A lot is going to have to go right, there are an awful lot of “ifs” involved here, but if things work out as we all hope they do, the defensive front might just be the best and most impactful unit on this team. Our first RD pick, DT Kenneth Grant will probably be starting at the LDE spot as a bookend to veteran RDE Zach Sieler. In the middle will be veteran NT Benito Jones, but there will be many different looks to the D-line, this will likely just be the base 3-4 formation. I would expect 5th RD pick DT Jordan Phillips to see a bunch of playing time and 7th RD pick DT Zeek Biggers to also be in the mix. DT’s Matthew Butler, Ben Stille, Matt Dickerson will also get chances as depth guys at the end spots, providing they make the 53 man roster. We will have a pretty young defensive line, with the exception of Sieler and Jones. We added a a few young big bodies to help fortify the D-line, but these guys have to show up and play, and the philosophy of not playing rookies will have to go out the window out of necessity here, as well as other places too, like the secondary. Grant, Phillips and at least one or two others will be counted on to make an impact this season.
This defensive line will have some size, but size alone doesn’t make a solid D-line. DC Anthony Weaver will have his guys working, and if he can get these young players to bite early, the size will matter. Last year we had veteran Calais Campbell at LDE and he is a huge man. Campbell is 6’8 308. We’re switching Campbell out for a much squatter but heavier defensive end in rookie 1st pick Kenneth Grant, who is 6’3 339. Sieler is 6’6 300, and NT Benito Jones is a stout 6’1 335. When we swap in some of the young guys, they’re also stout like DT Jordan Phillips 6’3 320 and Zeek Biggers 6’6 320. DE Matt Dickerson is on the light side at 6’6 298 and Matthew Butler is too at 6’3 290. but these guys will be on the end, not in the middle. Much like the situation in the secondary, we have almost no choice but to run with young players and hope they bite early.
Now on to the linebacker unit which could potentially be the best in some time. “Could be”, because we have one young player coming off a nice rookie year in 2024 1st RD pick OLB Chop Robinson. We can’t have a sophomore slump from Chop, we need him to be better than last season. We have 2 players returning from injury, OLB Bradley Chubb and returning from two consecutive season ending injuries, OLB Jaelan Phillips. It’s impossible not to admire Phillips who has great resolve and determination to come back from back to back devastating injuries, a torn achilles and then a torn ACL. He’s a warrior, and I think we all hope he can have an amazing successful season and stay healthy for a change. The football gods have been taking from Phillips, it sure would be nice for them to give for a change. If all these players, Chop Robinson, Bradley Chubb, and Jaelan Phillips play up to the best they can be, this can be one scary pass rush defense and maybe even one of the NFL’s best units.
The inside backers don’t wow you, but we have some excellent depth there, and the former Seattle Seahawks duo of Tyrel Dodson and Jordyn Brooks is a good one. Behind them we have Willie Gay and K.J. Britt. Definitely solid there, and all Tyrel Dodson did last year was make plays. Dodson had 3 INT’s last season, along with 7 passes defensed in just 8 games, and he started only 3. He was around the football, and that’s a good thing. to get back to the outside LB depth, it’s a little shaky. Mo Kamara didn’t really give any indication he’s a player, and Quinton Bell has been given opportunities but also hasn’t really shown progress. Add Grayson Murphy and Cam Goode to the unproven list. ILB Jordyn Brooks had 143 total tackles last season, 3 sacks, 6 passes defensed and 2 fumble recoveries. I like the middle guys, and once again feel very comfortable with the depth we have there.
So we know we have “ifs”, every team does, but sometimes special things happen and sometimes “if’s” actually do happen too. I’d love to see Jaelan Phillps and Bradley Chubb at the top of their game and able to stay healthy the whole season, along with some progress from our young OLB Chop Robinson, as well as a surprise player from the remaining depth guys that just shows up and takes off. If Kenneth Grant makes it look like we stole him at #13, and that we got an absolutely ridiculous steal with 5th RD pick DT Jordan Phillips, that would be great too. We need solid play all around, it can’t just be the D-line or LB’s, we need the entire front 7 to wreak havoc! To me, this is the easiest unit to root for and Ihope they reward us this season with something special!
GO DOLPHINS!!!
