Ten lingering questions about the Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins have completed phase two of the franchise’s full-fledged makeover, adding 32 newcomers this offseason to a team that produced a 5-11 season in 2019.
But that doesn’t mean coach Brian Flores’ team has adequately addressed many of the team’s issues/concerns moving forward. Plenty still has to be done for the Dolphins to turn the corner, and become a legitimate contender for the AFC East division crown.
Here are 10 lingering questions that will need to be addressed before the 2020 season begins:
When will Tua Tagovailoa be healthy enough to play?
Tagovailoa, the former Alabama standout the Dolphins selected with the fifth pick in the 2020 NFL draft, is ahead of schedule when it comes to rehabbing his surgically repaired right hip, which he dislocated in mid-November. While Tagovailoa might be healthy enough to practice now, all it takes is one bad hit for the quarterback to suffer a major setback. That’s why a handful of teams medically took Tagovailoa off their draft boards. Miami’s decision-makers must weigh whether rushing Tagovailoa onto the field without a full year of rehab and rest is worth the risk, especially since the Dolphins already have a capable starter in veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, and a young backup in Josh Rosen.
Where will Dolphins get pass rushing from?
Last season, Miami’s coaches repeatedly said that the scheme would create the necessary pass-rushing pressure, and that theory turned out to be more fiction than fact considering that the Dolphins were the NFL’s worst pass rushing team in 2019. The Dolphins generated 23 sacks in 16 games, which was five sacks fewer than the second-worst team in the NFL last season. Taco Charlton and Charles Harris are both gone, and Miami signed Shaq Lawson (16.5 sacks in four seasons) and Emmanuel Ogbah (18 sacks in four seasons) to replace them, hoping that those youngsters could blossom in elevated roles. The Dolphins also added a pair of defensive ends — Jason Strowbridge and Curtis Weaver — in the fifth-round of April’s draft, and should benefit from having a healthy Andrew Van Ginkel in Year Two. But will they be enough to produce 40-plus sacks, which is what more than half of the defenses in the NFL produced last season?
What safety setup works best in the secondary?
Replacing Reshad Jones, who was released this offseason, won’t be an easy feat considering he was one of this franchise’s top playmakers for a decade. The Dolphins spent last season converting two former cornebacks — Bobby McCain and Eric Rowe — to safety, and that experiment had mixed reviews. Miami drafted former
Texas standout Brandon Jones in the third round, and added two veteran safeties — Clayton Fejedelem and Kavon Frazier — to compete with Adrian Colbert and Steven Parker to determine who will roam the back-end of Miami’s secondary. They all bring something different to the table, and it is on Miami’s coaches to find the right pairing for this defense.
Does Michael Deiter have a future at center?
The Dolphins signed two potential starters at the interior offensive line spots in Ereck Flowers and Ted Karras, and Miami drafted three young and promising offensive linemen in Austin Jackson, Robert Hunt and Solomon Kindley. Add those five to Jesse Davis, Shaq Calhoun and Danny Isidora and the Dolphins have a crowded offensive line room that is filled with promising starting guards. Deiter, a former Wisconsin standout the Dolphins selected in the second round of the 2018 draft and started at left guard most of the season, might be best utilized at center, competing with Karras to be Daniel Kilgore’s replacement because it’s unlikely that he’ll outperform Flowers, who has 71 NFL starts under his belt.
Is Davon Godchaux part of franchise’s long-term future?
Godchaux has started 37 games over the first three years of his NFL career, and has contributed 163 tackles. Problem is, Godchaux has only produced three sacks, forced one fumble, and has annually played on one of the NFL’s worst run defenses during his tenure with the Dolphins, which indicates that he’s not as impactful as Miami needs him to be. He’s slated to earn $2,133,000 in the final year of his rookie deal, and will seek a new contract that pays him $10 million-plus a season. If the Dolphins make him play this season without a new deal don’t be surprised if he moves on. We’ll soon learn if Raekwon Davis, the Dolphins’ 2020 second-round pick, was drafted as Godchaux’s replacement.
Will Preston Williams be healthy enough to have an impactful second season?
Williams, an undrafted rookie from Colorado State, was having an impressive NFL debut before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in a November win over the New York Jets. The concern is that Williams, who contributed 32 receptions for 428 yards and three touchdowns in his seven starts, won’t be able to pick up where he left off because of the nine to 12 month rehab process. Flores specifically expressed concern about whether this 23 year old would take the rehab process seriously, hinting at the maturity concerns that led to the talented receiver going undrafted. Will Williams prove Flores right or wrong?
Can Albert Wilson regain his run-after-catch ability?
Wilson was one of the NFL’s most dynamic weapons after the catch in 2018, before a hip injury limited his ability to shake-and-bake defenders. He returned last year, but was a shell of himself on the field. The Dolphins re-structured Wilson’s contract by cutting his pay in half, giving him a chance to redeem himself in 2020. It will be interesting to see if the Port St. Lucie native can once again take the NFL by storm and be a big-play weapon in Chan Gailey’s offense, or if he’ll be leapfrogged on the depth chart by a youngster more fitted to be Miami’s slot receiver.
Who will be the leader of Miami’s offensive line?
Kilgore spent two years as a team captain, holding the hand of most of the youngsters in Miami’s offensive line room. He taught them how to breakdown film and train at a high level. Now that the 32 year old has been released it creates a massive leadership void in this unit, which now has Flowers, a six-year veteran, as the most experienced player in it. Does Flowers, or fellow newcomer Karras, have what it takes to be the unit’s vocal leader. Or will Jesse Davis, a three-year starter, be forced to step up and be more vocal. Does Davis have the personality and experience needed to fill that void?
Which defender will run Miami’s defense?
Jerome Baker served as the signal-caller for Miami’s defense in 2019. It was the first season he filled that role, but could be the last because of the signing of former Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy this offseason. Van Noy, who has started 52 NFL games, and Baker, who is entering his third season, will likely be paired together as the every-down linebackers in the Dolphins’ hybrid defense. Who wears the helmet that connects the players on the field to the coaching staff will likely come down to who makes new defensive coordinator Josh Boyer more comfortable as the unit’s play-caller.
Which cornerback will man the nickel spot?
The Dolphins should have one of the NFL’s best cornerback tandems in Xavien Howard and Byron Jones once Howard completes his rehab for the left knee injury that kept him sidelined for most of 2019. Both Howard and Jones have the ability shadow any defender, but they don’t have much experience defending slot receivers. The Dolphins must find a cornerback, or safety who can take those shifty receivers out the game, and the team has quite a few options. McCain filled that role for three seasons before transitioning to safety last year. Jamal Perry handled the nickel role for Miami most of last season. Nik Needham finished an impressive rookie season playing slot for the final few games, but struggled a bit. And Miami selected Noah Igbinoghene in the first round of April’s draft and the Auburn cornerback possesses the skill set needed for the nickel spot.