we are there man. I know we need to find a QB but look what the Titans did with Tanny. The damn Steelers almost made it with their backup QB’s.

  9. pheloniusphish's avatar pheloniusphish says:

    Piggy – You are probably right about Gabbard. I honestly haven’t paid any in depth attention to her. I do remember her endorsing that commie fuck Sanders tho and retract anything nice I might have said about her.

  10. stangerx's avatar stangerx says:

    MIke E — not nearly as worried about the DL as the OL, but yeah we can improve it. Could see some solid if not spectacular guys coming in FA or the draft. Big money project should be “edge.” And by that do not mean a 3-4 DE.

  11. pheloniusphish's avatar pheloniusphish says:

    DL can definitely improve, at least on the edges. I hope they build from the inside out.

    • Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

      Right now with Godchaux and Wilkins on the interior DL and Baker and McMillan at ILB, I think that’s already begun.

  12. Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

    Taco Charlton could be a sleeper Edge for us. He’s had a slow start to his career but he played pretty solid for us as a rotation player last year.

  13. Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

    Stanger – We need to find pass rushers no matter what, whether on the DL or from outside LBers, but we have to find a few. Having at least two means the defense can’t just double the one guy who gets it done, they have to pick their poison.

    • stangerx's avatar stangerx says:

      Right with you on that. Thinking OLB is what they will be shooting for though, even if has hand in the dirt most of the time. Same time last season we rushed pretty much everyone. Surprised Haack didn’t get a sack.

      • Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

        The defense I saw much of the time last year was 2 DT, 2 Edge (not hand in the dirt) and Baker and McMillan as our interior LBs along with 5 DBs. Not sure why I keep reading 4 down lineman formations so much. I think that was probably the least used formation. 3 down lineman and an Edge guy standing to rush is not that.

        I don’t think 4-3/3-4 base is that common anymore, but if we had to pick what our defense was more of last year, it resembles more 3-4.

    • Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

      Yep! The DTs will get more sack opportunities when we have more edge pressure. They work hand in hand – push the pocket inside and bend the edge.

  14. manitobafinfan's avatar manitobafinfan says:

    Wow .. NFLN is showing Bradshaw a Football Life.. does he ever look like Tannehill in Terry’s young days.

  15. manitobafinfan's avatar manitobafinfan says:

    data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns=’http%3A//www.w3.org/2000/svg’%20xmlns%3Axlink=’http%3A//www.w3.org/1999/xlink’%20viewBox=’0%200%209%206’%3E%3Cfilter%20id=’b’%20color-interpolation-filters=’sRGB’%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur%20stdDeviation=’.5’%3E%3C/feGaussianBlur%3E%3CfeComponentTransfer%3E%3CfeFuncA%20type=’discrete’%20tableValues=’1%201’%3E%3C/feFuncA%3E%3C/feComponentTransfer%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage%20filter=’url(%23b)’%20x=’0’%20y=’0’%20height=’100%25’%20width=’100%25’%20xlink%3Ahref=’data%3Aimage/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wBDABALDA4MChAODQ4SERATGCgaGBYWGDEjJR0oOjM9PDkzODdASFxOQERXRTc4UG1RV19iZ2hnPk1xeXBkeFxlZ2P/2wBDARESEhgVGC8aGi9jQjhCY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2NjY2P/wAARCAAGAAkDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUG/8QAIRAAAgECBgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIAAxEEBRIWMVSTodH/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/8QAFBEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8AkHGHLayGgoZl1AMw5Fxa/uaDedXpJ5D8iIH/2Q==’%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E

  16. manitobafinfan's avatar manitobafinfan says:

    Not working. Prolly have 4 images all post at once in a hour lol

  17. Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

    So this year Vegas has us at 5.5 over/under in wins. What was it last year? I’d say add at least 3. LOL

  18. stangerx's avatar stangerx says:

    Just read 2 articles. One had us trading up to #3 with the Lions (for Tua). And the other had us trading to #2 with the Skins (that one mentioned Burrow, which don’t buy). The Lions’ trade went beyond speculation into “rumor.” So take it as fact…lol.

    But ‘Tis the offseason…. writers gotta write.

  19. Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

    Stanger – Like you said, it’s all about what is going to get the money in for bets. If they set it at 7 they might not get as much action. I’d bet at 5.5 right now they got a fair amount of action on the over.

