The Dolphins will head into the 2023 NFL Draft short on picks, holding only a handful (5) of picks. We’re also over the cap at this very moment, but that will be remedied as we enter the free agency period and draft. Contracts will be restructured to open up cap room to acquire some new players and definitely to re-sign some of our players that were on the 2022 roster. In regards to the players that were here in ’22 that we should re-sign, I’ll list them in order of priority.
- LB Elandon Roberts
- CB Nik Needham
- RB Raheem Mostert
- OT Brandon Shell
OT Austin Jackson has not panned out, but he has one more season to prove he’s an NFL starting OT. Nothing he has done in his career leads me to believe that he should be penciled in at any position along our offensive line. He did play 17 games (started 16) at LG in 2021, but played in only 2 games last season. Despite playing an entire season in ’21, he was underwhelming at best. Injuries cut short his season last year, and although we have a 5th year option for Jackson, at this time I don’t see us using it. Brandon Shell, on the other hand, was a great backup who played in 13 games last season starting 11. His play, mostly at RT was impressive. I think we need to have a reliable option to backup either side, and right now, Shell would be choice over Austin Jackson. It’s also possible that talented OG Robert Hunt makes the move to RT, but I love his play inside, and it’s easier and less expensive to find a reliable OG than it is to find an offensive tackle.
As most of you know, I’m a huge fan of Nik Needham. Provided he’ll be ready to start the 2023 season, I’d re-sign the guy who always stepped up to play wherever and whenever he was asked. A true game, I want that guy on our team. Since we have ZERO running backs on our roster, Raheem Mostert in my opinion is one guy we want back. If we can get 2 guys back, I’d take Jeff Wilson too, but Mostert would be my first choice. That guy is electric, and just explodes through the hole or around the corner. Wilson is more of an inside runner than Mostert and he has some wiggle too, and seems more like a guy who can sustain a few more carries. That being said, neither player has had more than 200 carries in a season, so both players in my opinion are RB by committee guys, so I’d prefer to draft a RB, and wouldn’t mind if it were in the early rounds.
Back to CB, we have Xavien Howard, Kader Kohou, and Trill Williams. Seems clear as day that Byron Jones will not be playing for us and will be a post June 1st cut where he then either retires, or resumes his theatrics elsewhere. TE is another void for us with incumbent Durham Smythe the only reliable TE on the roster. TE Cethan Carter is still on the roster, as is Hunter Long and Tanner Conner. My feeling is we need to address TE either in free agency or the draft, and how we proceed with free agency will dictate what we do in the draft. Whatever doesn’t get filled in Free Agency will then become a priority for the draft. Teams generally don’t like to leave themselves in a position where they have to address any particular position in the draft, and remember, there is free agency that happens after the draft, and there are always players made available after teams fill their roster with freshly drafted players and let some veteran players go.
CB, TE, RB, OL seem to be our top priorities. Yes, I know many of you want more LB’s, specifically inside LB’s, but I’ve addressed this last article. Re-sign Elandon Roberts and we’re good to go. Our defense will be a better unit in the capable hands of Vic Fangio, we don’t need to spend a 2nd RD pick on a LB. Once again, not to be monotonous or redundant, but we can’t say for sure what our draft needs are until we fill the roster in free agency. Nevertheless, let’s look at some prospects at the aforementioned positions that could help us.
Since we don’t pick until #51 in the 2nd RD, these are the players that might be available when we pick
CB Deonte Banks 6’0 197 – Maryland
CB Kelee Ringo 6’2 207 – Georgia
CB Emmanuel Forbes 6’1 166 – Mississippi State
__________________________________________
TE Darnell Washington 6’7 264 – Georgia
TE Tucker Kraft 6’5 254 – South Dakota State
TE Luke Schoonmaker 6’5 251 – Michigan
__________________________________________
RB Jahmyr Gibbs 5’9 199 – Alabama
RB Israel Abanikanda 5’11 216 – Pittsburgh
RB Eric Gray – 5’9 1/2 207 – Oklahoma
I expect to hear a lot of I like this guy or that guy, or that guy won’t be available when we pick etc. All good in the hood, let it fly. These players are not set in stone, just an idea who might help our team and again, might be available when we choose. Obviously I did not pick the top prospects at any spot because they won’t be there, and some of the guys I chose may not end getting to 51 or beyond either. I didn’t watch a lot of the combine, and it was just one particular thing that impressed me. TE Darnell Washington, who is one of the taller TE’s, got down and moved the blocked sled like it was on wheels. Just one drill, but it shows he can bend, and he has the strength and technique to block effectively in the NFL. Most of the other guys who followed were not nearly as accomplished as Washington. Considering the fact that we need a willing (and effective) blocker for our TE, I’d love to snare Washington. He may not be the most accomplished receiver of the group, but if our TE can help our run game, I think his size alone will help him be an effective receiver.
