2024 Dolphins: Making Waves

[sodenj5]

Figured I would kick off the new thread seeing as the Dolphins made some news yesterday.

Xavien Howard will be released before the start of the new league year, along with Emmanuel Ogbah.

Howard was one of the most successful draft picks of the Chris Grier era, and one of the most dominant man to man corners in the league. That being said, it’s clear he’s lost a step and has struggled to stay healthy the last two years. I wish him nothing but the best moving forward.

Ogbah was a square peg in a round hole in Fangio’s scheme. Even with that being said, he was over paid and once they traded for and signed Chubb, this was always the logical outcome.

I’m very interested in seeing a year 2 Cam Smith in a different scheme and maybe with a DC that doesn’t put him in the dog house for a full season.

That being said, these moves are being made to both extend Tua and the rumors are extend Christian Wilkins. An extension for those two likely buys them another year or two of salary cap flexibility with some creative accounting.

 

[j-man]

miami is in a tough spot
is tua the guy to lead them to the big game or is he a top 10-15 QB will be outmatched come playoff time

glass haif full u win the afc east getting a top 2 seed and balt and kc lose in round one giveing u homefied in the afc
emity the jets win 10-11 games and buff wins the east whild u fight with AFC North and LAC for 6/7 SEED

 

[sodenj5]

miami is in a tough spot
is tua the guy to lead them to the big game or is he a top 10-15 QB will be outmatched come playoff time

glass haif full u win the afc east getting a top 2 seed and balt and kc lose in round one giveing u homefied in the afc
emity the jets win 10-11 games and buff wins the east whild u fight with AFC North and LAC for 6/7 SEED

I have think within the context of Miami’s team, Tua is a top 10 QB. The argument can be made that if he wasn’t in McDaniel’s offense or he didn’t have Tyreek, he would be top 15. Well, guess what? He is in Mike McDaniel’s offense, and he does have Tyreek and Waddle.

Eventually Tyreek will move on (probably when it’s time to pay Tua and Waddle), but Tua will continue to be with a head coach that builds his scheme around Tua’s strengths.

Tua looked very good in 22 before the concussions, and he just played 17 games and lead the league in passing. There’s nothing more for him to prove. Miami has to pay him, especially with the roster they’ve built.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

Nothing more for him to prove? Obviously we want to be fair to him and look at his whole body of work, but after his torrid start, his last 10 games of the season were nothing to write home about.

240 Yards per game (14th)
7.4 YPA (12th)
90.1 rating (19th)
12 TD / 8 INT

So, with one of the most explosive offenses in football, the last 2.5 months of the season saw Tua perform as a league average QB. If you were happy with his overall body of work and strides he took, that's fair. But I'm not sure "there's nothing left to prove" or that he should get paid like a top QB.

 

[j-man]

Nothing more for him to prove? Obviously we want to be fair to him and look at his whole body of work, but after his torrid start, his last 10 games of the season were nothing to write home about.

240 Yards per game (14th)
7.4 YPA (12th)
90.1 rating (19th)
12 TD / 8 INT

So, with one of the most explosive offenses in football, the last 2.5 months of the season saw Tua perform as a league average QB. If you were happy with his overall body of work and strides he took, that's fair. But I'm not sure "there's nothing left to prove" or that he should get paid like a top QB.

yeah that is russell wilson numbers but Starting QB are going to be worth 40 mil a year going forward which is why the NFL office shouild pay that for all 32 teams without a rookie qb contact this wouild all teams at least 40 ex mil to play with
i almost think starting spots shouild a fixed number like

QB 40-60 MIL
RB 5-12 MIL
FB 1-2.5 MIL
WR 20-30 MIL
TE 7-20 MIL
LT 25-40 MIL
OG 10-20 MIL
C 15-25 MIL
DE RUSH 40-50 MIL
DT 25-30 MIL
MLB 15-25 MIL
CB 30-40 MIL
S 20-25 MIL
K 15-25 MIL
P 5 MIL

 

[sodenj5]

Nothing more for him to prove? Obviously we want to be fair to him and look at his whole body of work, but after his torrid start, his last 10 games of the season were nothing to write home about.

240 Yards per game (14th)
7.4 YPA (12th)
90.1 rating (19th)
12 TD / 8 INT

So, with one of the most explosive offenses in football, the last 2.5 months of the season saw Tua perform as a league average QB. If you were happy with his overall body of work and strides he took, that's fair. But I'm not sure "there's nothing left to prove" or that he should get paid like a top QB.

I suppose I meant nothing to prove in terms whether or not he’s worthy of paying and keeping on the team. Not necessarily that he’s conquered the NFL.

Also, those number match up exactly when Miami’s entire offensive line went down, and his down numbers are still top half of the league. Not trying to make to many injury excuses, but it was Austin Jackson, Liam Eichenberg, and some duct tape for a stretch there.