Finsmob Unleashed 
Thanks, MikeE. I think there’s a lot to feel good about our DL, but the “ifs” are definitely there. The reality is this team is rebuilding, so I’m okay with some ifs. I want to hear about the battles our OL and DL go through this PS. If I’m coaching one of those units I’m, I’m pushing them hard to practice as physical as possible. I know the players union has done everything they can to get the physicality out of practices, so we’ll see how it all works out.
Thanks MikeE! I am cautiously excited about our front 7. No injury bugs and we may have something special. We should have enough veterans out there that the rookies will be fine. I can see many passing downs, especially 3rd and long, where they go with just 2 DL and have Chop, Chubb and Phillips out there at the same time. Both Chop and Phillips also have the ability to drop in coverage.
I think this front 7 will could make our secondary better than it is. Ashton Davis in his limited playing time has proven to be a ballhawk.
BBM,
I think we’ll also have some flexibility in how we align our DL and who plays where. We have some interchangeable pieces that might cause some issues for opponents
I agree
Thanks Randy, BBM! Do either of you think we’ll see Chubb play like a good player in his prime at any point during the season? Do you think he can shake off the rust of not playing since December of ’23? Do you think we see an even better Chop Robinson? Do you think Phillips will have lost a few steps due to the multitude of injuries he’s dealt with?
Yes, Yes, Yes, No
We will have a good rotation with those 3 plus who ever else rises up during TC and PS. IMO, Bell has always been solid, mainly/especially vs the run. Excited to see if Grayson Murphy keeps stepping up.
Thank you, Mike E.
I agree with you about our D7 if they can stay healthy, the young pups bite, and we can rotate players to keep everyone fresh. It could be special.
I read a nice article in USA Today about the GM for the Eagles, I believe his name is Roseman. It was interesting that Roseman (sp?) believes in the old school idea of building a championship team from the trenches up, on both sides of the ball.
The article cited some high praise from Andy Reid about Roseman, as well. Two championship leaders in there respective roles.
I don’t think we have a GM that knows what it takes to build a championship team as he barely seems to understand some basic fundamental principles of football.
MikeE,
All good questions. I’m in no big rush to keep Chubb. Big year for him, but if you look at his production, it was 12 sacks in his first year and 11 last year…about 2/3 of his sack production. Other than that it was a lot of missed games and average production. Even if he has a good year, I’m not sure I’d keep him. History shows he’s very unreliable.
Chop just needs to keep getting better. We’ll see if he can adjust his game now that the league has a book on him. He had an ok rookie season but has a long ways to go.
Phillips? He’s just frustrating. His injury concerns are something I talked about when we drafted him. This is a major issue with this guy going back years. He just needs to show he can play 17 games and produce. I think he can be a good player if he can stay on the field. I’m not sure he’s more than that, but it’s time for him to prove it.
And I know nothing about the money concerns. Don’t care. Lol
I wasn’t really implying that we should keep Chubb, just asking if you if you thought he could have a good season after missing so much time. Phillips cannot be counted on, and I’m not, but if he could stay healthy, I was asking if you think he’ll even resemble the same explosive player after all those injuries
Is it being injury prone to have a Jordan Poyer blind side him in the knee?
Also, Phillips is not the only player to blow his Achilles on that crap field at Met Life. It’s actually criminal. Aaron Rogers, Jaelan Phillips, Sterling Shepard, Blake Martinez, Al Woods, Levine Toilolo and Jonotthan Harrison have ALL ruptured their achilles on that POS field since 2021.
Dolphins Defensive Front 7 Could Be Best Unit
OR it could be just mediocre with 3 rookies and two guys coming off devastating injuries….
Ok, enough with the knee jerk response, I’m going back to read the post.
