Sunday Wild-Card Weekend Miami Dolphins Mailbag

Part 2 of the Wild Card Weekend MIami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Luis Rodriguez:

Hi Poup! Is it safe to assume that Welker let Hill get away with a lot and that’s the reason he got the axe? Or was it more cause the group regressed too much?

Hey Luis, it’s fair to speculate about anything, not sure about assuming. And the group regressing so much isn’t on the position coach when you’re dealing with established veterans and that’s countered by Malik Washington’s strong rookie season. The wide receiver corps was a mish-mash the whole season. I think off-the-field problems with wide receivers would be a better guess.

From Jeb Hudson:

Looks like all of our guards are UFAs. Will the Fins re-sign any of them?

Hey Jeb, I can’t imagine the Dolphins would scrap all of them. I also can’t imagine they would re-sign all of them. Then there’s the issue of players wanted to be back here. For example, I’d have to think Liam Eichenberg would want a fresh start somewhere else. I could see Isaiah Wynn and Robert Jones being brought back at the right price.

From Dinney Wilkinson:

Hi Alain, thanks for your work! I just wondered why the names of the players who are not turning up on time for meetings haven’t publicly come out? No one’s leaking it? If not, why? Is it so mass spread or are the individuals high profile so it makes everyone look terrible?

Hey Dinney, it’s just not the way the Dolphins — or most teams — operate. They don’t want to air their dirty laundry and would rather deal with things internally. This is not surprising. It does cast suspicion on players who may not have been part of the problem, though.

From Bubba:

Do you believe Welker was let go because he didn’t have control of his WR group? (I.e. being late to meetings and taking themselves out of games)

Hey Bubba, the Dolphins talent level at wide receiver all season was suspect once you got past Hill and Waddle, so I think whatever issue Mike McDaniel might have had with Welker’s performance would have had to do with off-the-field issues, absolutely.

From Thee Dolphins Dum Dum:

When Mike McDaniel acknowledged that several players to varying degrees were late to practices and meeting, I believe this is an admission that there is a cultural problem. The first time I noticed there could be a problem is at the beginning of the season when Mike McDaniel touted that this was a player-driven team. While I would love to hear that from players I don’t believe any coach should ever say that. To me, it’s a deferment of leadership and responsibility. Do you believe the Dolphins have a cultural problem and if the answer is yes, can it be fixed by Mike McDaniel and the current regime?

Hey Dana, the Dolphins absolutely had a culture problem and when you hear so many of folks talk about the Dolphins being a “soft” team, that’s part of it. There is zero excuse for a lack of professionalism and I, like you, didn’t like it when McDaniel talked about a player-driven team, even if it was simply a matter of semantics on his part. I do believe it can get fixed because if it doesn’t, McDaniel will be done as Dolphins head coach.

From Ryan:

Which players have outplayed their contracts vs. how many have been overpaid? Probably a good test of Grier’s responsibility.

Hey Ryan, this is tough to answer because some players are on long-term contracts and there’s time left. Based on the 2024 contracts, it’s pretty clear that the Dolphins got insane value from both Calais Campbell and Zach Sieler and didn’t get their money’s worth from Tua, Tyreek and Waddle.

From Justin:

Is it easier to play guard or tackle in the NFL? If Paul struggles as a tackle, in some cases would it be better to move him inside and draft a tackle at 13?

Hey Justin, I think most observers would tell you that playing tackle is more difficult, which explains why they’re paid more money. As for Paul, I’m not sure he’s got the body type or skill set to play guard, where leverage is more important than at tackle, where longer arms are an asset. As proof, how many 6-7 or 6-8 tackles do you see around the league? Not many.

From Bag of Donuts:

Why Wes Welker? How is he the sacrificial lamb? Why Danny Crossman? Didn’t he coach Jason Sanders?

Hey BOD, there’s more to special teams coaching than just the kicker, though as I wrote Friday, there was more justification for firing Crossman after last season than now. As for Welker, if there were lack of professionalism issues at the wide receiver position, that falls on him to a certain degree, so I’m not sure “sacrificial lamb” would be the correct way of looking at it.

From ChrisS:

I saw Noah Igbo is starting at nickel for the Dan Quinn-led Washington defense. Why do you think he has panned out for Quinn but did not under Flores? Thanks Poup, love ya man.

Thanks Chris. It’s a great question you ask. I think it’s probably a combination of a scheme and position better suited to Igbinoghene’s skill set and also a matter of confidence, which seemed to be an issue with Noah during his time in Miami. This is where a coach with the right touch can help.

From Simon Burnett:

What’s your take on Tyreek? If you are the GM, are you looking to trade him or keep him? And if trade, what kind of market is there for him? 2024 was a down year and I worry that he’s got one good year left in him (at most).

Hey Simon, if there’s a clear addition by subtraction factor here, I make the move. But I don’t really believe that’s the case because, unlike Stefon Diggs at the end of his time with the Bills, Hill still is very important to the Dolphins offense. The Dolphins also aren’t going to get anywhere near comparable value in a trade because of Hill’s age, contract, recent injuries and his baggage. So I get the reflex reaction of wanting to trade him, but I’d caution to be careful what you wish for.

From shawn:

What hole needs to be fixed the most to get back to the playoffs?

Hey Shawn, I think we have to be looking at backup QB, safety, wide receiver, interior offensive lineman and defensive tackle. It’s unfortunately a pretty big list for a team without a ton of cap space.

From Max:

If McDaniel wants to set a tone for next season regarding discipline, Dolphins need to let go Tyreek for quitting the team in the 4th quarter? True or false?

Hey Max, false. First, do we have all the facts regarding this and if Tyreek was playing hurt the whole season, are we really going to rush to dump him because he bailed after it was clear the Dolphins weren’t making the playoffs, if the biggest offense there was not communicating properly. So I don’t think it’s quite that clear cut, but I do see where you’re coming from.

From Anthony:

Will McDaniel and Grier be employed by the dolphins by Halloween?

Hey Anthony, I would say it’s almost uncertainty and the only way it doesn’t happen is if the Dolphins get off to a horrible start next season, like 1-5 or 0-5. And that would be only McDaniel in danger because teams almost never fire GMs in the middle of a season.