Finsmob Unleashed

Dolphins began training camp July 25th, and it will continue through to August 5th, just 3 days from now. There have been some good stories, and we all hope those story lines continue all the way through to the season. One in particular has been OLB Quinton Bell. Bell, 6’4 250 began his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, then played for the Atlanta Falcons in 2022. He spent last season on the Dolphins practice squad. I believe he flashed some last year in camp as well, but it would be a wonderful thing if he became a solid depth player. After OLB Shaq Barrett unexpectedly retired, the Dolphins wasted no time reuniting with DE Emmanuel Ogbah. I stress that Ogbah is primarily a defensive lineman, DE specifically, and his 5.5 sacks were mostly from the defensive line, playing with DT or DE. We addressed the OLB spot in the draft, twice to be exact with our first pick, #21 OLB Chop Robinson and then again in RD 5 #158 Mo Kamara. We’re all aware that both OLB’s Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips are rehabbing from injuries suffered near the end of the season, so when either both of these players are back to being themselves in unknown.

CB Kader Kohou is another player having a nice camp. With the offseason addition of CB Kendall Fuller, and the fact that Jalen Ramsey is on the roster as well, Kohou will likely see more playing time inside at nickel. Nik Needham, also one of my favorites as is Kohou, just wasn’t back to the level of play before his injury. Some bad news, CB Cam Smith went out with an injury but should be back. WR Erik Ezukanma, who showed that physical nature on some run plays last season was also injured, and his status is more questionable than Smith’s, who again should return to action as soon as today.

An interesting development recently came out about the NFL rules going forward in 2024, and this rule specifically affects our team, as well as the SF 49ers and the LA Rams. The rule seems to indicate that the motion that we use so often pre snap with Tyreek Hill running and then angling towards the line of scrimmage will no longer be allowed. Mind you, this is still somewhat speculative, the rule was highlighted in red, as all rules that haven’t been enforced properly are every single season. Supposedly, there was a gray area in the interpretation of “abrupt” motion, so if they do enforce this, we’ll see how Mike McDaniel counters this being taken away. I was actually surprised when I saw the Dolphins implementing it, it did look unfair, and then I thought “Why doesn’t every team do this”? I guess we’ll have to wait and see how this plays out.

WR Jaylen Waddle has had a great camp. He’s been catching passes and getting open on any and every defender, including our own superstar, Jalen Ramsey. That’s important, because there might come a time in the next couple of years if Tyreek Hill is still with the team, that Waddle becomes the main target, and Hill the #2 WR. It would be fantastic if Waddle can step up to another level. New C Aaron Brewer had some low snap issues, but otherwise has looked good. I’m sure we all remember the snapping issues our previous C Connor Williams had, right? Still, we want to se that cleaned up by seasons start.

Another nice camp story is the emergence of LB Anthony Walker, who played 4 years for the Colts and 3 for the Browns, and at 28, is showing well as a inside LB for the Dolphins. Walker battled injuries last season and is happy to have a fresh start with the Dolphins. The battle at NT has been a good one between NT Benito Jones and NT Teair Tart. CB Ethan Bonner has also impressed in camp, and although Bonner is behind Cam Smith and Kendall Fuller on the depth chart, that could change for sure.

One point I want to bring out, we’ve discussed it already, but it really resonated with me. CB Jalen Ramsey stating “It’s time to be bullies”. I can’t tell you how happy I was to hear that. Sometimes you just have to get it out there, and it can manifest itself into something real. I don’t have to tell you that when a lot of people think about our team, the word “soft” comes to mind. If thinking they’re going to be bullies helps purge the softness, so be it. I couldn’t agree with Jalen more. Purge that December swoon, purge it before it starts. Think of yourselves as the bad boys, and then play like it on the field, and punish teams like the Ravens, Steelers, Chiefs, etc. Smack them in the mouth and let them know you’re on the field right there with them. Keep feeding this mentality, make it so!

GO DOLPHINS!!!