Just in case you guys were unaware, RB Israel Abanikanda attended my High School in Brooklyn NY. Abraham Lincoln High School. Besides that, what a great name, maybe he can do commercials like our former MLB of the “No Name Defense” Nick Buoniconti did. “Hi, I’m Israel Abinakanda” “Who????” I think we’re going to need a CB early on, but that may change after free agency. I’d be happy with any of those 3 guys, but who knows, maybe this is the year where Iggy gets his career on track. He’s in his walk year, considering his 5th year option would be a lofty $11.5M, quite doubtful for sure. He’s a potential roster cut as is, but he’s be relatively cheap at just over $3M. Chris Grier and our scouts have a ton of work to do, our team is on the cusp of truly being a contender. A lot of that rests on the health of our QB1. Tua Tagovailoa. We absolutely need to have him for the entire season and the playoffs. Regardless, we need Grier to fill the rest of the roster, including finding a legitimate backup QB in case what we hope for doesn’t actually happen. Let’s hope Grier gets it right.
GO DOLPHINS!!!!
Finsmob Unleashed 
It seems hard to find a way to get Chubb, Phillips, and Ogbah on the field all together, but we should try.
Ogbah at DE with Chubb and Phillips at OLB. I expect to see them on the field together often.
is that a 3-4 then? … with Raekwon at NT and Wilkins at the other DE?
works for me
that’s a big heavy package and a bit slow outside
but imagine how frightening it would be for a QB to hope Ogbah doesn’t swat your pass down and then see Chubb staring at you coming unblocked off the edge.
and hope Wilkins gets slowed down on your blind side only to have Phillips slashing a TE into bits on the way to the QB’s throwing arm
I tend to think Ogbah will be odd man out. I donāt think he fits the D that Fangio runs
This is what I was referring to,
but I am not predicting Fangio, as he’s an ace at adaptation
How so? Fangio runs a 3-4 base. I see the front 5 being the same as last year.
You want Wilkins, Seiler, Chubb and Phillips on the field as much as possible. Yes there will be opportunities for Ogbah but you donāt replace one of them for Ogbah
Guys also rotate at times. They’ll all play a lot.
M13,
Iāve always been a fan of Kendrickās. Heās a volume tackler. Iām not so sure of his coverage ability after all these years. Iām also not sure how much money heād want. He didnāt fare well when the Vikes switched to a 3-4. Heās got some versatility, but Iād probably take a pass on him.
At back-up QB, I’d lean hard away from Baker Mayfield and Marcus Mariota.
One is too leaky and the other is mentally finished. Or vice versa
Heinecke would be good as he is dependable and won’t freak out although not very exciting, Minshew would be fun if he could channel Fitzmagic, and Keenum might be the safest of the best game manager types.
No to Minshew. Too erratic. I like Mike White. I like Heinecke but not sure what his availability will be
I’d say we’re going to see a lot of 4 man fronts on passing downs with Chubb and Phillips on the edges standing up with Ogbah and Wilkins inside when we’re in nickel and dime.
But fangio has historically run a 3-4 why do you believe he changes that now after 30 years?
When in nickel and dime. All teams do this. Sometimes you see 3 down lineman and one standing. It’s a 4 man rush. Then 1 or 2 off the ball LBs and 5 or 6 DBs. I brought it up because we were talking about our personnel and Ogbah.
Here’s our coaching staff.
https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/miami-dolphins-announce-2023-coaching-staff
Iām really not sold on Davis playing as a 3-4 NT. I wonder if theyāll go after a high end guy to plug in there. I have no idea whoās available if anybody. In a 3-4 you want your DL to occupy gaps/players. Youāre not so much worried about them penetrating. You want them to keep your LBers free and unblocked to make plays. Frankly, none of our DL have shown they are that sort of player. Iām not saying they canāt do it but itāll be a shift in technique.
I donāt see Davis as being in the long term plans absent a major breakout this year
I’m not sure why everyone thinks there will be such a change on the front end of the defense. Davis has been a NT in our 3-4 since he was drafted. I expect to see that continue and he’ll come out on obvious passing downs.
There you go
Dolphins picked up Tua Tagovailoa fifth year option
Now the talking kids can start talking about why weāre so stupid instead of a how they know weāre not going to pick up his option
Dolphins busy as hell today
Salvon Ahmed resigned 1 year deal
Tim,
Davis is a little too hot and cold for me. Sometimes he looks like a beast and then he just disappears. I donāt think heās terrible or anything. I think youād be hard pressed to say heās in the top 30 interior linemen in the NFL, so I donāt think itās crazy to think you could upgrade the position. Iād have no problem moving on from both him and Ogbah.
