So much has happened in the last week, my head is spinning. The day I wrote the last article the Dolphins traded for DB Jalen Ramsey. The moves kept coming in a flurry of activity. We all knew we had a lot of players to re-sign, and the Dolphins seemed to feel like they wanted to continue forward with many of the same players. Let me start with the RB depth, which we brought back intact, the entire RB roster. Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, Salvon Ahmed and then recently, Myles Gaskin. I saw an interesting tweet the other day, basically stating that the SF 49ers discarded two of their main backs, Wilson and Mostert and decided to draft Elijah Mitchell and later acquire CMC in a big trade. So the essence of the tweet was basically the Dolphins backfield is led by two castoffs from the 49ers. Well, as we’ve all learned, one mans trash is another mans treasure. Mostert and Wilson both succeeded and played well here, and Ahmed and Gaskin are decent depth players. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to draft a RB, but now it will most likely be a later RD pick, because it seems like they made it a priority to bring the entire RB room back. Some young blood is a necessity, but this can also be accomplished as UDFA’s, like half of our depth was acquired, Salvon Ahmed. We drafted Gaskin in RD 7 in ’19.
So, let’s tally up who we brought in . . .
DB Jalen Ramsey (LA Rams)
RB Jeff Wilson (MIA)
RB Raheem Mostert (MIA)
RB Salvon Ahmed (MIA)
RB Myles Gaskin (MIA)
LB David Long (TEN)
LB Duke Riley (MIA)
DB Nik Needham (MIA)
TE Eric Saubert (DEN)
QB Mike White (NYJ)
WR Braxton Berrios (NYJ)
OG Dan Feeney (NYJ)
OT Geron Christian (MIA)
S Deshon Elliot (DET)
Some notable losses are LB Elandon Roberts (PIT), one of my favorites, and one of my former favorites, TE Mike Gesicki (NE). I’m very interested to see how both of these players fare on their new teams. I think Roberts fits the Steelers defense perfectly, he’s an inside thumper, coming off his best season. Gesicki is an enigma, we know he has receiving talent, but somehow we never managed to get as much as I thought we could get from him. Gesicki’s most productive season was in ’21, where he caught 73 passes for 780 yards and just 2 TD’s. I expected him to be a high volume pass catcher with a high YPR, but that never panned out. He’s definitely a red zone threat, and the Patriots would be wise to employ him often there.
With most of free agency moves in the books, the team still has a pocket full of draft picks left for 2023. Our fist pick is #51 in RD2, followed by a 3rd RD pick acquired from NE for DeVante Parker (#84). We have #197 in RD 6 from the Bears, and then finally #238 in RD 7. Remember there is also free agency after the draft, and I suppose there may be a few veteran castoffs that might fit here. We’re definitely pushing to go deep this year, and as we all know, the health of #1, QB Tua Tagovailoa is paramount to that success. Yes, we signed Mike White, who is a nice story being from FLA and a fan of our Dolphins, but Tua is the linchpin to the season. We have to keep him upright and healthy, but most of all he has to play smart and keep himself out of harms way. If throwing the ball away saves getting hit, so be it. He can play aggressively, but he can’t allow himself to be in a position where he will absorb punishment.
Vic Fangio has put his stamp on this free agency. First, the trade to bring Jalen Ramsey here. Ramsey is truly a multi faceted DB who can range anywhere from a cover corner on the perimeter, to an in the box LB on obvious passing downs. He’s an excellent piece that Fangio will love to employ. LB David Long, who wasn’t a full time starter last season in Tennessee, is also a versatile player. He’s an excellent tackler, but can also cover very well. I think the latter is the biggest reason why we chose him over Elandon Roberts, we need a LB that can not only make most the tackles expected, but cover as well, and that unfortunately, was not Roberts strong suit. I’m thrilled that we brought back Nik Needham, he’s been a favorite of my mine because he’s such a gamer, and always stepped up when needed. Hopefully he’s fully recovered and ready to go by the time the season begins. Fangio now has a very strong defense, with two very good cover corners (I believe the acquisition of Ramsey will invigorate Howard this season), a strong defensive line with Ogbah, Wilkins and Sieler, excellent pass rush ability and run defense from two very strong OLB’s (Phillips and Chubb), and then the addition of David Long to help out the extremely underrated and underappreciated #55, Jerome Baker. He played every game the last 2 seasons, and always gets the job done, and do multiple things, run and tackle from sideline to sideline, cover, and always end up with 100 or more tackles. Seems like every year we want to upgrade, and I get it, but I like Baker, and think we should all like him more than we do.
