Tyreek, Tua, McDaniel, and More

Part 1 of a conference championship weekend Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Mike Ferguson:

Do you think the Dolphins will be more active this offseason in trying to bring in a more proven backup quarterback given Tua Tagovailoa’s struggles to stay healthy? Do you they target a quarterback in the middle rounds of the draft?

Hey Mike, I think (and certainly hope) the Dolphins stop playing around and get a proven veteran as the backup quarterback and it would be borderline criminal if they didn’t. And while I don’t have an issue with re-signing Tyler Huntley, I do believe it needs to be somebody a level above that who ends up being number 2. I’d put at 50-50 the idea of drafting a quarterback in the middle rounds, with the hope that it would be a developmental player who wouldn’t see the field as a rookie.

From Thee Dolphins Dum Dum:

If Bradley Chubb is on the Dolphins in 2025, how are him Phillips and Chop likely to be used? They are all high-motor guys who really don’t benefit from breathers. They all kinda do similar things. They all three are at their best rushing the passer. Can you envision a way to get all three men on the field at the same time?

Hey Dana, yes, I could see them on the field at the same time, but only in very obvious passing situations, such as third-and-long. I also think at this point Chubb and Phillips are much further along in terms of stopping the run. Lastly, I’m not sure it’s a lock that all three will be back in 2025 because Chubb’s contract makes him a potential cap casualty.

From sh00gs:

What’s the minimum the Dolphins will take in trading Hill?

The question here is what internally it would take for the Dolphins to decide they’d be better off without him, which I don’t think ever will be the case unless having him on the team is so toxic as to be a detriment. If the Dolphins make that determination, I think they’d take a second-round pick or a combination of, say, a third and a fifth or sixth or something like that.

From Kevin Craig:

Maybe the data doesn’t back this up, but in decades past, the owners would more typically recycle the same ex-head coaches in the hiring cycle. In the last decade or so, it now leans heavily toward hiring unproven coordinators. Why do you think this shift happened?

Hey Kevin, don’t tell that to the Raiders, right? Actually, it actually boils down to wanting to find that hidden coaching gem that no one discovered before. Though you look at the recent Super Bowl winners, and it’s actually a mixture of retreads (Andy Reid, Bruce Arians, Bill Belichick) and first-timers (Sean McVay, Doug Pederson). I just don’t think there’s a perfect formula.

From rickhernandez:

Hello Alain, when Joe Philbin was let go early at the start of his 4th season, the only surprise was how did we go into that miserable 4th year when “we already knew” after 3. Is there anything existing now that would belief that the Dolphins are heading into another miserable 4th?

Hey Rick, I certainly get the question, but there was a big difference with Joe Philbin then and Mike McDaniel now after three seasons, and it’s the fact that McDaniel actually had some success to that point. I also think the jury is still out on McDaniel as a head coach, whereas the verdict pretty much was in on Philbin by that point. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s the way I see it.

From Brandon Quinn:

Seeing all the talk of who to re-sign. How we can’t afford to let Kohou walk, need to keep “the core” together, talking like we one or two pieces from the Super Bowl. It’s asinine. There is only one strategy to free ourselves from 3 decades of mediocrity: Trade literally every asset we have, for whatever we can get. Eat whatever dead money cap hits we need to, and field a squad exclusively of first- and second-year UDFAs. Execute the most airtight tank job known to man, and let it be known from here to Timbuktu that Arch Manning is the No. 1 pick to ensure he declares. And don’t get cute. I don’t care if he tears both ACLs next season. You draft Arch Manning. He’s a top prospect, and we all know he’s going to get flags and missed holding calls like Mahomes can only dream of with his pedigree.  That’s the move, right, Poup? The only move we’ve got left?

Hey Brandon, with all due respect, you’re not actually serious about this, are you? Zero chance it happens, besides the fact it’s not doable with all the cap space you’d be eating this year and beyond. I get the frustration, I really do, but this ain’t the way to go about things.

From Jeff:

Hello Alain, let’s say Hill puts his foot down and threatens to just not play if he’s “stuck” in Miami.  I think a trade that makes some sense would be for the Dolphins to use it as a method to jump up in the draft in round 1 and take the player they want to take. Be it the top WR or the top OT in the draft. My gut, the mock drafts, are all going to indicate the dolphins need to move up 2-4 spots for the sake of taking that top OT prospect if they so choose.  Miami calls up SF, both sides agree, Hill for Aiyuk and swap first-round picks, and maybe Miami gets a 4th or 5th out of it as well.  What would your review of that trade be after the fact?

Hey Jeff, the 49ers are scheduled to pick 11th in the first round, so you’re talking only about a jump of two spots. Why would you want to acquire a wide receiver who just tore his ACL? While I don’t mind the idea of Hill in a trade for a swap of first-round picks — only if it becomes a situation where the Dolphins would be better off without him — I don’t know any team that would be in a hurry to do that given the value of a high first-round pick and all that comes with having Hill on the roster.

From Andrew J:

Can I purchase one of those “Men In Black” memory eraser things so I can forget this season?

Hey Andrew, good one. And good movie.

From PrinceCheckCasher:

How do you think Grier et al rationalize and justify all these other teams leapfrogging them in a couple of years while they’re stuck in .500 hell?

Well, the Dolphins were 11-6 in 2023, so that’s not .500 hell, and the rationalization for being 8-9 in 2024 will be bad luck because Tua Tagovailoa missed six starts (even though we can’t forget the Dolphins were only 6-5 in his starts, so even a 3-3 record with backups starting at QB still wouldn’t have gotten the team into the playoffs).

From Jason Kirkland:

Hi Alain, keep up the great work! I know it’s been widely assumed that Hill didn’t look as fast as normal due to injuries. Is it possible that Father Time has just started to tip the scale? If that’s the case, it’d be pre-emptive to trade him post 6-1-25.

Hey Jason, not buying the Father Time theory just yet because of the way he just blew past the Jacksonville defenders on his 80-yard touchdown in the opener. And I do know he had  leg issues (foot, ankle during the season; knee procedure in the offseason) along with his wrist injury, so those were factors. And if teams decide that Father Time indeed was the issue, why would they be in a hurry to trade for him?

From Dan McCann:

First off, thanks for everything you do. Hypothetically Alain, if the NFL revisits realigning the divisions, would you support the Fins moving out of the East with all those cold-weather teams to a division that is more geographically appropriate?

Hey Dan, I think that ship has sailed and the Dolphins missed their shot at joining the AFC South in 2002 when they were given the chance because they wanted to preserve the rivalries with the Patriots, Jets and Bills. The way the team currently is constructed, it absolutely would benefit from playing in a division with mostly Southern teams.

From Jayco:

Is it fair to say that Grier and MM are lame ducks entering this season?

Hey Jayco, not necessarily. If the Dolphins return to the playoffs next season, I most definitely would expect both to keep going beyond that. I’m not even 100 percent that this will be a make-or-break season, though I would lean toward that idea.

From Greenview Construction:

Can free up $30 million with little work. What couple of night to mid-level free agents would you sign?

Hey GC, the first question I have to ask is what constitutes a “mid-level” free agent. Is it a $6 million player? More? Less? Let’s use that number as the baseline, and I’ll throw out guard Kevin Zeitler of the Detroit Lions, QB Marcus Mariota of the Commanders, and DT Jarran Reed of the Seattle Seahawks.