Fair enough on Davis but he does what you said you want your NT to do. That’s why he’s not a stat guy.
As for Ogbah did you all forget he signed a 4 year $65M contract last year and he’d be $21M in dead cap if we moved on from him. I’m not really sure why he’s now the new guy a lot of you are looking at as the odd man out. He can play the run and rush the passer.
Spotrac has us just under $30M in cap space now.
—————
Will have to see what they gave Ahmed. Shouldn’t be much though.
This has a photo of exactly what I’m taking about with a 4-2-5 nickel formation under Fangio.
https://theathletic.com/3311028/2022/05/24/vic-fangio-defense-analysis/
Canāt see it behind a pay wall
Oh really? Here’s just the photo.
This is one of the most common formations on defense teams use today. Because the 11 personnel you see here is the most common formation on offense that teams use.
May be semantics anyway, but nickel and dime doesnāt change the line necessarily. You sure youāre not looking at a 335? With one of the linebackers standing up close to the line and one of the linebackers replaced by a safety or corner?
Nope! I posted the pic above. I can see Phillips, Ogbah, Wilkins and Chubb as the front 4.
“Dolphins remain extremely committed to Tua” reminds me of Tom Cruise “Strenuously objecting”. lol
Lol, great scene
There’s a little bit of a problem playing Seiler and Wilkins and Ogbah all at the same time because none of them are a NT.
Situationally, it might be done a few times on 3rd and long, but Seiler and Ogbah are way too light to play head up over the center, and Wilkins benefits from having more space, like a 3 tech at least.
Ogbah is a better all around DL than Sieler. I think you guys are forgetting how good Ogbah is because he missed most of last season with an arm injury. Sieler is an excellent rotation DL because he plays multiple techniques in different formations. Remember nickel defense is on the field a lot more than base because every team uses 11 personnel on offense most of the time.
The Bears are trading the #1 overall pick to the Panthers.
Frank Reich wants a young QB to groom. He had a tough time with different QBs every year in Indy and doesn’t want to go through that hell again.
Only idiots will continue with the nonsense. LOL
Unfortunately, Thereās no shortage of idiots
Tim,
Davis is an okay player. I just think thatās a position you can improve, and it can be a really impactful position if you can find a guy who can do it well. Again, it all comes down to how you use your DL. I feel like I have said that once or twice over the years. Lol
***
Iām not too worried about our DL. I think overall the talent is good, but it can definitely get better. We still give up too many points, big plays on 3rd down and just canāt get off the field some times. I think Fangio will help with the points. I think our guys who are supposed to be getting sacks need to actually be getting them, and I think the likelihood of that goes up when you have really good DL play.
***
I actually said we shouldnāt resign Ogbahā¦.at least not to a big contractā¦when it happened. I wouldnāt have given him that contract. Againā¦okay playerā¦certainly upgradable. I think our defense is close, but I think we need to get better to win championships.
Nothing I was saying was about we can’t get better or play better. I just think people get a little weird with moving on from guys who are good players. Like Ogbah and Baker.
Davis is a giant of a man who can hold his own at NT but he’s not a big impact player. He has struggled at times since his 2nd season when he hurt his knee and it lingered into his 3rd season – last year.
I agree we need Chubb and Phillips to be even better as edge rushers. Not just sacks, but pressures to create mistakes and turnovers. Sometimes good stuff doesn’t show up on the stat sheet but they impacted the play.
They donāt need $10 million (per Rappaport)to sign draft picks. They donāt have a first rounder and donāt have many picks overall.
Yeah he missed on that.
bailbondmike says:
March 10, 2023 at 4:51 pm
Spotrac has us just under $30M in cap space now.
āāāāā
Will have to see what they gave Ahmed. Shouldnāt be much though
I read that he can earn up to $1.8 million this year
Obviously McDaniel likes his skillset. He’s got some quicks and he can catch the ball.
Yeah, Iām glad we re-signed him. Iāve always liked his running style.
He’s our only tailback on the roster.
Yeah, heās the best RB we have
Piggy – well said! Plenty of idiots still abound!
I have to say I really have no idea how we’re going to approach FA. I think we’ll see some surprises not necessarily meaning big signings but players none of us are thinking about. Moving on from some guys and maybe some trades.
Agreed. I wouldnāt mind making a run at Cam Sutton if he doesnāt re sign with the Steelers
So who do you think the Panthers are taking at #1?
I just read that they are undecided. There is also a chance they could trade back if they like Stroud and Young equally.
Hmmm… you trade up to #1 undecided?
Supposedly the owner likes Young and Reich like Stroud
I guess pro days and some meetings will settle that.