Here is a list of ACL and Achilles injuries on that POS field
2023 – Aaron Rodgers (NYJ) (Achilles tear)
2022 – Kyle Fuller (BAL) (ACL tear)
2022 – Darrian Beavers (NYG) (ACL tear)
2022 – Marcus McKethan (NYG) (ACL tear)
2022 – Sterling Shepard (NYG) (ACL tear)
2022 – Wan’Dale Robinson (NYG) (ACL tear)
2022 – Aaron Robinson (NYG) (ACL tear)
2021 – Blake Martinez (NYG) (ACL tear)
2021 – Jabril Peppers (NYG) (ACL tear)
2021 – Levine Toilolo (NYG) (Achilles tear)
2021 – Shane Lemieux (NYG) (partal patellar tendon tear)
2021 – Rodarius Williams (NYG) (ACL tear)
2021 – T.J. Brunson (NYG) (ACL tear)
2021 – Jonnotthan Harrison (NYG) (Achilles injury)
2021 – Matt Peart (NYG) (ACL tear)
2020 – Nick Bosa (SF) (ACL tear)
2020 – Solomon Thomas (SF) (ACL tear)
Rock – Injury prone or unlucky or both, it’s amazing how many injuries have found Jaelan Phillips, and I have nothing against him, I truly admire the kid, big time!
Jaelan Phillips has experienced a significant number of injuries throughout his career, both in college and the NFL, impacting his playing time. In college, he dealt with multiple concussions, ankle sprains, and a severe wrist injury from a moped accident. These injuries led to his initial medical retirement from football before he transferred to Miami and eventually became a first-round pick. In the NFL, he has suffered a torn Achilles in 2023 and a torn ACL in 2024, both resulting in season-ending injuries
MikeE,
I was just giving my opinions on those guys. No worries. I highly doubt Grier will make the same choices I’d make. Lol
Rock,
All of that may be true, but what does it have to do with Phillips? Yeahbuts don’t change the situation. MikeE asked for my opinion, and I gave it to him. It doesn’t mean I’m right. Like I said, I like the potential of our DL….not necessarily this season….but there’s also a whole lot of questions to be answered by playing the games.
and while I do think some guys just get injured more than others, I never actually said “injury prone”. 🙂
I see potential on this team in all phases but some young players really need to step up and we need to see some more durability.
Tim,
Isn’t it nuts how long we’ve been talking about the need for our young players to develop? It’s gotta be at least 25 years. Crazy.
We have gotten production from young players in many ways but not enough.
Rock – So how would you classify Jaelan Phillips and his injuries? If he’s not injury prone, or unlucky, what’s the deal?
Mike E,
Good write! Like you, I have very high hopes for our DF7, provided they stay healthy… of course and as always. They should make life much easier for our Secondary, though I still want to see a proven vet CB signed, JMO.
I’ll chime in on your 12:45 PM post from above…
— I think Chubb is going to be just fine, though it might take him a few games to get his groove back being it’s been over a year since he faced live bullets. If Chop gets doubled, life is going to be that much easier for both Chubb or Jaelan playing opposite Chop. There’s an obvious hunger seen in Chubb regarding his recent interviews and he should be about 100% ready to go.
— I think Chop is just scratching the surface of his potential, which is what he was drafted for… his elite potential. His production at PSU wasn’t sensational but rare traits showed. Did you know the most sacks Chop had in a season at PSU was 5.5 in ’22? Last season as an NFL rook he had 6, and he finally came on LATE in the season for us! He’s only going to better and better with time as he learns new moves and more tricks of the trade.
— I think Jaelan is such a mixed bag. Wasn’t happy we drafted him knowing his massive injury history in college, but he’s since become a favorite of mine due to his heart, soul, and dedication… can’t help but root for the kid (same way I feel about Tua!)!!! IF Jaelan can stay healthy for all 17 games, he’s going to become VERY good. Personally, I’d be more concerned about the rust on Jaelan more so than Chubb due to the collective of injuries/rust Jaelan has sustained over many years, but that’s just me. Poor Jaelan’s body has never endured a full season in his career, dating back to college. I’M ROOTING FOR JAELAN!!!
Also…
Just saw that the most sacks Jaelan had in a single season in college was 8. He had 8.5 sacks in his rookie season with us. He’s ELITE, if only he can stay HEALTHY.
I really like Jaelan. It takes a ton of intestinal fortitude to keep coming back from these devastating injuries that require months of rehab. It must be soul crushing to rehab so hard to get yourself back to tip top shape for nearly a year only to get hurt again and face a different rehab although another grueling one again for many months. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to trust these body parts that have let you down and then try to preserve every other body part that’s healthy. It’s very impressive to me. Think of Frank Gore who had back to back ACL tears and then went on to have a HOF 14 year career.. Just amazing. I hope Jaelan is finally past his injuries and can have a great career from here on in
AMEN!