 

[sodenj5]

New NFLPA survey results released today. Miami ranked #1 in the NFL, with Stephen Ross receiving near perfect marks, and their family treatment improving year over year from last season.

https://nflpa.com/miami-dolphins-report-card-2024

For contrast, the Patriots ranked 29th in the NFL.

https://nflpa.com/new-england-patriots-report-card-2024

 

[Justthetippett]

New NFLPA survey results released today. Miami ranked #1 in the NFL, with Stephen Ross receiving near perfect marks, and their family treatment improving year over year from last season.

https://nflpa.com/miami-dolphins-report-card-2024

For contrast, the Patriots ranked 29th in the NFL.

https://nflpa.com/new-england-patriots-report-card-2024

Stephen Ross can't tamper or throw games for shit, but he does serve a nice souffle!

I'm surprised they beat out the Cowboys or maybe Vegas. Would have thought all the new facilities would make a big impression.

 

[RG33]

New NFLPA survey results released today. Miami ranked #1 in the NFL, with Stephen Ross receiving near perfect marks, and their family treatment improving year over year from last season.

https://nflpa.com/miami-dolphins-report-card-2024

For contrast, the Patriots ranked 29th in the NFL.

https://nflpa.com/new-england-patriots-report-card-2024

[Insert “raise the ‘Treat Families the Best’ banner” joke here]

 

[sodenj5]

[Insert “raise the ‘Treat Families the Best’ banner” joke here]

[Insert “raise the ‘Treat Families the Worst’ banner” joke here]

 

[RG33]

[Insert “raise the ‘Treat Families the Worst’ banner” joke here]

That would be an unfunny joke though, considering.

 

[pdaj]

Well ... a lot has happened since February, so I'll comment on just a few aspects.

1) Free Agency

Losing Christian Wilkins was tough for me, as he's everything you want to see in a player and team leader. For the last few years, he set the tone up front for the defense and was the prime reason Miami ranked well among the top teams vs. the run. But 30+ per season? That's peak Aaron Donald money. Best of luck to Wilkins in Vegas! I'm glad he at least left the division.

Add Robert Hunt to the list of over-pays. Good player; crazy contract. With a big QB contract looming, you don't have the luxury of paying a guard that much.

Note: The Wilkins subtraction hurt more due to the late-season injuries to both Chubb and Phillips. When will they be back, and how effective will they be once they are? These questions made for a challenging FA period, and I think Grief nailed it with the addition of Fuller (Howard's replacement), Barrett, Brooks, Walker, and Poyer. Additionally, on the offensive line, adding Brewer and bringing back Jones, Lamm, and Wynn was big.

2) The Draft

A) I like Chop as a prospect, but he's only 20, and may need a year or two to develop. If he can contribute to the edge rotation right away, it's a win.

B) Miami drafted an OL! However, he, too, appears to be a project.

Can both players work out? Sure! And, of course, I'm hoping for that. But I'm nervous.

C) Wright, the Washington duo at WR, and Kamara look to be great additions (potentially). I'm interested to see the final makeup of the WR room, especially after the signing of ...

3) Odell Beckham, Jr.

MAN! What a perfect fit. He can play everywhere, which helps when Hill and Waddle inevitably miss time. And when the 3 are together? Goodness.

4) Tua.

I still like him. I still see a realistic path to him getting better and better. However, if I'm 100% honest, I'm scared to see Miami pay him 50+ million long-term. He shrunk in big moments/games many times last season.

5) P.S. An underrated addition this offseason? Jonnu Smith.

Defenses are going to have a helluva time stopping this off-season on 3rd down.

 

[johnmd20]

Odell is washed, you can't expect anything from him. He has 102 catches in the last 4 season.(he missed 1 of them in full)

 

[pdaj]

Odell is washed, you can't expect anything from him. He has 102 catches in the last 4 season.(he missed 1 of them in full)

I respectfully disagree!

 

[SoxinSeattle]

Needed both hands on every catch. Would not roster.

 

[pdaj]

Needed both hands on every catch. Would not roster.

When are we going to be able to like/react to posts on this site? Hopefully soon! I had to come up with some additional football-related information just so I could give this response the "Haha!" it deserved.

Regarding the additional info, Miami media is speculating that the Dolphins may be looking to add additional OL help (guard) after the money from cutting Xavien Howard comes off the books post-June. Dalton Risner and Van Roten have been mentioned as possibilities.

https://www.profootballnetwork.com/miami-dolphins-free-agency-2-begins-monday/

 

[sodenj5]

Miami’s receiving room is ridiculously stacked right now.

I think everyone sort of forgets that Waddle battled injuries all year last year, from the start of training camp, and Tyreek battled a high ankle sprain the last few weeks. I don’t want to say, this offense is going to be insane, because odds are one of Hill, Waddle, or OBJ is going to get hurt and miss time, but when OBJ and Jonnu are your third and fourth options, that’s a good place to be.

Adding Jaylen Wright at RB is just a hilarious “we are speed” addition, and he’s likely Mostert’s long term replacement.

Miami is in the phase of team building where they are correctly not paying large dollars to non-premium positions. Wilkins is a very good player. He isn’t a great player, and up until his contract year, he didn’t have great production in the passing game. Happy for him to get the bag, but Miami was never matching that contract. Same with Hunt. A good player got paid like the best guard in the league. Carolina has a QB on a rookie deal, and Miami is about have a QB on a second deal.

Good teams need to be able to sustain losses like Wilkins and Hunt and Xavien Howard and find cheaper alternatives. This is where Chris Grier is going to earn his money.