I want to take this time to mention that a new era of black QBs are happening and that’s a win for everyone. The melting pot is working, it just takes time. Some day maybe we won’t have to talk about such things. š
There’s some buzz out there that the Dolphins want to extend Wilkins and a new deal would also help the cap this year. This team wants to compete to be in the Super Bowl this year, not in 2-3 years.
I would be ecstatic!
51.Emmanuel Forbes CB Mississippi State
77.Zach Charbonnet RB UCLA
84.Jack Campbell LB Iowa
197.Josh Whyle TE Cincinnati
238.Jaylon Thomas OT SMU
Is there a key player we’re targeting that we think puts us over the top?
Brady and Lamarš¤”
Rumor is we’re interested in Dalvin Cook.
That said, I’ll say this about Cook even if we don’t acquire him; he’s a back who runs violent and fast and he’s also a good receiver. Not sure what the contract would be after a trade, but I can see this.
Would it be a 2nd or 3rd in a trade?
Randy said earlier that he heard it might only take a fifth, hopefully a 6 because we actually have one of those.
But don’t forget we get linked to everybody.
Nah, that’s too light. Cook is one of the best backs in the league in his prime. Just because Randy lives in the area doesn’t mean we don’t get the same intel. The Vikings can’t pay him with Jefferson on the horizon. That dude will be the highest paid WR in the game soon.
He fucked up our Fest, well, that and Skylar Thompson getting hurt, and the 2,000,000 penalties, but I remember Cook busting off a big TD run.
He is another very good back who misses 3-4 games a year
Toba, Cook played in all 17 games last year. Lots of players get banged up. You could draft a guy everyone is high on and he goes down week 2. His talent is undeniable.
Oh , that surprises me , but I wonāt argue it .. and yes was not meaning to downplay his talent or spirit.. I love having him on fantasy teams , and would love him a as a Fin as well ..
Think about the Javonte Williams and Breece Hall’s of the world. Good young backs. Both suffered season ending injuries. Cook has never had that.
I just seemed to recall that he misses a block of 3-4 games each year almost like clockwork , usually somewhere around week 10-16
How many games has Dalvin Cook missed in his career?
24 games
Unfortunately, injuries have been an issue for Cook throughout his career. He tore his ACL as a rookie in 2017 and has missed at least two games in every season since then. In total, Cook has missed 24 games (almost all of them due to injury) since entering the NFL
Follows up to say played in all 17 games last year
Stroud will be the pick for the Panthers Reich likes the size and body type
He’s the middle of Young and Richardson. Has both traits.
Once again not saying it’s a done deal, but Cook in the backfield with Hill and Waddle outside is a nightmare for DCs. Oh yeah that guy Tua getting them the ball. š
Our offense will be unstoppable
Not crazy about using draft capital on a 28 year old RB who has seen a lot of touches. Donāt get me wrong Cook is awesome but he is getting near that age when most RBs fade
Toba, Cook’s rookie year I missed, but when a guy plays in his 6th season all 17 games and a playoff game this past season with 4 straight 1,000 plus rushing yard seasons do we focus on the negative? He averages 4.7 YPC for his career. We all know he’s an excellent back. He’ll be 28 when the season starts.
I’m only talking about if we do it, I get it. I like Dalvin Cook. He plays at 100mph and doesn’t go down easy. He along with Hill and Waddle will stress every defense we play.
Would you trade a 2nd for Dalvin Cook and give him some money? I would.
Cook, Hill and Waddle would be unstoppable like Piggy said. Defenses wouldn’t even focus on TEs for easy 1st downs. The stress they would put on defenses would be outrageous.
You can’t stack the box against Hill and Waddle and Cook will eat up the cover shell out of the backfield. It’s a mismatch nightmare.
I admit I’m getting over the top here. It makes a lot of sense to me though. Can a team stop it? It’s one player that can change the dynamic. I’m not sure any defense in the league can match up against those 3.
You still have to block, Mostert has similar explosiveness so you can envision Cook in there. Mostert in the first half in Buffalo is what we really want to be.
I hear ya and I’m okay with Mostert, Wilson, Ahmed and a rookie. But I’m a big fan of Dalvin Cook and like the idea. So I’m enjoying it for however long it lasts. š
SALARY SIGNING ROSTER WORKOUT CAP HIT DEAD CAP YEARLY CASH
POTENTIAL OUT: 2023, 3 YR, $27,284,650; $6,202,544 DEAD CAP
2023 Contract details by year 28 $10,400,000 $3,101,272 $500,000 $100,000 $14,101,272 $6,202,544
$11,000,000
($38,284,650)
2024 Contract details by year 29 $11,900,000 $3,101,272 $500,000 $100,000 $15,601,272 $3,101,272
$12,500,000
($50,784,650)
2025 Contract details by year 30 $12,900,000 – $500,000 $100,000 $13,500,000 –
Is it worth it ??