    • stangerx's avatar stangerx says:

      If I lived in Vegas would be putting cash down on over the 5.5 as well. And think your 7 number is where it will end up….. but then I haven’t seen who we bring in either.

  20. bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

    I won’t mind if we draft Tua cause that means they see something more than I do (which is not a surprise, LOL), but if we trade up for him will make me sick!

  21. canamdolphin's avatar Philip Bijeau says:

    Lots of idle chatter on Burrows getting cold feet about the Bengals. The Dolphins, with their desirable bounty of picks, are tossed about as trading partners for Burrows. Here’s hoping it’s all smoke and mirrors. I don’t want the Dolphins to go after Burrows, the cost would be too prohibitive. The Dolphins are more than one player away from being called a good team. Keep the picks and keep building the team.

    • bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

      I am on the fence with that. If it were just 2 of our #1’s, I might pull the trigger on that cause there are no ???? with him unlike the health risk with Tua. I would not trade up for any other QB than Burrow but also would not sell the farm for him.

    • stangerx's avatar stangerx says:

      Phillip — I just want to build the OL, but then I am a simple man. πŸ™‚

  22. bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

    From Thedraftnetwork:

    2020 Free Agent Profile: Defensive Lineman Chris Jones
    By: Joe Marino February 8th, 2020

    Given the number of big-name quarterbacks slated to hit the open market, it’s easy to forget about some of the other premium talents that could be available. Among the most attractive non-QB options is Kansas City Chiefs’ Chris Jones.

    Jones, a second-round pick in 2016, has developed into one of the NFL’s top defensive playmakers. He tallied 27 tackles for loss, 24 1/2 sacks and 49 quarterback hits over the last two seasons. Jones is young, athletic, productive and disruptive.

    While it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Chiefs don’t find a way to retain their young superstar, Kansas City is only projected to have around $14 million in available cap space entering the offseason. The Chiefs have a host of meaningful free agents to consider in addition to Patrick Mahomes, who is now eligible for an extension and promises to become the highest-paid player in NFL history.

    While Mahomes is primed to reset the market for NFL contracts, Jones should do the same for defensive linemen. Let’s examine why and what things could look like for Jones in a few weeks.

    Where He Wins

    Jones wasn’t a first-round selection in 2016, but that wasn’t because he lacked elite physical traits. Measuring 6-foot-6 and 310 pounds, Jones has 34.5-inch arms and 10.75-inch hands. Clocking a 5.03-second 40-yard dash with a 10-yard split of 1.69 seconds, Jones is an incredibly explosive mover for his size. He may have lacked technical refinement in the application of those exceptional physical gifts on the field coming out of college but not anymore. After his rookie season, Jones came into his own in 2017 and is now among the best players at his position.

    Jones is a versatile chess piece that can exploit weaknesses in opposing offensive lines. He offers the flexibility to position himself across the defensive line in both odd and even fronts.

    Without any physical restrictions, Jones attacks the neutral zone with unmatched urgency, deploying his heavy hands to control reps, shed blocks and pursue the football with relentless effort. He’s stout at the point of attack, often defending multiple gaps against the run while also providing the defense with dynamic penetration skills.

    Jones has wonderfully developed his pass-rushing skill set with an impressive blend of rush variety, timing, length, burst, power and vision to most effectively attack the pocket.

    He is a versatile and well-rounded defender with exceptional physical gifts, tremendous power, a motor that is always cranked and the technical-refinement needed to be consistent.

    Potential Red Flags

    Jones is known for his fun personality and has developed into not only a game-changing presence up front but become a well-respected leader inside the Kansas City locker room.

    Jones is the total package in terms of talent and intangibles, making it quite difficult to identify any truly concerning red flags. With that said, Jones was arrested just over a month before the 2016 draft for driving with a suspended license. Jones was near Mississippi State University when he was stopped for speeding but could not produce a valid license. His license was suspended because of an unpaid speeding ticket from December 2015.

    The situation has been resolved and Jones was able to answer questions about it from teams prior to the draft β€” it’s hardly anything to think about now.

    Jones has had groin and calf injuries in 2019 but was never listed on an injury report prior to this season and has no long-term injury concerns.

    Market Value

    Spotrac estimates Jones will receive an average salary of more than $19 million and he’s worth every penny. Defensive linemen with his versatility and dominant skills defending the run and rushing the passer are rare. Blessed with exceptional physical traits, Jones isn’t anywhere near declining at 25 years old.