Again, I hope the same for Tua!
Mo Kamara was a project, hence him dropping to the 5th round in the ’24 Draft. Give him some time… I don’t think he’s going to disappoint in the long run.
I sincerely can’t think of a professional sports franchise that’s been so mired with so many critical injuries over the last couple of decades as much as our Dolphins of Miami.
Is it the water down there or what?
Is it the ‘Joe Robbie Curse’ after building on sacred (American) Indian burial grounds?
Is it the heat & humidity (I assure you, it’s NOT that!)?
M – part of it is drafting players with injury histories, and lengthy ones too. Phillips and Tua are perfect examples
This is true, and it goes back for over two decades. In other words, it’s not just Chris Grier in recent years. It goes back to HWH’s latter tenure as owner.
I’d imagine its more common than you’d think
Jimmy used to say drafting is a gamble, this player has no warts, but his talent level isn’t as high, while the next guy has the talent, but has had injuries
M13,
I hear the same thing about injuries from Vikings fans. I think injuries are a problem for a lot of teams. It’s an easy excuse. Plus, as MikeE said, we seem to be willing to draft or sign players with health issues. That may contribute as well.
There’s only one commonality I can think of between the Vikes and Phins over the last 2 decades: Rick Spielman.
M13,
I Wasn’t really singling out the Vikings. Just that being in Minnesota I hear a lot of fans talk about their team. Like I said, I bet lots of teams’ fans butch about injuries every year. Depth!
Good morning from Wyoming, Wyoming 😜
BBM,
Who is this kid whose videos you always put up? Is he a Dolphins fan?
Look at it from Tua’s perspective, he knows his durability will always be questioned until he can stay on the field. Last year we were 6-5 with Tua, 19TD 7INT and 2-4 with every other QB 3TD 3INT. The drop in overall QB production dropped dramatically.
hey Oinkeroos
just catching up
great write up Mike E
honestly I think the potential of out pass rush is a little slept on
IF Phillips, Chubb and Porkchop are healthy, I think it’s elite territory
I’m excited to see how the DL shapes up
I really think Jordan Phillips can push to start and if that happens and we are running with a 3 man line of Selier/Grant and Phillips – look out
that said, the secondary looks 🤢
but I’m still rooting for some long shots in our secondary
….maybe Jaelen Ramsey stays 🙏
or maybe our young guys really step up
I recognize both are long shots but I prettier to look forward to the season than stick my head in a paper bag in July
@DavidFurones_
Great rundown of how much of an impact player Cam Wake was with the Dolphins.
From
NFL
Video: https://x.com/DavidFurones_/status/1939087660695380048
Tim – of course the QB production fell off a cliff.
#1 – They made a mistake with Skylar or they didn’t prepare him properly.
#2 – We were signing QB’s off other teams practice squads and playing them a week later. I mean what can you expect given those circumstances? They do that this year with Wilson and/or Ewers it’s time for Mike McDaniel to lose his head
I forgot how I felt about Skyler last season
he was completely unprepared
major oversight by the coaching staff and the FO
RIP, Dave “The Cobra” Parker. Thankfully, he knew he was going to Cooperstown before he passed away.
Yeah hope so too
Oh, he did know. That’s great
Funny how David Furones puts out a Cam Wake video 6 days after Ryder done the same.
Randy, The video’s are from Ryder McConville who is a diehard Dolphins fan. He played OL/DL in high school and some college, I believe. He’s always been into the finer technical stuff in football. Most all his video’s are on Dolphins players, then end of the year it’s draft prospects and maybe some FA’s he would like the Dolphins to sign.
BBM,
Furones put that Cam Wake mashup from the NFL, which just posted it recently… I don’t believe Ryder having posted his mashup 6 days prior had anything to do with the another.
In short, I wonder what’s up? These posts aren’t coincidental. Could it be that there’s an active convo going on behind the scenes regarding Wake being elected to the HOF? Or perhaps it’s simpler than that… perhaps about Wake being elected to our Ring of Honor?
I honestly don’t know, perhaps we all missed something? I’m curious now, Bro!
Yeah, that’s what I was getting at. Not something to do with the other but I guess I made it sound that way.