Whatever this means the answer is yes if we win
Numbers for each year in order are
SALARY ,SIGNING ROSTER ,WORKOUT BONUS,CAP HIT ,DEAD CAP , YEARLY CASH
Mike, If memory serves, the Cook TD run was the nail in our coffin. We’d just got within one score and the next Vikings drive, Cook busted it to put them up two scores with only a few minutes left.
I will say , our run blocking looked much better last year than in many years
At times it did but we used so many different linemen it’d be nice to see our real starters play most of the games whoever they may be.
Yep and apparently we may have a real OL coach š±
Tim, Vikings want to unload Cook and his contract. They want to trade vs cut. They are not in the driver seat and will have to take what teams offer. IMO With that high salary, he could very well be gotten for a low pick.
Ravens are trading one of their starting safeties as a cap casualty for a 7th round pick.
Rams release LB Leonard Floyd after third season in Los Angeles
—————-
But we don’t need another pricy OLB. He did have 29 sacks with the Rams over the last 3 seasons.
Another TE to keep an eye on in the late rounds or UDFA is TE Luke Ford, 6’6 260 from Illinois.
“Luke Fordās stats donāt jump off the page by any means. Last year, the 6ā6ā³, 260-pound tight end only notched 15 catches for 114 yards and two scores. But Ford does have underrated talent. He was a four-star recruit and originally committed to Georgia. He has good functional athleticism, utilizing it to get out of his stance quickly and cover ground up field. Nevertheless, the most appealing quality of Fordās ā especially for NFL scouts ā will be his exceptional blocking ability. Heās a very willing blocker who can effectively latch under his opponentsā pads and drive them away from plays.”
Interesting. That may be a guy of yours that gets a serious look from us.
Calvin cook is a very good back when healthy, but I tend to lean with Ken on this one. Heās approaching the magic number of 30. Additionally, I donāt think that giving up draft picks and then signing them to extensions or taking on bigger contracts is the way to build the team. We need to get back to focusing on the draft for the next few years. We have traded for players and signed some FAs that have cost us a bunch. I know the cao can be manipulated, but only to a certain extent: You canāt keep restructuring contracts (Chubb, Terron, Tyreek) and not have it come back to bite you at some point. Tua will get a big contract if he doesnāt have concussion issues moving forward, Wilkins will also get paid, we need to plan for that.
Dalvin (autocorrect hates his name)
Yeah, I still think a team gets him for a day 3 pick but that price tag is just too much.
I heard something the other day- no team has won a Super Bowl in the last ten years that had a RB making more than $3 million per year .
Bryan, I am just starting to look at late day 3 and projected UDFA prospects. We will have a good bit of roster space to fill. I could see us signing up to 15 UDFA’s unless we keep freeing up cap space.
Agreed. We could restructure a bit more, but we have to pay the piper at some point. We have a lot of roster holes to fill, so it will likely have to be done by late round picks, low cost FAās and UDFAās. This is the price for trading away draft picks though. I think they were mostly good trades, but this is where we are. Iām still not ruling out one pretty big FA signing though.
I think they were good trades. It’s just the Ross fuck up that really hurts.
I had found myself wanting to double down on DB’s but we don’t really have the picks to double down on a position.
This is another player who should be there late day 3 or possible UDFA.
CB Reese Taylor, 5’11 190, 4.45 40, Purdue. Probably be a nickel/slot CB in the NFL or could possibly transition to safety. He only has 3 career INT’s at Purdue but can tell he has ball skills (also 15 PD’s).
I found it interesting that all 32 teams were represented at the Purdue pro day when maybe their best player is an early day 3 prospect (4th round). Only exception may be QB Aidan O’Connell. Some team with a lot of picks might take him in the 3rd round.
Nothing against Cook, but I would rather see them draft or sign UDFA RBs.
And draft late if thatās the way they go.
^
Getting ready to look at some of those guys today if I have time at work.
Every year a late drafted RB lights up the league. Guys like Bryce Hall (5th), etc. No need to use draft or cap capital on a RB.
Those looking for a backup NT to Davis, Texas NT Keondre Coburn, 6’2, 343 pounds is projected a late day 3 pick. Probably due to his shorter size and arm length, but he carries his weight well and has a quick first step. They say he has a good motor and is a high effort player. His shorter size and quickness make it hard for OL to get good hand placement at times especially taller OL. Though, when the OL wins, his short arms become a liability in getting a hand on rushers.