    Jones has improved every season and is entering his prime. It would come as no surprise to see his average salary exceed $20 million.

    The challenge for Kansas City is making everything fit under the cap β€” difficult decisions and creativity with contract structures will be required to make it happen.

  23. bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

    I guess I won’t post the whole articles. I didn’t realize it was that lengthy on the blog.

    https://thedraftnetwork.com/articles/shaq-barrett-free-agent-buccaneers-2020

  24. Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

    BBM – We have the money to spend and while I’m not for spending the mostest, Chris Jones would really help our team. I would prefer to draft Brown, but I won’t scream if they sign Jones. He’s not even 26 yet.

  25. bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

    Stanger, I think I am with you on that. Look at the predicament Dallas is in. They gave DeMarcus Lawrence 105 mil over 5 years and his production last season fell off.

    • bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

      I was referring Shaq Barrett. Not Jones. Jones I could live with though at 20 mil per would have me biting at my nails and hoping that he would not drop off like Lawrence did in Dallas. I like Jones more than Arik Armstead as he has versatility to play inside and out.

  26. bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

    5 weeks and a day teams can start talking to agents of 2020 free agents. Seems like forever. lol

  27. bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

    Someone asked this question the other day but don’t know if they got an answer but here it is:

    April 27

    Beginning this date, NFL clubs may request permission to visit with, try out, or sign any player who was under contract to the XFL at the conclusion of the XFL season.

  28. bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

    Coming up Tuesday:

    Feb. 11

    Beginning at 12:00 noon, New York time, NFL clubs may begin to sign players whose 2020 CFL contracts have expired. Players under contract to a CFL club for the 2020 season or who have an option for the 2020 season are not eligible to be signed.

    Who was that CFL guy we were looking at? Was he an edge player?

    • bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

      I got my answer. It was defensive lineman (DE) Willie Jefferson, CFL Most Outstanding Defensive player.

    • bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

      Some tidbits from an article last month:

      Bombers’ Jefferson optimistic about chances of signing NFL contract with Dolphins
      Willie Jefferson is in a holding pattern for now, but is highly optimistic that he’ll soon sign a contract with the Miami Dolphins of the NFL.

      The CFL’s most outstanding defensive player in 2019, who played a huge role in helping the Winnipeg Blue Bombers win the Grey Cup for the first time in 29 years, had a solid workout with the Dolphins at the beginning of December and is now playing the waiting game.

      A pending CFL free agent in February, Jefferson believes the Dolphins, who went 5-11 this season, are interested but are also going through numerous changes to the coaching personnel under head coach Brian Flores.

      β€œMe going into the off-season, doing workouts, compared to me going into the off-season doing workouts in other years, I feel like I’m more of a complete player. I can drop into coverage, stop the run and pass rush and I have greater knowledge of the game.”

      Jefferson was a one-man wrecking crew for the Bombers in 2019, recording 12 quarterback sacks, six forced fumbles and 16 pass knockdowns. In a 33-12 Grey Cup win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, he had three sacks and two forced fumbles.

      • bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

        I see one listing has him at 6’5″ 240 and another at 6’7″ 248. I guess we will go with 6’6″ 244. lol

      • manitobafinfan's avatar manitobafinfan says:

        πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘ that’s what I’m hoping. Wouldn’t be extremely expensive either , unless there is a bidding war, which I doubt ..

        And yes I Am checking out the XFL.. couple different rules that are interesting, showcase of shitty tackling and slipping all over though. Not sure what is crappy , Field or playersπŸ€”

      • manitobafinfan's avatar manitobafinfan says:

        His expected MAX pay here is about 525K (CDN)

  29. bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

    Then:

    Feb. 24-March 2
    NFL Scouting Combine, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana.

    Feb. 25
    First day for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.

  30. bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

    I know why there is not much traffic on here. You all are watching the XFL games. LOL

  31. The Flying Pig's avatar The Flying Pig says:

    Rumor season is in full swing!

    I don’t get trading up
    I don’t get trading for Gurley either
    I don’t get Burrows not going to the Bengals (they really aren’t a bad team)

    I just think people need stuff to write about

    • manitobafinfan's avatar manitobafinfan says:

      If we could trade up and get him for two picks and maybe a player, Jones ?? I’d be happy with that, but I don’t want to use all our draft capital to get basically just him

  32. stangerx's avatar stangerx says:

    Toba — how’d your better half handle the end of the Superbowl?