Just did *some* research on the matter… I can’t find anything. Lots of buzz around Cam Wake of late, but nothing of significance to attribute it to.
Strange.
Mike, just pointing out that we won’t win many games without Tua. Not saying we get to the promise land with him, but he’s the best chance we have to compete.
That’s probably true, but they can/should do a better preparing both Zach Wilson and Quinn Ewers so we can at least compete and not be a complete joke on offense
just dumb down the O to suit Wilson or Ewers, if they can’t handle the Tua O
In the 70s we went to my aunts house in Pittsburgh for Easter week, which coincided with Pirates home opener, except it snowed that day and game postponed
the next day i got to see Dave for the first time, a double machine, 3 I believe
was easy to see a star in the making
Skylar had some talent and looked the part at times, he was just too erratic with his throws
my starting outside corners, Johnson and Bonner
they both have speed and size, and have looked good in camps, just have to put them in
growing pains for sure, once they get settled they’ll be worth the wait
another option I like is Kohou outside with either Johnson or Bonner and Burns in slot
that would give more of a vet presence, not sure its needed, but if things go south quick its an option to settle things down
I expect the FAs to start at S, with the 2 young guys mixed in to see what they can do
What I didn’t understand was having backup QBs who really are nothing like Tua. This offense was designed for what Tua does. Then, when the backups came in, MM just tried to shove a square peg in a round hole. Why have backups that are different types of players if you aren’t gonna adjust your game plan when they come in? Either start with similar QBs who can run your offense or change what you’re doing. We did neither.
none of us understand that and have mentioned here, Wilson is a head scratcher going forward
MM is either stubborn to no end or he thinks he’s smarter/better than everyone else and can actually put a square peg in a round hole
That’s perplexing. MM says that the O has to be functioning on all cylinders like a well oiled machine to be effective. Then go out and get a QB/part that doesn’t go to that engine.
If our CB’s step up this year and we find at least 1 quality starter, I would be hard pressed to go after Clemson QB Cade Klubnic in the first round next year. He has good accuracy when rifling the ball and is an underrated runner. Dude has good abilities to escape and underestimated speed. My only knock may be his deep ball accuracy in that he under throws it a bit.
Clemson looks real solid on both sides of the ball this year. They have top 5 talent.
It seems to me we might be looking to run the ball more and use the backs out of the backfield to chip away and set up big plays in the passing game.
i don’t want to read it…fuck
i hate these misleading headlines! Sorry!
I read this one too. WTF! Why do they do that?
Anyone here use Phins.com? Seems like the website is down
Since early this morning…
A child killer is the worst, but someone who intentionally kills firefighters is right there with them.
^^^
Idaho situation… VERY SAD. 😦
In reply to CavKong
Where I’m at in PA, it’s all volunteer firefighters. I know many of them on a first-name basis and they are the salt of the Earth. If ANYBODY shot at a firefighter here, there would be HELL to pay… not just from me, but from the entire community.
Prayers up for the Idaho firefighters, first-responders, local police, and the state police. This type of shit is absolutely nauseating to me. 😡
ESPN
Breaking: The Dolphins have agreed to trade three-time All-Pro CB Jalen Ramsey to the Steelers, sources told
. Get breaking news alerts from Adam Schefter through the ESPN app: http://spr.ly/60124cBNq
Un-moderate me
Oh this aught to get the juices flowing
Ian Rapoport
In this blockbuster trade, there is a reunion: Minkah Fitzpatrick is headed to Miami, sources tell me and
. Jalen to PIT. Minkah to MIA.
Marcel Louis-Jacques
@Marcel_LJ
·
1m
The full trade, per source:
Dolphins trade CB Jalen Ramsey, TE Jonnu Smith and a 2027 7th round pick to Pittsburgh for S Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 5th round pick
I’m glad to see Ramsey go, you don’t want to be here, I don’t want you here. As far as it goes, I feel the same way about Tyreek. Hate to see Jonnu gone. He was one of the few bright spots we had last year. 🫤
WOW!!
Wow. Anyone still have a Minkah Fitzpatrick jersey?
It doesn’t seem like we got much out of this deal…I’m no expert like some of you but seems they got way more out of this trade than we did.