Phelon, RB DeWayne McBride, 5’11 215 from UAB is projected a possible 6th round pick. Doubt he lasts to our 6th pick. He seems to be a better talent than that, but he is from a small school.
a slasher with some speed; I like that. … doesn’t go down from arm tackles … but can he catch passes? I don’t think I saw any in those clips
I just heard someone on NFL Radio āLamar would really love to play for the Dolphins.ā I mean I would really love to sleep with a supermodel but it aināt going to happen
I was going to say a Dolphins Cheerleader but a supermodel works. It ain’t happening. lol
Thank you for the vote of confidence š
You can pick up a bar hag and just close your eyes.. Poof, your sleeping with a supermodel šš
You sly dog!
Naples, that is an issue with Mcbride. He is not known as a pass catcher. Of his 242 touches over the last 2 seasons only 5 touches were receptions.
However, over those last 2 seasons he rushed for 3084 yards on 437 carries (7 yards per) with 32 TD’s.
I think he may have been the NCAA leading rusher last year, not 100% sure.
“Of his 424 touches”
Dammit “442 touches”
Cook is still a good back but no way do I give a second round pick for him. I much bigger needs on the team.
^^
Like I stated yesterday, we run the Shanahan Offense. We want 1-cut runners with vision who can oftentimes be found late in the Draft or as UDFAs. We have no need for a superstar RB like Dalvin Cook, nor his high salary, especially by trading some of our Draft capital.
The Shanahan Offense is damn near a cheat code for RBs, so we needn’t pay big money to anybody. Just re-sign Mostert and Wilson (they won’t cost much at all), and maybe draft a RB mid-late, or even sign an UDFA.
As just one of many examples, look at Arian Foster… UDFA out of Tennessee, signed by the Houston Texans under Gary Kubiak.
WOW!
We ranked 31st in rushing attempts and 22nd in YPA last year. That tells me that McDaniel didnāt call enough run plays. A 4.3 yard average isnāt fantastic, but itās ok. McDaniel says heās gonna pump up the run game. He needs to be more committed to it. You canāt expect your running game to be effective when youāre 31st in rushing attempts. Thatās on him. The production from the running game was okā¦when we ran it. Bring in a good RT to put alongside Hunt who is shaping up to be one of the best young guards in the game and I think weāll see a nice improvement.
I doubt we trade for Cook. Was just having some fun with the idea of him in our offense.
He would be absolutely AMAZING for our Offense, but yeah, I don’t see it happening at all.
Now if he was outright released and would be willing to take a major hometown discount in his native Florida, perhaps.
Tim,
Cook still has a couple good years, Iād say. Heās also a really nice option to throw to if he can still make cuts and get big yards. Getting him would be just fine with me. I just donāt value RBs all that much anymore. ā¦and as others saidā¦you can find guys all over the draft. Iād consider giving a 4th for him but thatās about it. When I heard guys on the radio here saying a 5th, I was kinda surprisedā¦.I figured a 3rdā¦more than Iād pay. I wasnāt ripping ya. Why would you not want Cook on your roster? Itās just a matter of value, for me.
***
Besides, OL should always come first! Lol
It’s all good. A lot of people are of the mindset you can find backs in a lot of different ways and you can. What made me think of Cook as a possibility is Kyle Shanahan traded for McCaffrey. So maybe this idea that McDaniel thinks he can find backs anywhere is not the case, and he does covet special players.
It doesn’t really matter anyway. The team is going to do what they want to do regardless of how we feel about it. LOL
Tim,
And how many times have you seen me say that itās all about the players? Get as many good ones as you canā¦.within reason. Lol
Yeah it will be interesting to see what we do. We have a lot of voids on our roster at the moment with just one RB and 3 LBs. Then we probably want to upgrade some areas. So not sure we can make a lot of big splashes in FA.
Thy Knight (@ThyKnight3) says:
March 10, 2023 at 8:18 pm
Is there a key player weāre targeting that we think puts us over the top?
—————-
While we should very much be looking for another vet CB to pair with X (I say Patrick Peterson), I truly believe that a coverage ILB/MLB could put us over the top on Defense: Tremaine Edmunds.
On the Offensive side of the ball? Yeah, Dalvin Cook would do it.
Phelon – I want to draft a RB too, and I won’t be mad if it’s with our 2nd round pick either.
I think the second round pick is better used on OL/TE/CB.
If the value is there I’d say those are probably the positions we target.
I think Dalvin Cook is better than anyone we draft in the 2nd or 3rd round
I think Jahmyr Gibbs could be electric, and we’re probably going to sign either or both of Mostert and Wilson, so i think it’s time to bring in a talented young player
Agreed that Cook is better than this class of RBs. I also agree with Mike that if we sign Mostert and/or Wilson we need to add a young back.
Maybe better, but at a much higher cost.
