Dolphins have plenty left to do
The expectation bar shouldn’t be lowered
PHILADELPHIA — Adam Gase’s rookie season as an NFL head coach fell a little short of perfection.
The Miami Dolphins coach led a talent-starved team that weathered a ton of injuries to the playoffs, producing the franchise’s first winning season since 2008 after 1-4 start. That’s a hard act to follow. The pressure’s on considering fans are expecting the Dolphins to pick up where Gase’s team left off in 2016, and push for another playoff berth.
But the Dolphins have faced a ton of adversity this month, like losing three starters — quarterback Ryan Tannehill and rookie linebacker Raekwon McMillan to season-ending injuries, and left guard Ted Larsen for at least the first half of the season. But injuries and a slow start didn’t stop Gase’s team last year so the bar shouldn’t be lowered.
Here’s what the Dolphins need to do over the next few weeks to be ready for the Sept 10 season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Jay Cutler has to develop chemistry with his playmakers. Cutler is beginning his third week with the Dolphins, and is getting the majority of the first-team reps to speed up his learning curve. It is apparent Cutler has chemistry with DeVante Parker, but he needs to get on the same page with Kenny Stills to keep the deep ball alive in the offense, and find a groove with Jarvis Landry, his slot receiver.
Get Mike Hull, Neville Hewitt and Rey Maualuga prepared to play snaps with starting defense. While one of these linebackers will join Kiko Alonso and Lawrence Timmons as a starter in Miami’s base defense, all of them need to be prepared to play because history says injuries will water down this unit like it has the previous three seasons.
Find a starting left guard while Ted Larsen is sidelined. Larsen will likely miss half the season because of a torn biceps muscle, so Miami needs to find a band-aid until he returns. Anthony Steen and Kraig Urbik are the front-runners because of their experience starting last season, but Miami’s coaches have given Jesse Davis and Isaac Asiata a test drive with the first-team to see how they handle the pressure, literally and figuratively.
Get Mike Pouncey comfortable with contact. The Dolphins have been cautious with Pouncey for the past eight months, but he needs to get his mind and body ready to play. Last week, the Dolphins allowed their talented Pro Bowl center to participate in 11 on 11 portions of practice every other day. This week, Pouncey will work against the Eagles in the team’s joint practices, and is expected to play in Thursday night’s game unless his surgically repaired hip suffers a setback.
Find a way for Julius Thomas, tight ends to be more involved. In his last season with Gase, the Dolphins’ new tight end caught 12 touchdowns. Thomas, who Miami traded for this offseason, has been virtually invisible in the offense. Miami’s coaches and executives need to figure out if Thomas is no longer an elite tight end or merely pacing himself.
Speed up development of rookie cornerback Cordrea Tankersley. Losing Tony Lippett to a seasonending Achilles injury means Tankersley must be ready to contribute as the backup on both boundary spots. Tankersley must also work to become a reliable special teams gunner because that unit will need his contributions immediately.
Fine-tune the offense. Having history with Cutler doesn’t automatically mean Gase and Cutler will pick up where they left off in 2015. Gase’s offense has evolved since then, and Miami has different weapons than Chicago did. That means Gase will need to marry the best of what Cutler does, and Miami’s strengths to find favorable red zone, third down and home run plays.
Figure out a rotation for defensive front. At 35, Cameron Wake is no spring chicken, and the Dolphins should play Ndamukong Suh play less snaps so he can be more impactful. That means a healthy defensive end and defensive tackle rotation needs to be established, and experimented with. Jordan Phillips needs to settle into a playing time rotation with Suh and rookie Davon Godchaux, and Miami must find a way to get William Hayes on the field for running downs, and Charles Harris on the field for passing downs.
Get special teams unit to play better. The play of Miami’s special teams has been shaky in the first two preseason games. Mixing and matching who plays where, and experimenting with different players who are trying to make the 53-man regular-season roster is contributing to that unit’s struggles. But suspect special teams play can cost teams in the regular season, and Miami has very little margin for error.
Find nine practice squad players worth developing. Not every player will turn into a Pro Bowler, but some former practice squad members become reliable, productive contributors to teams like former New England starter Rob Ninkovich, who spent two years on Miami’s practice squad. Mike Hull is the latest former practice squader who is positioned to become an NFL starter. Could Jesse Davis or Eric Smith become the next?