Sorry to be redundant, but with #1 on the field healthy, we will methodically use two of the best wideouts in the NFL, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. We brought the entire RB squad back, in 8 games Jeff Wilson averaged 4.7 YPC for 392 yards. Mostert averaged 4.9 YPC in 16 games for the Dolphins for 891 yards. One element of concern is that this is clearly a RB by committee approach, and none of our backs can truly shoulder a big load, and haven’t done so in their NFL careers. We have two obvious needs on offense right now, TE, and a young RB. You can argue against the latter, but I think we need to have a guy that carry the ball 20-30 times in a game and not be on the injured list the next week. I don’t care if it’s an UDFA as I mentioned earlier, but I wouldn’t mind if we spent a pick on one either. Eric Saubert is a blocking TE, and for the most part, so is Durham Smythe. To be fair, we don’t have a real receiving TE on the roster, so we may look to draft one early on, there are a few that should be available to us at either #54, or #84.
The Jets and Green Bay Packers are still working on a deal that would bring QB Aaron Rodgers to NY. Apparently, Green Bay’s compensation for Rodgers services is the holdup. I would say it’s safe to assume that both sides will eventually get it done, but Rodgers is a loose screw that can nullify the trade at any time, but if he wants to play this season, I just can’t see him playing again in GB. If the Jets do indeed get Rodgers, then the AFC landscape changes significantly. It will be a very tough 3 way race between the defending AFC East champion Buffalo Bills, NY Jets, and our Miami Dolphins. You can make an argument for any of the 3 as to why they can win, or why they will fail. Injuries are the devil, and we know all too well that if our QB played all 17 regular season games, we had a legitimate chance to be either the #2 or #3 seed. I think our roster is better now. The Bills sustained a substantial loss in LB Tremaine Edmunds, but managed to retain S Jordan Poyer, as well as pick up OG Connor McGovern from the Cowboys. The Jets signed WR Allen Lazard, purportedly because potential QB Aaron Rodgers requested them to do so. The Jets lost a pair of DT’s though, Sheldon Rankins (HOU) and Nathan Shepherd (NO). The Jets also re-signed K Greg (The Leg) Zuerlein, one of the best in the league. If Rodgers comes to the AFC East, it will be an absolute dogfight and potentially all 3 teams could secure playoff berths. Hopefully, 2023 is the one where the Miami Dolphins are on top!
GO DOLPHINS!!!!
Finsmob Unleashed 
Do the Jets have a QB yet? LOL
from Saubert:
“When I was coming out of college, I was touted as a receiver,” he said. “I’m now being touted as only a blocker. I didn’t lose that ability to receive. I take pride in my ability to be a receiver or blocker.”
What a schmuck
https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/uber-driver-calls-for-more-warnings-from-rideshare-platform-after-near-900-scam/
March 29th, 2023: Arkansas Pro Day
MLB/ILB Drew Sanders passed on the Combine due to a hamstring injury. I see he’s run a 4.46 in the past… if he comes close to that on his Pro Day, he’s likely going in the 1st round. If he falls to the 2nd round, I’d very strongly recommend trading up for him.
David Long:
According to Pro Football Reference, opposing quarterbacks have targeted Long 135 times, and that’s resulted in just one touchdown. Over the last two seasons, he’s been targeted 94 times, and his man hasn’t scored even one time during that span.
Last year, he allowed a passer rating of 74, and the year prior it was 61. Those are incredible numbers for a linebacker.
ZONE ILB we need!
He’s very unsung. Agreed, he’s going to be very good for us.
Never mind on Drew Sanders. I just discovered his missed tackle % is a staggering 19.6%… absolutely unacceptable at the college level, and it would be even worse at the NFL level.
He’s a project with hella upside, but I’m not trading up for him now.
Same thing goes for CB Emmanuel Forbes… he weighed in at a paltry 166 pounds at the Combine, so I can’t draft him early.
As DEEP as this TE class is, I don’t really like any of them other than Michael Mayer. The college game has become so ‘spread Offense’ that most of these TE prospects are undersized, favoring speed over blocking prowess.
As we all know by now, the Shanahan/McDaniel Offense prefers a blocking TE… not an ‘H-Back’ or strict seam-threat TE.
Actually, I take that back… I like Darnell Washington. But will he fall to us @ 51?
And is he actually worth taking @ 51? He’s not a George Kittle-type, to be sure.
Most of the draft sites I see have Charbonnet still available to us at 84. I might be tempted to get that guy. I love Mostert, but he’s always seemed fragile.
And all RBs take a beating,
and with a 19-20 game schedule, like we’ll have ….
I see what you did there….
Draftek has Dawand Jones available to us at 51.
6’8 374 RT out of Ohio State,
so good competition in his history
I was just reading Kittle’s draft profile. It’s interesting his NFL comparison was Charles Clay
I didn’t realize Long was leaving the Titans acrimoniously. I guess Vrabel said Long was a repeat offender in not taking care of his body, which may be why they let him walk in FA. Long addressed those comments in his introductory presser.
https://www.si.com/nfl/titans/news/former-titan-david-long-fires-back-at-mike-vrabel
well, I hope he keeps that chip on his shoulder all season and DOES SOMETHING to address his soft tissue issues.
Another good weapon for the Jest. They have the potential to be a really good team, assuming they land Rodgers and he is all in on football.
damn I did not want them to get even more speed.
Yep, they’ve got quality weapons on offense.
He is there to replace Berrios. Similar player I don’t see them as better or worse
Well, they were worse after they lost Berrios, now they are better, lol.
Still need OL 😡
Several sites have Darnell Washington falling to the high 40s; if he slips to us, I’d be forced to grab that guy.
He’s 6’7 264, which is the blocking size that we need at that position.
He ran a 4.64, which is good enough for a guy that big, especially with 11 inch hands and 34.5 inch arms.
My fave OT is Matt Bergeron. 6’5 318 Syracuse
He could challenge to start at RT right away and possibly become the LT when Armstead is done.
Mine too!
What is flying under the radar is the fact that we’re looking to build a top defense. Bringing Fangio on board as DC, then trading for Ramsey and adding depth to an already solid core of players has been very impressive.
I don’t think this is flying under the radar. Every talking head who says we are a SB contender or that we “won” Free agency says it.
Damn… now everyone knows. LOL
I can’t imagine how or why a MLB/ILB missing 19.6% of tackles in college, and being a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd round prospect….lmao. That’s your fucking job! Oh my….
OL or TE or both (preferably) are needed….and both help the run game and protect the QB.
The Dolphins have made a statement to their AFC division and conference rivals with the D moves made from top to bottom…I love it.
Like where you’re going naples…
thnx
just beginning to peruse the prospects this year …
I don’t presume to have any special insight, but I have my prototypes.
I want to draft guys with small downside and as low a bust potential as possible.
We don’t need lots of bodies.
We need a couple of very specific position players. And a bit of depth.
Again, I’m not telling anybody anything they did not already know.
This blog is very astute, and everybody on here knows the roster.
Steve
I response to your age turned reply. I do like our RBs a lot. I don’t consider Rb a need by any stretch.
I’m talking about the kind of difference a Derrick Henry might make. We would have a 25+ carry guy on the roster and that kind of guy protects the QB. A really consistent running game is the best way to protect our QB
Lot of ways you can do it. One way is upgrading OL. A second is Skill players like TEs who block. A 3rd is a special RB. There’s only a couple of really special RBs in the nfl and a lot of them are being treated as disposable this off-season. Let’s see what happens in June on that issue
The 2nd season running this system is huge. It’s a fast tempo both mentally and physically. Lots of players are back for a second run at it.
I’ll take Washington at 51, that should help both OL and TE
I received another vinyl record by delivery today
A big change from zeppelin – I received Pavarotti at the Lincoln Center
Sounds cool on vinyl
I’m taking recommendations for my next vinyl record. I have a few deliveries expected
Makes ya miss Columbia House 😊
Pink Floyd the Wall , or considering to whom I am replying.. Animals
I actually already ordered darker side of the moon
a bit of Beatles — vintage — such as Rubber Soul with “Drive my Car” or something for fun like Sgt Peppers
and maybe the White Album (for me, this is a necessity)
Cream (with White Room) and Blind Faith
Santana … 1st 2
CSN and CSNY
your fave Moody Blues
ditto Stones x2
ditto Pink Floyd x2
Traffic Low Spark
the kick-assin’est Heart
a “Best of” Hendrix compilation
ditto the Who
just trying to stick to that rich lush vinyl room-filling sound
what speakers? Marantz? Klipsch?
or something new school like Power Audioengine or
a pair of those 140W Kantos?
Or you can get the Edifiers for $150!
I plan to get the White Album since it’s my favorite Beatles album
I’ll probably get most of those suggestions at some point
Except the Stones. I have always hated The Rolling Stones
Kansas Monolith
Brian Miller with an assist for a TE…I have no idea, but age and experience seem right…
https://phinphanatic.com/2023/03/22/irv-smith-jr-te-miami-dolphins-dont-realize-need/
Wow I had him pegged as 30+ yo
Naples, I think all we need is more competition on the OL and at TE. This roster on paper is ready to play. 🙂
By competition I presume you mean to replace Eichenberg and Jackson. TIFI
Whatever works. I have no horse in the race.
Twice on Sunday
He’s my number 1 option
We only have 3 TEs on the roster, and one of these is a WR named Tanner Connor.
With our offense, we should carry 4 TEs.
We need a big, badass, blocking TE.
Darnell Washington is the only one in this draft I want.
👍
If he’s there at 51, pull the trigger
We have blocking TEs we have no receiving TEs
We just let our receiving TE Gesicki go.
I’m not speaking of what I want,
as I’d’ve kept Gesicki.
I am trying to figure out what the FO wants,
and it was not Gesicki,
so I’m thinking they want a 6th OL type TE.
We need a zone blocking OT. One with quick feet to form a fluid pocket
and enough agility and aggression to seek and destroy LBs.
Matthew Bergeron is the highest ranking one of those I think will be there at our pick number 51.
But we can’t get both of those guys at #51.
He should be the target if that is the case
We also need another back-up Edge rusher.
This should be a big-body guy for goal line and short yardage situations
and to play true DE in some packages.
Good ones of those can be found in the 3rd round.
such as
Zach Harrison 6’6 272 Ohio State
Jalen Redmond 6’3 298 Oklahoma
and Brenton Cox 6’3 252 Florida.
When the field is compressed, speed on the edge has diminished value.
(Chubb and Phillips have their best traits reduced in value.)
And Van Ginkle and Malik are even lighter.
We need a guy who can set the EDGE and hold his ground at the point of attack when all the offense needs is a couple yards for a TD or 1st down.
Ogbah can do a lot of that with Seiler in on the line
I think we’re good on the edge. Phillips and Chubb are as big as you can ask for on the edge. They’re both athletic and fast at around 265-270 with plenty of height and length. Ogbah also adds to that at 6-4 275. Am I missing something?
No
Great list of albums Naples
Steeley Dan – Can’t buy a thrill
Genesis – Abacab
Doobie Brothers – Minute by Minute (great album and has the picture of a big roach, joint, in the inside fold.
Columbia House lol that was the greatest day of mail ever
You better send that card back or you gettin Mac Davis or Englebert Humperdink. True
It was fun to get 12 cassettes for free and then cancel
TKnight
We have a second round pick and a 3rd round pick.
We can’t just say “pass” when our turn comes.
That would be irresponsible.
We have had serious issues at OT recently,
whether because of injuries or poor play.
Drafting the RT with the most potential would be sound management.
and
What if Armstead gets hurt again?
I’m not sure what you’re saying? I think the OL has to play better too.
We don’t need receiving TEs Ken
They do us no good in this offense – that’s why we let Gesicki go
We don’t need anyone to split the seam when so many of our passing plays are timing throws in the middle of the field to WRs
We just need a TE to leak out in the flats occasional or catch some delayed stuff
If we have an elite blocking TE, our offense will be impossible to stop
Defenses that are being physical with our receivers on the LOS can’t do that when we run outside on the edges behind a good blocking TE
Those two things compliment each other and make us hard to defend
If your receivers speed is making taking the DBs deep from the moment they leave the LOS, then there might be wide open running lanes on the outside if you can seal the gap with your TE
An elite blocking TE will also help any deficiencies with a RT
That’s a bingo!!! McDaniel is all about creating space and getting the ball into the hands of guys that are lethal picking up chunk yards. A big time TE is not the key, though I’d like to see some more competition and depth.
A 6 man protection with 4 in the route – 3 WR and a RB is what we’re doing.
Yeah exactly that extra blocker is essential
I agree that we have one of the most complete rosters in the league.
Great,
but we only went 9-8 and lost in the first round.
I want a lot more success than that.
Our current post FA roster gives us the luxury of drafting the exact guy to fill the last hole or to upgrade our weakest position.
The last hole is at TE.
The weakest position is RT.
Get one at 51 and the other at 84.
But if there are only crummy choices left,
rather than just drafting a guy who is no better than what we have,
let’s see what else we need.
Injuries were our biggest problem last year you got figure next year can’t be as bad 🤞
If we stay relatively healthy we win 12-14 games and go to the AFC Championship game and let the chips fall where they may
What we don’t need to draft is a QB.
Done
We also need to carry 4 safeties.
Holland, Brandon Jones, Elliott, McKinley
Done
We need 6 CBs
X, Jalen, Nik, Kader, and then the best 2 out of Trill or Elijah or Iggy or Crossen
Done.
We don’t need any WRs as the 6 we should keep are
Hill, Waddle, Berrios, Ezukanma, Cracraft, and whichever of the others is best out of
Ced Wilson, Sanders, or Swain.
Done
Ezukanma is the wildcard. We basically red-shirted him as a rookie. It’s go time!
We have enough OGs now that Feeney is here. Hunt and Feeney should start, but Cotton and Robt. Jones are right there to compete for LG.
Done
We do need a back-up Center, but I would not waste a 2nd or 3rd on a back-up center in a year where we have so few picks anyway.
A 6th or 7th round center has like 1% of a chance of being any good to us.
Out of all those you mentioned I still think Eich will be the starter lol
He might be.
He really might.
I hope he’s not a bust.
But whether it is he or one of those above,
we still don’t need to draft an OG.
Man, if you want a 6’4″ slow plodding WR who goes down like a back alley hooker go and get one. They are cheep. If you want a tight end he needs to be a good blocker. There are already 8 WR and 3 RB who are good receivers on the team. Smythe is still our best TE.
* cheap
agree about Smythe
and that is not a good thing
I tend to like my back alley hookers upright
Interior DL I would say is done, but if a guy they love in interviews or through some back channel is there, they could surprise everyone and take another DE or NT.
I personally think Davis will break out under Fangio.
We only need 4 or 5 of those IDL. We have Wilkins, Ogbah, Sieler, and Davis.
Done*
*maybe
A big time seam busting TE as a receiver isn’t such a big need for us because of Waddle and Hill. Most teams don’t have 2 guys that can get in the middle of the field like they can especially as fast as they can. Tua hits the deeper middle in like 2 seconds with them just keep doing that.
which is why we need a blocking TE to help keep the wolves off Tua who are speed rushing off the edge, especially at RT which is Tua’s blind side.
A TE who can block an OLB decently and chip a DE on the way out to a shallow safety valve route is just what we need.
And the threat of a running game too
That will slow pass rushers down
Right but ordinarily Gesicki would be a great fit for us. Still hate that they say “oh we’re gonna mold our schemes to the players we have and win with them” but as soon as possible EVERY coach disposes of guys who are “core” because guess what – they don’t fit.
I wish Gesicki would have had the chance to go where this team should be going with this team. Oh well.
Yep! McDaniel likes to create one on one matchups and avoid gang tackling. That’s why he likes speed.
On and I’d be remiss not mentioning
Eric Clapton – Slowhand
Here’s a taste:
This song is awesome
We honor the flag and you crap on it when you don’t shoot your gun in the office. Jimmy, when was the last time you had a desk pop?
I’m a Peacock! YOU HAVE TO LET ME FLY!
RB is a little like I-DL for us.
We should carry 4 RBs, and we do have 4,
but if they can draft an instant offense guy
or a bigger body guy
like Charbonnet or DeWayne McBride
who can beat out Gaskin, then they should.