    • manitobafinfan's avatar manitobafinfan says:

      she handled it it like a trooper.. had 20 people here and she was ,i think the only one cheering for them..

      she was a little cocky earlier in the game, but the final 1/4 was a nice slice of humble pie.. πŸ™‚

      • stangerx's avatar stangerx says:

        Man if the situation was reversed would I be rooting for my wife’s team. Least as far as she knew. : )

  33. bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

    Watched about half the XFL game today at work. One player who stood out to me was Washington’s CB Elijah Campbell. He did drop an INT, but the Dolphins need to take a serious look at him. He’s 5’11” 195 and hits like a strong safety. He’s a serious thumper for a CB. Small school kid from Northern Iowa. In 2 seasons there he had 93 tackles, 23 PD’s and 8 INT’s.

    OH, and HE RUNS A 4.34 40!

  34. The Flying Pig's avatar The Flying Pig says:

    Russel Wilson’s looks like he plays bass guitar on the Purple Rain Soundtrack

  35. TryPod's avatar TryPod says:

    RIP “Jim West”
    Robert Conrad

  36. Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

    NFL had him right top 5 OL, right behind Jedrick Wills and Tristan Wirfs. Wills is the highest rated at over 7, while the other two are just below 6.5. CBS Sports has Thomas at #2. We still don’t know if we need a RT or LT at this point.

    • Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

      I understand the blind side but you need good tackles on both sides because we see pass rushers on both sides. The game isn’t played like it once was with the standard pro sets.

      • Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

        I agree with that, I could easily say you need a good OL at every spot. If Tua is the QB though, you need a pass protector at RT to protect his blind side. Not every LT can make the switch easily to RT, or at least it’s a difficult thing to know about a good LT.

      • Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

        Like I said, I get the blind side but if LT is the best player and RT is just okay you don’t take one high just because of the left-handed QB. Then what happens if Tua goes down and we have to play with a right-handed backup? Take the best players when they are available. You can’t force things and reach in the 1st round or that will come back to haunt you. We have plenty of resources to add good players so we can be solid on both sides. And we all know we’re not going have everything all set this year.

  37. olddolphan's avatar olddolphan says:

    Watched most of today’s Vipers at Guardians game. Came away unimpressed & bored. AMAZES that Murray still holds SEC records for TDs passing and career passing yardage. He was outplayed by undrafted Quenton Flowers,who came out of USF with high hopes but has gone nowhere.
    ——-
    I particularly DID like the XFL’s kickoff format. It’s much better than the NFL’s. But the quality of play will NOT SELL TICKETS. And ratings are sure to nosedive if the XFL has another series of games next weekend like they’ve had so far this weekend. Looks like ONE AND DONE for the second coming of the XFL.

  38. olddolphan's avatar olddolphan says:

    YOUNG STANGER; I NOTED your comments up the page RE: the need for O-Linemen for the Fins. I COMPLETELY agree with you. IN FACT our single greatest need is the offensive line, with QB a close second.
    ———
    OUT for today. I have an appt. with my surgeon tomorrow regarding a few tests I had last week. I feel really good. I expect lots of good news tomorrow. Y’all have a great evening.

  39. D's avatar D says:

    BBM you have a thing for Gordon lol. Like a M13 mancrush level thing.

    • bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

      It’s not on the level of mancrush. LOL He is the only one I like third round or later. When I do my mocks, I tend to pass on Tua at #5 for Brown or Thomas. Then Tua and Herbert are gone by #18 and Love usually gone by the time we pick in 2nd round.

  40. Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

    Tim – I guess what I’m saying is maybe we don’t draft a tackle high at all unless we know he can make the switch to RT. I know LT is still important, but so is every other spot like I said. I mean we had Jesse Davis as our RT and he was average to below average. I know we may have another season if we do decide to draft Tua before he plays but I don’t think they want Jesse Davis protecting Tua’s blindside at any point.

    • Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

      Agreed. See my latest post about how we’re tempted to jump the gun because we want to see our team be good again. To me it’s a three phase proposition and we’re not even in the second phase yet. We’re preparing for it.

  41. Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

    To me this year isn’t about saying hey we “need” this and that, but add the best players you can and keep building on it. We’re not in a situation where a handful of positions put us over the top. Build a more talented roster this year and then start targeting specific positions next year to fill the obvious voids. We need talent basically everywhere.

