Finsmob Unleashed

Not gonna lie, I’m legitimately excited to see some of our young guys play, and even some of the older guys too. I really didn’t think it would happen, as most of you know, I’m having a hard time being a fan of this team due to the current management, and the Head Coach. That being said, nothing could give me a jolt of enthusiasm more than to see some of our young players look like they can be NFL starters, potentially good ones! I expect there to be a certain amount of sloppiness, this is the first time many of the players we’ll see against Chicago getting their first televised game action and the big lights will be on, and that changes everything. It’s no longer just practice, and for some of these players, their performance in the 3 preseason games can be the difference between making the 53 and looking for a team to pick them up off of waivers.

We’re going to have a very young, unproven secondary, especially at the cornerback position. CB’s Storm Duck and Kendall Sheffield may be the boundary corners, while veteran Mike Hilton will be in the nickel. There are a few other CB’s who would love nothing more to not only win a roster spot but to steal a starting job. I believe that’s very possible here, it’s certainly written in pencil or chalk at this point and can easily be erased. Jack Jones who was with the Patriots and Raiders and now his third team going into his 4th year kind of needs to grab a starting spot and perform or he may never be considered for a starting spot anywhere. CB Ethan Bonner who always gets buzz in training camp needs to do more than that and make some plays with the lights on and get noticed. 2025 5th RD Pick CB Jason Marshall needs to make things happen to move up the depth chart and get a roster spot. It must feel like hell to be on a roster bubble, but sometimes stars are born when the pressure is on and the lights are on too.

The O-line right now is another are of concern and some positives. Already the depth will be tested with RT Austin Jackson OUT with a leg injury and his status for the regular season Game 1 is up in the air . OT Kion Smith has been here a while, and we have OL Liam Eichenberg who is the backup at every position on the O-line, as well as OL Larry Borom who is a backup at OG and OT. We also recently signed OT Germain Ifedi, so we have lots of bodies, but we need answers, one way or the other. Honestly, I can’t wait to see LT Patrick paul, although he may not play much against the Bears. Of course I want to see LG Jonah Savaiinaea and I want him to look like a beast. Not sure if james Daniels plays much either, but with him I just want to see that he’s healthy and moving well. C Aaron Brewer is also dealing with an injury, as is backup C Andrew Meyer. If it’s not Liam Eichenberg at C, your guess is as good as mine as to who else might play C, Daniel Brunskill, Addison West?

The front 7 is definitely going to be the strength of the defense, but that’s assuming our young players that we drafted get up to speed quickly. DT Zach Sieler got his well earned big payday, but next to him, big Benito Jones and 1st RD draft pick DT Kenneth Grant has to show quickly and be a force for us. The initial depth charts show us not working from the 3-4 base but I don’t think that’s necessarily a change in philosophy. I think we will try and put in some speed packages to get our best pass rushers on the field at the same time, but we will still operate from the base 3-4 which should feature RDE Zach Sieler, NT Benito Jones and LDE Kenneth Grant. At OLB depending upon the health of Jaelan Phillips and Bradely Chubb, those two probably start but I would expect to see an awful lot of 2nd year pass rusher Chop Robinson, and I mean a whole lotta Chop! The inside LB’s look as strong as I can remember with ILB’s Jordyn Brooks, Tyrel Dodson and Willie Gay and even KJ Britt. That’s a deep unit right there, and I haven’t even mentioned Channing Tindall. Back to OLB, Quinton Bell turned some heads again so maybe we see a little something from him and Cam Goode too. Mo Kamara might have a tough time making this roster.

At Safety, I think Minkah Fitzpatrick will be on the field the most, but who is with him again depends on health. Ashtyn Davis or Iffy Melifonwu will most likely be the other safety, and since it seems like Minkah will playing more of a centerfield role with us here in miami, Iffy Melifonwu is more of the SS type, but nothing is set in stone. We also drafted S Dante Trader and don’t forget about special teams ace Elijah Campbell who always impresses the coaches. I’m actually willing to give Minkah another chance, and I hope he surprises all of us by returning to his All Pro from back at his old position, not playing Strong Safety, and back with his old team. I’m sure the trade stung some, he’s a prideful fella, but having an All Pro season is the best message to send to Pittsburgh, as well as to become enamored by fans who weren’t necessarily sure if they liked the idea of him back in Aqua and Orange.

On offense, we have to stay healthy. I would expect RB De’Von Achane to see very little action, as well as QB Tua Tagovailoa. Besides, it’s really about the battle of the backups at both of those positions. At RB, it’s about 2nd year RB Jaylen Wright, veteran RB Alexander Mattison and 6th RD draft pick RB Ollie Gordon. At QB, there could be a dogfight for the backup spot with veteran QB Zach Wilson and rookie Quinn Ewers. Granted, Ewers faces an uphill battle because of who our starting QB is, Tua Tagovailoa and his tendency to get injured. Usually, you want a veteran back there, and last year’s hideous carousel of practice squad rejects was an embarrassment, but no more than relying on QB Skylar Thompson as the backup. Grier and McDaniel won’t get caught with their pants down this year so odds heavily favor QB Zach Wilson who has 33 NFL starts, and not the rookie 7th RD pick Quinn Ewers. Quinn Ewers though needs to show something for this team to carry him as the 3rd QB though, so he better up his game if he wants to be on the 53. The Dolphins could still elect to carry 3 QB’s if they like Ewers potential enough because if they put him on the PS, he’s as good as gone.

The WR spot will fun to see some good competition as well. Tyreek Hill won’t see much action if any, but I expect Jaylen Waddle to play some, and then someone needs to step up from the crowded WR room we have. We signed big WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine early on in Fre Agency after his impressive ’24 season in which he caught 32 passes for nearly 500 yards (497) for a nice 15.5 YPR as well as a heady 9 receiving TD’s. With TE Jonnu Smith gone, it makes sense to think that Westbrook-Ikhine could steal some of those catches, and that it would be nice to have a bigger bodied WR (6’2 211) on the field. Besides NWI, there’s always impressive slot WR Malik Washington who I’m looking forward to seeing some growth from. I think he can be a nice dependable receiver that can find the soft spot and get open when Tyreek and Waddle get the double coverage. He’s quick and shifty and he could get his share of targets. Then there’s good ole Erik Ezukanma who wows and disappears in equal measures. He better do more of the former, because if it’s the latter, he may finally ended his tenure here in Miami. The other Washington, Tahj Washington also needs to shine to make the roster. There’s also Dee Eskrdige who was a 2nd RD pick by Seattle back in 2021 who is fighting to make the roster. Hopefully we have some good competition there.

There’s also a battle for the Punter spot. Incumbent P Jake Bailey will have to be excellent to hold off the much stronger leg of Ryan Stonehouse. Stonehouse booms his punts but has lessplacement accuracy than Bailey. Still, I think the younger former Titans punter has the literal leg up on Bailey, averaging nearly 5 yards more per punt than Bailey. I think we all hope we aren’t punting very often but if we are, I think I’d rather take my chances with the booming leg of Stonehouse.

What are you excited to see? What players are you most anxious to see in action, and which battles are the one you look forward to most? I’m curious to hear your responses, I’m actually getting pumped to see what we got. Don’t mistake this as enthusiasm for our season, I’m nowhere near that yet, but I do want to see some young guys and some of our players returning from injury and how they look. this team has a lot of work to do to get me to feel positive about how our season will go, but maybe they surprise me a little how our young players perform and our botom of the roster looks. I can only hope!

GO DOLPHINS!!!