And I love Myles Gaskin, but he doesn’t scare any DCs.
And RB is a common spot for injuries.
Done
(but upgradeable)
A good TE is knocking the shit out of a safety 5 yards down field to spring the RB for 10 more yards.
yehhh
I love that
They sometimes don’t even have to knock the safety in this offense bc that safety is too far downfield so that speedy WRs don’t break one
Holy Pork Rinds
What a great deal!
What could go wrong?
We will ship you five more every month until you cancel. Cancel at any time just call 1-800-YOU FUCKed
LOL
An you’ll be charged full price for the stuff we would never be able to sell another you expressly reject them
Negative option billing – the most unethical business practice ever
I still have a UFO cassette tape because of those fuckers.
Lol
That brings us to LB.
Depending on ST usage, teams usually carry 8 or 9 LBs.
4 OLB and 4 ILB
Sometimes teams carry 3 QBs and only 8 LBs.
We might be one of those.
We have improved ourselves at ILB
IMHO with Long over Roberts,
but you might disagree.
I have to think Fangio has earned the right to get the MLB he wants.
And we have Riley and Tindall to back up Baker and Long.
Unless they think Tindall sucks.
I don’t so, and I think they give him another year anyway,
especially with the upgrade at DC.
At OLB we have Chubb and Phillips backed up by Reed and van Ginkel.
Plus there’s Goode, who might only be PS level again.
So
LB
done
Unfortunately for us, our 2 most problematic position groups are inter-related:
OT and TE
I refuse to call Tua injury prone, but even I must admit that we need to max protect the guy at least until we see how the jiu jitsu worked out.
Thus the glaring need to draft OT and TE who can bodyguard Tua.
We need to carry 4 TEs and have only 3 on the roster
and one of those is a (barely) converted WR.
So there is a hole that we must fill with a FA (but we have no money)
or through the draft.
Unless we can trade Ced Wilson for a blocking TE,
which would work really well for me.
or a bust in NY if you want to tell the truth
But with Columbia House when you signed yourself up as your friend , you got another 4 free .. I always had 2-4 memberships running concurrently, thus the over 600 albums and 300 CDs I still own 😊
I loved those mail days .. and yes after a few years i did end up with some WTF albums as I had a hard time finding 17 I wanted and did not own …
Lol, you’re a pro
Once you have so many albums it’s hard to pick 13 out of what they offered
Naples, as far as a backup center, it was said Feeney has been practicing there the last 2 years as a backup position.
yes I heard that,
which is why I say we do not need to draft either a center or OG.
There are tons of TE’s out there looking for work who have experience and can play meaningful snaps. That’s the easy part. You want to run the ball forget TE put an extra Tackle on the field or use more of Wilkins in the backfield. We have Waddle and Hill everything is different now!!!!!!
We only have 3 TEs,
but we have 47 tackles on the roster.
And you know what Parcells always said,
if you have 47 tackles, you don’t have 2.
Jackson is getting another shot y’all can replace him all you want
Here’s our starting 5 write it down:
Armstead, Eichenberg, Williams, Hunt, Jackson
Maybe Feeny is our new multitool O-lineman?
We ALSO have 2 FB, which usually reduces the amount of TE’s a team carries
By Sheila! By Terry! Shut up Allen, go inside, By Sheila!
The Other Guys is one of my favorite movies ever.
I’m telling you….You were a pimp.
NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! are you even listening to the story?
LMAO!
Piggs,
Rush – Moving Pictures
You’re welcome
And if you want pure classics then you need
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
🤷♂️
Someone post make me stop
Shit
Abba greatest hits … be sure to get the all pink cover , not the black and gold version🤡
son of a son of a shula says:
March 22, 2023 at 6:51 pm
Jackson is getting another shot y’all can replace him all you want
Here’s our starting 5 write it down:
Armstead, Eichenberg, Williams, Hunt, Jackson
———————-
Armstead, Feeney, Williams, Hunt, Jackson
Never discount the mullet!
If that is our starting 5 that is a major fail by Grier
Sons starting 5. Kong’s starting 5 is a minor fail
It could very well be. Freeney is a good pickup for us.
2nd rounder needs to get a fire in his ass. I like Eich!
Phantom of the Paradise soundtrack
No Beatles. They suck.
Blasphemy!!!