    Grier and Flores now have a better idea of who they like already on the team, and what types of players they’re looking for to add to the team. It’s not necessarily about specific positions at this time. We’re going by all these draftnik rankings but some of these guys may not fit the type of player we’re looking for when it comes to selfless, smart, tough and physical.

    In 2019 we tore down the old house and started to reframe the foundation. Now we have to make sure the new foundation is sustainable before we start adding the finer points like window treatments, doors and other aesthetics. However we do like some of that stuff we have left over that we want to bring back.

    The moral of this analogy is we all get tempted to jump the gun because we want our team to be good again. But the rebuilding plan is still in Phase I at this time until Phase II starts in March and April.

  42. Krishna's avatar Krishna says:

    Agreed. All things being equal, you take need. All things being equal.

    Tannehill went to the AFC championship.

    We need a TEAM of talent.

  43. Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

    I want to put a poll soon as to how many people think Tua will be our first pick. I’m not thrilled about it, but I’m starting to feel like it’s a done deal.

  44. Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

    Who knows? I don’t see Tua as a savior but I’ll root for him.

    • Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

      I’m pretty sure I’d be fine if we didn’t draft him but I could be wrong on him. I think he has a lot of talent but his injuries make me hope we don’t take him.

      • canamdolphin's avatar Philip Bijeau says:

        Good points made on both sides of the Tua issue. Build a left-handed offense and Tua gets hurt, what then? Pass on Tua for another qb, or no qb at all. Thinking the Dolphins have to draft a qb. Fitz is a stopgap, Rosen can’t win over Flores.

  45. olddolphan's avatar olddolphan says:

    ANOTHER PERFECT WEATHER DAY IN TAMPA BAY. –Highs in the upper 70’s, Lows in the mid-50’s with plenty of sunshine.
    ———-
    BOTH teams are down playing it. But tonight is payback night in Columbus as the Lightning return to Nationwide Arena to try to partially avenge their defeat in the playoffs last season to the Blue Jackets. Columbus’s goalie has shut out their opponents in 5 of their last 9 regular season games. The Bolts are 18-2-1 over their last 21 games, so something’s got to give. Expecting near record TV ratings in both cities for tonight’s contest!!

  46. Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

    Philip – What’s worse is Tua probably won’t play early this season if it all, so if you do build the line for Tua, what happens while Fitz is playing?

  47. Wyoming85's avatar wyoming85 says:

    Early NON simulator draft!

    #Dolphins picks:

    5. QB – Tua Tagovailoa
    18. EDGE – K’Lavon Chaisson
    26. OT – Josh Jones
    39. RB – D’Andre Swift / JK Dobbins ( I think Swift will be gone )
    56. S – Antoine Winfield Jr.

  48. Wyoming85's avatar wyoming85 says:

  49. pheloniusphish's avatar pheloniusphish says:

    I think Tua (if they take him) sits the year regardless. And I’m not sure they don’t trade up to 1 and take Burrow.

    • Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

      We could do just about anything really. When you have 3 first RD picks this year and another 2 next year, nothing is out of the question.

  50. Wyoming85's avatar wyoming85 says:

    Someone to watch out for!

  51. pheloniusphish's avatar pheloniusphish says:

    mike – Yep, they can do pretty much anything they want.

  52. stangerx's avatar stangerx says:

    Chargers have the #6 pick. Even if don’t have the extra picks we have….. man would I hate to get in a bidding war with them to take Tua at #2 or #3.

  53. pheloniusphish's avatar pheloniusphish says:

    lots of QB in this draft. I certainly hope they don’e get in a bidding war either. Not for Tua.

  54. Wyoming85's avatar wyoming85 says:

  55. D's avatar D says:

    If Chargers out bid us for Tua, we likely get Thomas or Young, so the bidding war, doesnt scare me. I think we would tap out before it got too expensive. We have done our work on other prospects, i dont think we sell the farm on anyone.

  56. Wyoming85's avatar wyoming85 says:

  57. D's avatar D says:

    The one that you get when you select Trent Williams is actually the two players i had thought about us targeting for the OL.

  58. The Flying Pig's avatar The Flying Pig says:

    Give that Tua won’t be ready in 2020
    Don’t you think letting Rivers go, makes them a little less likely to take Tua

  59. Wyoming85's avatar wyoming85 says:

  60. D's avatar D says:

    I like Josh Jones too. He isnt as complete and not close to as good of a run blocker, but he moves really well.

  61. D's avatar D says:

    LOL i looked at his tweets and every single one he showed, Thomas blocked them well. He recovered and kept them out of the play. WTF those weren’t bad examples.

  62. naplesfan2010's avatar naplesfan2010 says:

    I assume you guys read the report that we could trade our comp 4th pick for Todd Gurley AND a secibd, because the Rams are in cap hell, eat two years of his salary at about $11M per year, then cut him at end of 2021 with no cap hit. Or enegotiate and resign him if he is doing well.

    I would do that.

  63. naplesfan2010's avatar naplesfan2010 says:

    It’s because Gurley’s contract is bad for them as they try to sign Jalen Ramsey.

  64. rich0322's avatar rich0322 says:

    In a heartbeat I would make that Gurley trade.

    • Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

      Yeah, we have the $$$ and we don’t have a RB and we can use that extra 2nd RD pick

    • naplesfan2010's avatar naplesfan2010 says:

      It would be like getting 3 star players for nothing. Gurley, the 2nd round pick, the 1st or 2nd round Running Back pick we would not need to make, all in trade for the extra (4th round) pick we get for losing Juwaun James.

  65. The Flying Pig's avatar The Flying Pig says:

    I would do the Gurley trade just for the second rounder…lol

    • naplesfan2010's avatar naplesfan2010 says:

      well that is certainly correct.

      It’s like when we swapped for Aqib Talib, even though we’ll probably never sign him for this year. We just wanted the extra “free” draft pick that came with him.

      Also, I agree about drafting a RB, unless they think Samaji Perine out of Oklahoma @ 5’11 & 240 could do the short yardage pounding plays to take the stress off Gurley’s knees.

      Then we could save the pick to use on RT, LT, Edge, S, TE, and OG or C.

  66. Wyoming85's avatar wyoming85 says:

  67. Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

    I’d do that Gurley deal and also draft a back somewhat early.

  68. rich0322's avatar rich0322 says:

    I think 2nd round is going to be great value for a RB in this draft.

  69. rich0322's avatar rich0322 says:

    What the extra 2nd rounder could allow us to do is move up a handful of picks if needed in the teens or twenties and still allow us (2) 2nd round picks for positions like OL, RB, DB, pass rusher, etc…

  70. olddolphan's avatar olddolphan says:

    SO TUA got the results of his CT today and the news was very good, eh?
    Well I got the results of my CT today and it was sensational–no cancer!!
    JUST TO BE SURE, they’ve scheduled a routine lymph node test in about
    4 weeks.
    ——————————————————————————————–
    Watched all of tonight’s highly anticipated meeting of the Lightining and the
    Blue Jackets in Columbus. When I heard that neither Captain Stephen
    Stamkos nor Vezina Trophy winning goalie Andrei Vasilevsky would play
    in tonight’s game I was not confident of the outcome. But back-up goalie
    Curtis McElhenny and reigning MVP Kucherov picked up the slack and
    the Bolts won 2-1 36 seconds into overtime on “Kooch’s” second goal of
    the evening. Bolts are now 19-2-1 in their last 22 games as we head into
    the last third of the season. That said, CAN the Bolts redeem themselves
    after last season’s Playoff collapse?? Tonight was a good start in that
    direction.

  71. Wyoming85's avatar wyoming85 says:

    Great to hear OD!

  72. Wyoming85's avatar wyoming85 says:

    I would like his skills!
    But how long before he demanded out of here?

  73. Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

    I wouldn’t look at any player that just wants off his old team. I really hope the Steelers come to regret picking up MFFF because it sounds like he’s unhappy again and he’s going to be giving them some headaches now too. Good, screw ’em!

  74. Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

    OD – Great news sir, glad to hear it! Keep on keeping on!

  75. Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

    I figured Brian in NY would be all over this Gurley trade talk. Bri had the hugest mancrush on Gurley.

  76. bailbondmike's avatar bailbondmike says:

    We should find out today if we sign any players from the CFL. Today is the first day to sign CFL players. Hopefully we sign The CFL’s most outstanding defensive player in 2019, DE Willie Jefferson, 6′ 5″ 240, 12 quarterback sacks, six forced fumbles and 16 pass knockdowns. In a 33-12 Grey Cup win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, he had three sacks and two forced fumbles.

  77. pheloniusphish's avatar pheloniusphish says:

    Anyone else having issues with the PFT site? I get to the main page, but when I try to open it weird shit happens.

  78. Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

    PFT? Pro Football Talk? What’s there that you need to see?

  79. Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

    I didn’t have any problem opening this article. Let me know if you can’t

    Does Joe Burrow hope the Bengals don’t draft him?

    • CavalierKong's avatar CavalierKong says:

      Do you make that trade if the Bengals are wiling?

      It would likely cost our 5, one of our other 1st rds this year, and a 1st rd next year, maybe even more if there is a bidding war.

      • Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

        If he’s the guy that the team thinks can elevate this club for a decade or so, I guess you do. I don’t prefer to do that, but I suppose I wouldn’t fault them if they did. (As long as he plays great!!)

      • dbolt48's avatar dbolt48 says:

        I like Burrow, but I don’t see any true bidding war taking place. I personally think you can build a team around Burrow, Tua, Love, Herbert, or Fromm. I guess it comes down to scheme in the end and those 1st 4 would fit Gailey’s O and maybe someone like James Morgan from FIU.

      • CavalierKong's avatar CavalierKong says:

        Mike, I don’t get into player evaluation like a lot of you guys do, so for me it’s about trusting the FO, and would be ok if they make the deal. It would be hard to see the loss of those picks, but we would still have some ammo.

        If we do go after him, I hope you’re right, D-bolt. It only takes one team to think he’s worth it to drive the price up.

        This is going to be such a fun offseason. There are so many different directions we can take this thing. It’s pretty simple, but as long as we get good players, we’ll be ok.

      • dbolt48's avatar dbolt48 says:

        Cav,
        Definitely only takes 1 team to drive the price, but most other teams would be talking about giving up 3-4yrs of first rounders to even be taken seriously. I think if Miami moves up they’ll pay a price, but nothing crazy.

  80. dbolt48's avatar dbolt48 says:

    CFL Willie has decided to stay up in Canada.

  81. pheloniusphish's avatar pheloniusphish says:

    Mike – No problems with your link to PFT, but when I go to their site and try to open a headline it is hosed. Their problem not ours.

  82. pheloniusphish's avatar pheloniusphish says:

    If they decided to trade up for Burrow, I would be okay with it I guess. Rather not, but if yhey believe that much in him, so be it.

  83. CavalierKong's avatar CavalierKong says:

    Dbolt,
    Yeah I really like the position we’re in for the move. We can trade up and not mortgage the future. We would give up some of our extra draft capital, but we wouldn’t have to go into the red and be without 1st or 2nd rd picks for the future.

    I keep waffling on the possibility. I’m trying to remember the last time one of these big trade-ups for a QB worked out for the team moving up.

    • dbolt48's avatar dbolt48 says:

      Pre-injury Carson Wentz trade appeared to be a home run for the Eagles.

      • dbolt48's avatar dbolt48 says:

        Jets tried the same strategy to get Darnold, but that failed. In the Jets case they were trying to buy into the upside of Darnold, but probably forced him into being a starter too soon w/ his college inconsistency. He should’ve been learning and honing his craft a little more. The Jets on their end did him no favors w/ the coaching staff put around him.

  84. Wyoming85's avatar wyoming85 says:

  85. Rockphin's avatar Rockphin says:

    Dbolt, your kitties get a new toy or did you just repurpose and one on of your wife’s? πŸ˜³πŸ˜†

  86. D's avatar D says:

    Dunbar is a good CB, but we could draft CJ Henderson and get the same caliber player, if not better. Dunbar would probably be happy to be back in the state of Florida, but i dunno if his attitude is bad, its just the nature of these players now, epsecially since the shit with Ramsey went down and likewise with MFFF.

  87. Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

    One of the advantages of having all these extra picks is it allows you to make a big trade without mortgaging the future. Meaning it doesn’t result in us not having a 1st round pick for a couple of years. I’m not going to get into I wouldn’t do this or that. I’m more interested in how Grier and Flores go about building this team. We’re not going to know if it was right or wrong for a few years anyway.

    • dbolt48's avatar dbolt48 says:

      Yep….like I said if they move up it’s highly unlikely they pay an astronomical fee as I don’t see other franchises mortgaging all their future drafts in a bidding war.