Bailbondmike; Saw your comments on Charleston and FAU earlier. I almost always pull for the teams from smaller conferences. They seem to be the “Rodney Dangerfields” of March Madness. One of them is sure to rise up this year and bite some top 10 team right in the ASS!!!! And Charleston could be the team to do it!
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FAU is the UNDERDOG in tonight’s Conference USA Championship. Alabama-Birmingham is finally healthy after some early season injuries. And they beat FAU when they met a few weeks ago.
UAB probably needs to win this game to get a spot in March Madness. FAU, on the other hand, will get a bid even if they lose because of their cumulative 31-3 record. So I think, under these circumstances, UAB should be favored. However, if FAU should win this game, I’d have to say it would be their most impressive win of the season!!
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Game is scheduled for an 8:30 PM Eastern Time start on the CBS Sports Channel, #221 on Directv.
GO OWLS!!
PS: Don’t forget to “Spring Forward” tonight on your clocks.
GO OWLS! Yeah, I don’t see how the committee could pass up a team with that record even if they don’t get an automatic bid.
I see too many big conference schools get bids with 12 losses or more only to lose in the first round.
So what do we do with Noah Igbinoghene? Even as we were hit with injuries in the secondary he kept getting jumped by other corners. If we release him we’ll get a million in cap space with a 2.4 dead cap number. Do they give him one more chance and see if Fangio can get him to another level or do they move on?
It doesn’t hurt us to give him another shot
I’d be ok giving him another shot. Maybe he does better in a defense that plays more zone.
Yeah maybe more zone is a better fit for him. The issue he’s always had is he stays with his man step for step but he got outplayed for the ball time and time again. Even in zone at some point you’re playing man because you have to cover someone. We’ll see.
Pretty much my thoughts to a tee.
30 is sometimes the boogeyman for RB’s, and Cook has already had some injury issues, as have Mostert and Wilson. I know just getting a young player doesn’t mean they won’t get hurt, but I’d like a young, talented RB
Cook will turn 28 in August so he’s not 30 yet. Mostert will be 31 in April. The thing with RBs is as long as they can still play at a high level in their late 20’s and early 30’s it’s not a big deal. You just don’t want to lock into long contracts with them.
Been busy as “F” and have not been able to dive into the late round and prospective UDFA running backs. Going on 1.5 hours sleep also.
Can’t believe I have to work at work instead of do football stuff. Sucks! š
Spotrac has Ahmed’s deal at 1.8 mil for a year. They don’t have it listed un the 2023 year yet though, so unclwear if that is accurate, a placemarker, or what.
https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/miami-dolphins/salvon-ahmed-47865/
He was an RFA so maybe it doesn’t become official until FA starts.
You surviving the disasters of biblical proportions okay?
The west is seeing some crazy shit for sure.
Cheers, Phel š
It’s been pretty wild here. Luckily, we live in an area where the weather really doesn’t impact us too bad, at least in the home.
I took my daughter to the airport around 7 PM on Thursday, driving down the freeway, the water was being blown sideways over the center divide onto our side in continuous waves. It was so bad, you couldn’t even drive in the fast or 2nd fast lanes because it was like being in the surf, lol.
I can’t remember the last time we had winds that strong along with heavy rain (usually one or the other).
It’s pretty mellow today, just some showers. It’s supposed to come on strong again tonight.
On a side-note, my daughter had a connecting flight in New Jersey, and she said the Newark airport didn’t have a single complimentary tanning bed and there was not a gym to be found. I thought it was Jersey law that every building had to have tanning beds and gyms…wtf?
Lol…Just can’t count on NJ people!
Thy Knight (@ThyKnight3) says:
March 11, 2023 at 4:53 pm
So what do we do with Noah Igbinoghene?…
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According to Barry Jackson via Twitter, Iggy’s not worth cutting at this point vs his dead cap. It would appear Iggy gets one last shot with us.
Yeah that’s the way it looks to me too.
Cookās salary cap hot is 14 million
His dead cap money is like 6 million
So maybe the Vikings cut him
They seem to be moving on from Cook for the younger Alexander Mattison who is a UFA. He’ll be much cheaper. The Vikings are in a tough spot.
Sleet/snow here. Only a couple inches todayā¦.another 8 or so later this week. I still have 4 foot piles of snow surrounding my bucket. I donāt see any gyms or tanning booths.
2nd year HC turning over the roster for his vision moving forward. Happens all the time. We’re doing the same thing.
Kong – I hope you don’t view Joisey from what “The Situation” and the rest of the jabronies from The Jersey Shore portrayed it as.
The majority of those people are from Staten Island NYC, not Jersey
There are sections of the Jersey shore that are totally like that though. Lots of people from Staten Island and other NY residents have had houses down there for years. We used to have fireworks competitions with them on our street during 4th of July. During the summer when you travel south to the shore you see plenty of of NY plates.