If Minkah plays the way he has moving forward, he will be a Hall of Famer. We desperately needed safety help, and we got one of the best in the NFL. Smith wanted a new contract. The Dolphins were not comfortable paying him after only one good season. Ramsey obviously didn’t want to be here. I think it worked out for both teams and we got an amazing safety.
WOAH!!!
I… I don’t know what to think about this. Still trying to process!
Minkah’s cap hit looks to be 15.5m this year and 17.6m next year. All base salary with no bonuses so Dolphins are on the hook for all of it.
Did they take all of Ramsey salary?
Looks like it but still checking.
With the Ramsey and Jannu dead money, after the smoke clears, our cap will be around 7.5m. The trade cut into about 6.5m of our available cap.
I just read that we have have $13.7 million in cap space now, with $34 million in dead money.
Spotrac shows $7,492,274 but they do say they are still estimating.
It looks like Jannu Smitth is getting an extension from the Steelers at 1yr 12m.
I can see why we were not able to get a deal done with him.
Brian, the Steelers did take on Ramsey’s contract as it seems now. However, thanks to Grier, we still have a bunch of dead money from guarantees and/or bonuses paid in advance (Signing and Restructure).
Dead money on Ramsey looks to be 10.7m in 2025 and 18.4m in 2026.
yeah, I replied to you above
These moves didn’t really hurt financially this year but now looks to have us starting out at -12.8m in cap next year.
Sorry to see Jonnu go but Fitzpatrick is really good and what we need at Safety
^ I’m good with it.
It looks like we got Minkah for Ramsey in a straight up trade and Jannu + 2027 7th for a 2027 5th.
Jannu’s dead money in 2026 looks to be 1.65m which would be the rest of his signing bonus that was spread out over some void years.
It does look like there was some funny stuff done with Ramsey’s contract because the dead cap hit should not have been that high over this year and next year.
This shit is confusing. LOL
Ramsey will get a $1.5 million raise this season, bringing his 2025 compensation up to $26.6 million, sources told Schefter. Smith will receive a one-year contract extension worth $12 million, agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey told Schefter.
Our TE room is not Jullian Hill, Pharoh Brown, Tanner Conner, Hayden Rucci and Jalin Conyers.
I’m not as concerned about that as some. Smith benefitted from the 2 high looks we were getting. We now have NWI who was killing it in the RZ during OTA’s and I expect to see a lot of RB’s used in the pass game.
If Jannu had stayed (I said weeks ago), his numbers were going to be no where near what they were last year.
TE room is now…
Steelers going the way of Rodgers and Ramsey. I wonder how that is going to work out for them.
😂
Raheem Mostert
Hot take: Be a Pro-bowler on the Dolphins, get treated like sh*t. Happy for my guys though! GO BALL OUT!!
Hot take for Mostert: Have a mediocre career, go to Miami where they turn you into the main guy and you have the best years of your life and get paid, then you shit on them for business decisions with disgruntled employees. Happy for my team though!! GO BALL OUT!!
^
yea he was pretty average after that first year
Wow, ok, so we get Minkah back, and he’s a heck of a player. That instantly makes our safety room look a lot better and mitigates the loss of Ramsey in the secondary.
We lose Smith, but honestly I’m ok with it. We’re in a transition year and would lose him next year anyway if he continued to ball out, or we pay him and he comes back down to earth and isn’t worth it.
Plus, we’re allegedly looking to run the ball a lot more, so maybe there are less targets to go around and more run sets, so Smith’s numbers maybe would have dropped off anyway.
Additionally, we needed to start changing this philosophy of pay ’em more money every time they have a decent season. It seems like it started with Howard and it just kept going. Play a little more hardball with these guys and tell them we’re not continually effing reworking your contract after one dang year.
https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/dolphins_interested_in_trading_for_another_tight_end/s1_17039_42395405
According to Tom Pelissero, the Dolphins are currently engaged in talks with other teams about trying to get a tight end after dealing away veteran Jonnu Smith to the Steelers.
From their list, Michael Mayer seems most affordable with 2 years left on his rookie deal.
Mayer would be a great fit for us
I still think we should sign free agent TE Gerald Everett.