    • CavalierKong's avatar CavalierKong says:

      I said the same thing about 4 posts up, so i totally agree, lol.

  88. Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

    It’s all perspective when it comes to moving up. I’d prefer to use all our picks on players that can help our team now and in the future. On the other hand, if there’s a player, especially at the QB position that our FO feels can be a special player here this is the perfect time to be able to get that player w/o throwing away an entire draft or two.

    • Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

      I feel like we have so many holes to fill, and I know we’ll fill a few in FA and in this draft an the next too. I just want as many good players as possible now. Greedy!

    • dbolt48's avatar dbolt48 says:

      Exactly

    • Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

      Exactly! We’ve seen examples where teams had a boat load of picks yet only half or less of them panned out. We’ve seen teams trade up and it worked out, and not worked out. You never know. But between FA and our drafts regardless of trading up, we should upgrade this team quite a bit.

      • dbolt48's avatar dbolt48 says:

        The thing w: Mia this year is they’ll have a good idea of the compensation it might take to move up in the draft prior to the combine. This means they can shape their FA plans around what they lose draft asset wise and with the cap space they have they can fill the roster accordingly. They’re not really in a bind either direction they go.

      • CavalierKong's avatar CavalierKong says:

        We had a draft ourselves not too long ago where we had a good many picks, then Dion fuckface happened, lol.

  89. CavalierKong's avatar CavalierKong says:

    LOL, I wondered if i saw what I thought I saw on D-Bolt’s avi, but I’m at work so I didn’t want to take too close a look.

  90. Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

    dbolt, you have to give Grier a lot of credit for how he set this team up for a rebuild in his first year as the czar of football operations. He’s done exactly what he set out to do with Flores as the HC he hand selected. It’s early in the process but at this time I give him an A+. Now let’s see how he does with the cap space and draft capital. Then it’s up to Flores to coach it up. I’m looking forward to it. πŸ™‚

    • dbolt48's avatar dbolt48 says:

      I give Grier a strong B+ so far, but I give Flores an A+ on what he instilled in the players and the fact he never wavered on jettisoning vet players. His willingness to go directly at Stills for his nonsense during the pre-season set the tone and it carried through w/ the players as the year moved along. I like the direction they’re heading and hope they land the right fits in the draft and FA.

      • Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

        I gave him the A+ because of how fast he acquired all this draft capital and cleared so much cap in just 2019. Not sure if it could have been done any better.

      • dbolt48's avatar dbolt48 says:

        He definitely did it quick and efficiently. His best move was tying Stills contract into that Tunsil trade.

  91. Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

    LOL Kong – We don’t need any more FF’s here in MIA. Hopefully Minkah was the last, but I wouldn’t bet on it!

  92. dbolt48's avatar dbolt48 says:

    Cav,
    Yeah, Ireland screwed the pooch in that FA & Draft. It sounds like Mia will focus properly on the trenches on both sides of the ball which should allow whatever young QB is brought in to develop properly.

    • CavalierKong's avatar CavalierKong says:

      I have infinitely more confidence in this FO than I did with the Ireland run FO by the end there, lol. We’re all pretty hopeful this FO will get it done, and this first year was a success on a number of levels. But like Tim said, we’re really not going to know for another year or two when it comes to if we are getting talent through the draft.

      I also don’t think it can be understated the impact Flores may have in acquiring that talent. He’s been involved in scouting for almost 20 years, and when you have a coach who has that experience scouting for the players he wants, that should translate positively.

      Can’t wait until FA opens up and the draft!!!

      • Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

        There was a report that part of Flores’ day even during the season, he spent some of it scouting players. So yeah that is one of his skill sets. Then think about that it’s not just Grier in the FO but also experienced guys like Reggie McKenzie and Marvin Allen. I think that’s one of the reasons we saw lower tier players come in and do a solid job with very little time. We chose the right guys who could do it and coached them up quickly.

        Another thing about Flores is if he doesn’t like how his coaches are preparing players he’s not afraid to make changes. He didn’t like how OL coach Pat Flaherty was coaching and fired him a few days into TC. He also did more of it at the end of the season. He has a standard that must be met for both coaches and players or you’re out.

  93. Mike E.'s avatar Mike E. says:

    The way Flores coached up all the young undrafted guys makes me pretty confident that he can get this team working.

  94. Tim Knight's avatar Tim Knight says:

    LOL @ dbolt’s avi.

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