It’s the New Yorkers man, not us cool Jersey folk. LOL
Piggy,
I think it was a money decision on Cook. They are cutting lots of veteran guys. That said, lots of folks up here think it looked like he was starting to take a step back last season. How much so and if itās even true is up for debate. I donāt really care about the money, but I donāt want to spend a high draft pick on him. Doing bothā¦no thanks.
I care about the money more than anything else
The cap hit specifically
I donāt really mind giving up a day 2 pick – I suspect we are going to spend one on a RB anyway
Good point. There would be a new contract involved in a trade. Not easy to do along with draft compensation. The Vikings might have to release him.
It feels like no team Other than the jests wants Aaron Rogers and heās still considering tuning them down
Watch him retire.
Bookman
If you are out there
Imagine how much you will hate Rogers if he signs with the jests after being a packer for so long
Are there any uglier two strikes than that in your eyes
Piggy,
Yep, lots of different types of fans. The money/cap aspect of an NFL team means absolutely nothing to me. I get its importance, but I donāt care. Some fans love it.
***
The draft is interesting to me and I care about that because I enjoy that aspect of building a team. I remember a time when my football conversations actually never mentioned money or cap once! Lol
Remember before FA drafted players even early picks sat behind vets for 2-3 years before really getting much playing time?
I hear you Randy
But I think we are looking at the RB position with one of our day 2 picks anyway
Itās a deep draft for RBs
If we use the draft to address the position – we will probably get a good RB
But players like Cook or Derrick Henry are probably better players for the same compensation when it comes down to it
Tim,
I remember no FA and the draft taking place and nobody caring or even knowing it happened. I know Dick Butkus was drafted the year I was born!
***
The internet has changed everything. I would go buy draft guide books in the 80ās and early 90ās. Then later in the 90ās I started talking to a bunch of boneheads on this thing called a āwebsiteā from a Florida newspaper on my $3000 home computer and shit just went sideways from there! Lol
LOL, I lived that too man.
We have some really good players. The first goal is win your division. What do we really need to accomplish that?
Healthy Tua
Agreed
Tim – my point was you turn on that show and you think this is what NJ is. I kinda hate that
I understand. Some people have a vision of Jersey I don’t ever see. NJ is not just Newark Airport and the bridges and tunnels getting into NYC.
It’s called the Garden State for a reason. Lots of farmland that people never see in a small state. I always said you could blindfold someone and not uncover them until you were somewhere in central Jersey. They would say what am I in Nebraska? There are many miles of Atlantic ocean as well. It’s not perfect but it’s not what people who don’t know it well either.
Jersey is influenced by the metro area but also more suburban and rural.
GOOD NEWS AT HALFTIME of the UAB-FAU championship game for the Conference USA Tournament crown. UAB’s Jordan Walker, the most dynamic player in the league, hit an NBA distance 3-pointer about 10 seconds into the game and I thought, “Oh, boy. Is he gonna hit us with 30 tonight?”
Not exactly. Walker went stone cold while Alijah Martin and Johnell Davis ground out a big lead for FAU just before halftime. The Owls lead by 17.
Hope to have more good news at the end of the game.
Thy Knight (@ThyKnight3) says:
March 11, 2023 at 7:38 pm
Watch him retire.
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No way in hell Rodgers will retire the same year as Brady. He would lose out on all the attention.
Yep we certainly fornicated the pooch again! š
Mike, nah man, I have no doubts ya’ll have all sorts, just like anywhere else. š
I know Jersey Shore isn’t representative of all NJ. I was just playing with the stereotype. It’s the just like all CA people aren’t tree-hugging, anti-police, ecoterrorists.
My kid and I joked about it before she left, and she texted me to let me know she made it safely that far by saying there wasn’t a complimentary tanning bed in sight, lol.
I figured you didn’t, just checking. š
hey, ya never know š¤Ŗ
Well, the place is named after a cowā¦.so thereās that. š®
FAU WINS 78-56 over the favored UAB Blazers. Great to finish this post season tournament with a victory over the favored UAB squad!! Looks like FAU will be seeded 7,8, or 9 at tomorrow’s Selection Sunday program on ESPN at 6:00 PM!!
To say that I’m pumped would be an understatement!! GO-O-O OWLS!!
PS: NONE OF FAU’s starting players are seniors. And none of them (currently) are good enough to play in the NBA. So, there’s a realistic chance that the core of this 31-3 team will return next season!!
NEW BLOG UP!!!!
Aaaahhhhhhhh!!!
OMMFG!! My blood pressure is so high right now! Fight or flight nothing!! This is fight or fight!!!
Just spent 15 minutes talking to a Dolphins āfanā that is praying for Brady to come here. I am apoplectic I canāt stutter out a complete sentence!