Annies thoughts on the trade
https://x.com/AnnieAgar/status/1939734982454391117
Adam Schefter
Steelers are taking on the bulk of their new CB Jalen Ramsey’s $26.6 million contract, per sources. Dolphins responsible for a smaller portion.
What happened to my post?
Ryder says he is working on a Minkah video. Also a video on 11 personnel since Jannu is gone and how it will work better with NWI and Malik Washington.
Wow!!! Didn’t see that coming.
Wow, some whacky shit goin’ down. So we traded a guy who doesn’t want to be here for anudder guy who used to not want to be here. We also traded a guy who DOES want to be here but traded him instead of paying him.
I think the issue with Minkah was because of Flores.
^
I think I like the trade. I think. LOL
So long as we don’t have to deal with 2-deep Safeties all day, we should be good. But dammit I’m going to miss having Jonnu as a weapon as a YAC specialist and all-around good guy.
I’m good with Minkah for Ramsey, being Ramsey didn’t want to be here any longer. Minkah is a STUD! Flores is gone so the problem is gone regarding Minkah… Tim is correct above.
I’d trade a 5th rounder for Michael Mayer and our TE room should be good.
Make it a conditional 4th rounder if Mayer can meet some goals for us.
That’s EXACTLY what Ryder said. A 5th or maybe a conditional 4th at best.
Group question . . .
Can I still call him Minkah FitzFuckFace?
Yes, until he starts making plays for us. lol
I encourage it but as a term of endearment
lol, I second this
I believe Minkah’s beef with Flores was about Flores mostly playing him in Nickel.
Hopefully he has another 2 good years in him. He has dropped off a bit the last 2 years in INT/PD production but I think that was more a move from FS to SS.
I can see a lot more 3 safety looks with Davis being a nickel safety.
I think he will be a good vet presence for a young secondary.
Now Spotrac is showing our 2025 cap at $4,492,274 and Ramsey’s 2025 dead cap at 13.7m instead of the 10.7m they showed earlier.
What’s Anthony Fasano up to these days?
Flores wanted to use Minkah as a Swiss Army knife and he wanted to settle in as corner or safety and train for such; lighter for corner and bigger for safety. It also had contract ramifications down the road. What would the market be for a Swiss Army knife, there isn’t one.
^
bailbondmike
says:
June 30, 2025 at 2:59 pm
That’s EXACTLY what Ryder said. A 5th or maybe a conditional 4th at best.
———-
NICE! I respect Ryder’s football chops!
I STILL wish we would land a starting caliber CB before the season begins, even though $$$ is getting tight. Oh, and a starting/backup Guard for when we lose 4 Guards by game 10 of the season.
Obviously, that cannot happen now as we have roughly $4.5M left to spend. Get Michael Mayor in the fold and call it a starting roster.
*Mayer
Mayer will cost us $2.5M.
It’s a shame we couldn’t come away with TE Darnell Washington in today’s trade. He’d only cost us roughly $1.2M and he’s one of the premier blocking TEs in the league… which is exactly why the Stealers* wouldn’t part ways with him.
Looking at PFF grades, Michael Mayer would be a huge upgrade from Durham Smythe, based on last year’s grades alone. Mayer is a top-15 blocking TE in the league, he doesn’t suck at catching the ball, and remember he played second fiddle to rookie phenom Brock Bowers.
Get it done, Miami. Bring Michael Mayer to the Phins.
I’m going to miss Durham Smythe. He was very good for us in his role, but he really fell off a cliff last season. He was unsung and extremely effective for several years. Time to find his replacement now: Michael Mayer.
Such a weird trade.
I hope they made sure Minkah wants to be in Miami
I kind of think we got the best of it but if Minkah doesn’t want to be hear (again) it’s a problem
some one roaming the field like Minkah does might be really good if our pass rush is healthy and as good as it looks on paper
M13
I don’t see us adding a CB right now
I think all of our energy will go into getting a TE
Concurred. Our salary cap situation limits us, but not from acquiring Michael Mayer.
Acquiring TE Michael Mayer would be a WIN for us, IMO.
Mayer is my top choice too
but I’ve read that they are looking into Kyle Pitts too. Would be interesting
remember, the Dolphins signed Pharoah Brown to replace Durham Smythe
Kyle Pitts is on his 5th year option and would cost 10.8m fully guaranteed. They say he has never been the same after his MCL tear. He also has a recurring pedal foot issue that keeps resurfacing, most recently 2025 that caused him to miss all the OTA’s this year.
