Ranking top-5 under-radar pickups who contributed to 2020 success
Former Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland used to call them “acorns” — players the team could pick up here and there without necessarily much fanfare — either undrafted free agents, players plucked off waivers or players added late in free agency.
Those types of players — plus under-the-radar trade pickups — have contributed significantly to this Dolphins playoff run, and give general manager Chris Grier and coach Brian Flores credit for finding a half dozen of them.
Ranking the Dolphins’ top five acorn pickups, with criteria being level of contributions in 2020:
1. Defensive lineman Zach Sieler: In releasing the undrafted Ferris State defensive tackle 55 weeks ago, Ravens coach John Harbaugh told him: ‘Hey, you’re a great player, we hate to lose you, but it is what it is.’ ”
Miami immediately pounced, and Sieler has been an asset since. This season, he has 46 tackles — including 11 for loss — and 3.5 sacks, and Pro Football Focus ranks him 42 among 100 qualifying defensive tackles.
His latest big play was a key fourth-down stop in the Raiders game. “He keeps doing it game in and game out,” linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel said of Sieler’s key stops. “It’s just who he is and part of his DNA. He’s very hard on himself to get better and to make those plays.”
No wonder Miami gave him a three-year, $9.3 million extension with $3.8 million guaranteed.
For a time, it was unclear if football would even be a long-term career option; Sieler, who previously interned at a Chrysler plant, was prepared to use his degree in mechanical engineering if necessary.
Now, Sieler — who continues to live in a RV — looks like a rotation piece for the next several years, a player capable of logging 15 to 35 snaps per game as a top backup.
2. Cornerback Nik
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Needham. Signed as an undrafted free agent after the 2019 draft, Needham has improved considerably in year two, seizing the slot cornerback role and playing it very well.
He has limited receivers
he’s covering to 43 completions in 63 targets for 525 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions. That computes to an 80.5 passer rating in his coverage area.
“Definitely my first year, I started off a little shaky and I had to adjust,” Needham said earlier this month. “I think throughout the first year, just growing, learning and adapting to the NFL season coachingwise, I think that helped a little bit. Then them just letting me know what I needed to do in the offseason to really make that big jump in the second year, I think that helped a lot.
“Then Coach ‘GA’ [defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander] has done a really good job of coaching me the tiny fundamentals in the slot. I didn’t know it was that detailed, so he has been a big help in helping me continue to improve my game week by week.”
3. Tight end Adam Shaheen: After offseason addition Michael Roberts sustained a non-football injury that led to his release, the Dolphins on July 26 smartly sent a conditional seventh-round pick to the Bears for Shaheen, who has joined Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe to form an effective tight-end triumvirate.
Not only does Shaheen have three touchdown catches (and 11 receptions for 128 yards), and PFF
ranks him 35th of 72 tight ends. (Gesicki is sixth, Smythe 21st.)
Shaheen, a former second-round pick, attributes his underwhelming three years in Chicago to injuries.
He appreciates Flores, Gailey and tight ends coach George Godsey “giving me the opportunity to come in here and play, as well as the strength staff and training staff for keeping me healthy. Really being able to stay on the field has been my biggest strength.”
What the Dolphins have asked him to do has “grown a little bit, week by week, and it’s gotten to the point where me, Mike and Durham are all playing a pretty significant role. It’s been, I think, a strength of ours.”
The Dolphins rewarded him with a two-year, $7.65 million contract extension.
4. Running back Salvon Ahmed: The rookie had a tough night against Las Vegas (six carries for 2 yards), which dropped his average to a still very solid 4.2 per carry.
Overall, has been more productive than several drafted rookie running backs, including Chargers fourth-rounder Joshua Kelley (3.2 per carry), Jets fourth-rounder La’Mical Perine (3.6 per carry) and Pittsburgh fourth-rounder Anthony McFarland (3.4
per carry).
The Dolphins made two smart moves with Ahmed: Claiming him off waivers Aug. 26, a day after the 49ers cut him, and then moving him from the practice squad to the 53-man roster (and convincing him to stay) when the Chargers tried to poach him Oct. 9).
“Everybody looks at speed. ‘Oh, he’s got great speed,’ ” offensive coordinator Chan Gailey said of Ahmed. “But he’s got some awareness about blocks. I think [running backs coach] Eric Studesville does a great job of teaching running backs about the theory of defense and defenders and how they see things. These guys are starting to learn those little things that are going to make the difference in being an average back or a good back, and then maybe eventually a great back when it’s all over with.”
5. Receiver Lynn Bowden Jr.: Acquired from Oakland with a sixthrounder in exchange for a fourth-rounder, the speedy former Kentucky quarterback and third-round pick keeps improving.
Bowden has 20 catches for 167 yards and 8 rushes for 39 yards.
“I did evaluate him coming out,” receivers coach Josh Grizzard said. “I think a lot of the things you see on tape from the position flexibility, being able to
throw it, run it, or throw it to him on the perimeter, the hand offs, the Wildcat — I think that shows up. Just getting the nuances of the coverages and seeing those things, that’s really the biggest adjustment that he’s gone through playing that slot receiver position in the NFL. It’s pretty much as expected up until this point. He’s done a good job coming along.”
Other acorns also deserve credit, including undrafted receiver Preston Williams (18 catches for 288 yards and four touchdowns in eight games before his foot injury this season), running back Patrick Laird and waiver claim receiver Mack Hollins.
Starting offensive lineman Jesse Davis is the quintessential acorn — a player plucked by Miami off waivers from the Jets in 2016— but we’re only ranking players added during the Flores regime.
Myles Gaskin, a seventhrounder, deserves a ton of credit for his breakout season but as a Dolphins draft pick, he’s not a traditional acorn and thus doesn’t qualify for this top five. Same with muchimproved linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel.