Finsmob Unleashed

There are differing opinions on the current state of the Miami Dolphins roster as we head into the 2024 NFL Draft, just a couple of days more than a month away. I try to listen and read and absorb various sources. Some of them “homer” sources, others what might be considered “haters” and then others that are from outside either of the former two, totally neutral opinions. In general, the most common feeling is that the quality of the roster has gone down, the talent. Chris Perkins from the Sun Sentinel was on the Joe Rose Show this morning and Perkins feels the Dolphins have assembled a tougher roster. Elaborating on this, he feels the addition of Aaron (Ay-run) Brewer was a welcome one, and that he will bring toughness to the interior offensive line. I believe toughness is a tangible issue for our team, as we always seemed to get pushed around and beaten down by certain teams, namely the Bills, Ravens and Chiefs. In a discussion last night with a fellow Dolphins fan on twitter, or “X” if you prefer, I was called a “hater”. The discussion began after I responded to a tweet regarding our current WR’s corp, and how we could really use OBJ. I responded by listing KC’s WR depth chart from last year as an example of how ridiculous that statement is. Having 3 great WR’s doesn’t get you a championship. You have to win in the trenches.

So this brings me to the newest Miami Dolphins headline. Odell Beckham Jr. visited the Miami Dolphins facility yesterday, was given the red carpet treatment by the organization, was given a tour by none other than everyone’s favorite HC Mike McDaniel, showed him the lush grass playing field, as well as the lush grass practice facility. “Those grass fields would be nice for those 31 year old knees, eh?” Here’s the deal, if we can get OBJ for say $5-7M for a one year or even two year deal, go ahead and bring him in. Just realize that he got paid FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS last season, so MM is going to have throw quite the sales pitch to get OBJ here in Miami for the contract I would prefer. Now realistically, I don’t work for the Dolphins so it doesn’t matter, but what NFL team has the highest or near the highest cap allocation at WR, and has won the Super Bowl? Don’t bother looking, you ain’t gonna find it.

I can see the merit in bringing in Odell Beckham Jr. Last season, when either Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle went out, the offense definitely missed them and we struggled. If you bring in OBJ, he could theoretically replace either Hill or Waddle on the outside for a while, although to be fair, OBJ has played a full season only twice in his 10 year career. At 31, don’t expect that to improve, so therefore if we sign him, we have to do so at a reasonable price. I would also like to see third year WR Erik Ezukanma get an opportunity. He looked good early on, he got touches in the run game and short passing and screen game, and showed the ability to get run after catch yardage. We brought in TE Jonnu Smith to help with that, having another outlet couldn’t hurt. Our offense is predicated on quick throws and with guys that can get yardage after the catch when Hill and Waddle are covered, they can be a QB’s best friend. We also re-signed Braxton Berrios, so the WR room is getting a bit crowded already, without adding OBJ.

This brings me to my next point. I discussed toughness at the start here, and while I’m not enamored with any of the guys we brought in for the defensive line, maybe toughness was more of a factor than actual talent. Sieler is back at LDE or DT, whichever way you want to label it, and now Benito Jones will be at the NT spot. I always felt Raekwon Davis 6’7 325 was miscast as a NT, so maybe the shorter, more stout Jones at 6’1 335 is a better fit there. At the moment, and unofficially, Da’Shawn Hand may play RDE, the spot previously occupied by Christian Wilkins. This is the spot I believe we draft first in the upcoming draft. I know we need another OL, and you can make an argument for the interior or tackle spots and not be wrong either way, but to me the most glaring spot is RDE. We lost Wilkins and now must replace him with a legitimate threat and a talented player. Byron Murphy would be my 1st RD pick if he’s there. There are a couple of guys that may be there with our 2nd pick, assuming we don’t move up or back with our 1st. Jer’Zhan Newton, Braden Fiske and Ruke Orhorhoro could be 2nd RD options. There are some that think WR will be one of our top picks, that would shock me. Build up those trenches, you know, where we tend to lose against most teams. We’ve already potentially taken a step back there already, so I go either 1) DT and 2) OL, or vice versa.

GO DOLPHINS!!!