Expensive with current injury history. He will probably be the guy they get…
I want NOTHING to do with Kyle Pitts. Maybe next year as an UFA where we can sign him for what we like, but not on his 5th year option and that fugly injury history of his.
HARD PASS!
Same
He’s not a beast after the catch either. Of his 197 touches in 4 years, he has only broken 7 tackles. Not a RZ threat as he has only scored 10 TD’s in 61 games played.
Star for star in defensive backfield and geeting rid of cancer.
Keep throwing out the trash…lol
^getting
I wonder what we could get for TH?
Folks keep saying we’re planning to run more. Why is that?
Our offense was much better in 2023 when we ran the ball effectively. We didn’t run last year and our offense was worse. Our plan will be to run the ball more this year. It isn’t rocket science.
Now, will our pass happy, run guru head coach stick with the run is an entirely different question.
Will the O-line be good enough to actually become an effective rushing offense? Maybe Pharoah Brown will be getting lots of reps because he’s a physical blocker at TE
That is just another in a long line of questions this team will have to answer, Mike. Answer them all and who knows? Maybe we compete for a WC spot, lol.
Krishna – actually it’s trading one cancer for another. Minkah wanted out here too, what if he doesn’t want to be here for a different reason? What if he doesn’t like Mike McDaniel either?
I would love to hear Minkah FitzFuckFace’s take on the trade. Is he angry Pittsburgh gave up on him? Is he mad he’s coming back to Miami, where he previously stirred up shit until they traded him away?
Kong,
I’ve seen several people say we’re going to run more. I thought maybe somebody from the team has said something.
Oh, I gotcha, I thought your question was more of a read between the lines thing (i.e. why would we believe we’re going to run more since our HC won’t stick with it, or something to that effect.)
Speaking for myself, earlier, I mentioned us running more because we’d have to be idiots not to focus on running more, not because I’ve seen the team explicitly state it.
Well that is definitely some news …. Thanks for assisting to bankrupt the team and not much more Mr Ramsay .. as for Minkah 🤷♂️ hopefully he has grown up
Steelers have definitely not been doing business as usual. They traded for DK Metcalf. They signed Aaron Rodgers. They traded for a TE and a CB/S, giving up a S in their own right.
As an organization, The Steelers are light-years ahead of the Dolphins, they’re perennial contenders and have stability, same coach for over 15 years while we’ve had probably 5 different Head Coaches and have yo-yo’d up and down and haven’t won a playoff game in 25 years.
All that being said, my money is still on the Steelers for making the right move here and winning this trade. Minkah’s probably on his way down, and Ramsey will probably be an All Pro this season as well as Jonnu having a great season for the Steelers.
I don’t trust MFFF for shit. I wrote him off as a loss 6 years ago and have have hated him since. I guess he can win me back, but I really want to hear where his head is at, how he handles this and what type of role he takes with the team. I’ll try and be patient, but can the Dolphins fucking ever do anything right?
Stay tuned!
He’s probably just going to play a year in Miami before leaving in free agency
Could be worse!
———————————
Adam Schefter
Happy Bobby Bonilla Day: Bonilla is set to collect another $1.193 million from the NY Mets today, as he will each July 1st through the year 2035.
While that was a monumental fuck-up by the Mets, there is no salary cap in MLB so it’s just money
Do you guys feel like this trade (from Minkah’s perspective) was a big slap in the face? Why would the Steelers be willing to part ways with him for an older player in Jalen Ramsey and a TE who had a great season last year, but not much beyond that?
Not sure how he feels and probably never will know. It’s not like any player says how they really feel in a presser. Most times they just say what they are supposed to say.
If he is not happy about it, I hope it lights a fire.
https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/1940068218569466071
Trade: Dolphins are trading a conditional 2026 sixth to the New York Giants for a 2027 seventh-round pick and Darren Waller. Waller is coming out of retirement after agreeing to a one-year deal with the Dolphins worth up to $5 million, per Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey.
from Si Clancy
This is a Frank Smith trade. They were very close when Smith coached Waller in Vegas. Wouldn’t surprise me if Smith was involved in talking him out of retirement.