Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Kelly: State of Dolphins’ roster
The Miami Dolphins had an aggressive first week of free agency, which should provide last year’s 5-11 team the makeover it needed to patch the glaring holes on the roster.
By spending more than $145 million in guaranteed money to sign 10 free agents, the Dolphins should be able to select the best available players with the team’s 14 selections in the 2020 NFL draft in April.
Take a look at where the roster stands with the free-agent newcomers heading into the draft:
QB (3): Ryan Fitzpatrick, Josh Rosen and Jake Rudock
The Dolphins have a little over $10 million committed to Fitzpatrick, the team’s Most Valuable Player in 2019, and Rosen, who Miami traded a 2019 secondround pick and a 2020 fifth-round selection to acquire during the last year’s NFL draft. There’s a chance Rosen, who struggled as Miami’s starter last year, will improve in his third season, but the Dolphins’ decision-makers openly acknowledge that they need to find a young quarterback they can groom for the future so don’t be surprised if Rosen, who is 23, is traded again. The Dolphins are searching for a quarterback with athleticism because that’s the type of player new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey prefers.
RB (7): Jordan Howard, Kalen Ballage, Patrick Laird, Myles Gaskin, Samaje Perine, De’Lance Turner and Chandler Cox (fullback)
Howard has played in 57 games during his career, accounting for 3,895 yards with 30 touchdowns and has a 4.3 career yards-per-carry average. Perine, who joined the team late last season, has experience as a starter, but struggled the past two seasons. Ballage was terrible as Miami’s starting tailback, averaging only 1.8 yards per attempt before a leg injury got him placed on injured reserve. Laird (2.7 yards per carry), Gaskin (3.7 ypc) and Turner (1.5 ypc) haven’t proven they can serve as a frontline back in the NFL. The signing of linebacker Elandon Roberts, who also served as a fullback during his time in New England, puts Cox on the hot seat. The 2019 seventh-round pick needs to contribute more on special teams to extend his South Florida stay. Expect the Dolphins to draft a tailback early, giving Howard someone young and promising to share the backfield with.
WR (11): DeVante Parker, Preston Williams, Albert Wilson, Allen Hurns, Jakeem Grant, Mack Hollins, Isaiah
Ford, Gary Jennings Jr. Ricardo Louis, Terry Wright and Andy Jones
This is the one position on Miami’s roster that seems fairly stacked from a talent standpoint if Parker replicates last year’s productivity (1,202 yards and nine touchdowns on 72 receptions), Williams doesn’t suffer a setback from the ACL injury he suffered in early November, and if Wilson evolves into respectable slot receiver. Wilson’s roster spot isn’t guaranteed because he’s due $9.5 million, but he’ll likely get a chance to earn it in training camp. Grant, a return specialist, should be considered safe if he’s productive in training camp, so the rest of Miami’s receivers are competing for one or two spots on the 53-man roster. Hollins is a special teams demon, and Jennings Jr. and Ford have potential as slot receivers, so those three should be considered the front-runners for the final spot heading into training camp. Adding a young receiver from this talented draft class would complicate things further.
TE (4): Mike Gesicki, Durham Smythe, Michael Roberts and Chris Myarick
Gesicki had a solid 2019 season as Miami’s pass-catching specialist. He was second on the team with 51 receptions, which he turned into 570 yards and five touchdowns. Smythe (seven receptions for 65 yards) has been adequate as Miami’s in-line tight end the past two seasons, but he now has competition from Roberts, a third-year veteran Miami claimed off waivers earlier this year. Myarick showed promise on the practice squad last season, so he could be ready to push for a spot on the 53-man roster this fall. If Gesicki is going to remain the featured player at this position, it would help if he became a respectable blocker.
OL (9): Jesse Davis (OT/OG), Julien Davenport (OT), Ereck Flowers (OT/ OG), Ted Karras (OG/C) Michael Deiter (OG/C), Danny Isidora (OG), Adam Pankey (OT/OG), Shaq Calhoun (OG) and Keaton Sutherland (OG)
Based on this unit’s struggles to open up running lanes, and protect the quarterback in 2019 a massive overhaul was warranted this offseason. Miami signed Karras and Flowers with the hope that these two veterans can help stabilize
the interior of the offensive line. Davis has played every position but center in his three seasons as a starter for the Dolphins, so he’ll provide a stabilizing presence to this unit wherever he ends up. Davenport, Deiter, Calhoun and Isidora all served as starters last season, but each struggled in games and need to turn the volume up on their contribution to remain in the mix to start. Don’t be surprised to see the Dolphins add another player at each offensive line position, especially offensive tackle. Taking a tackle in the first three rounds of the draft would be ideal for Miami.
Pass rusher (9): Shaq Lawson, Emmanuel Ogbah, Avery Moss, Taco Charlton, Charles Harris, Andrew Van Ginkel, Jamal Davis II, Jonathan Ledbetter and Trent Harris
The Dolphins generated 23 sacks in 16 games, which was five sacks fewer than the second-worst team (Seattle) in the NFL last season. Lackluster play from the edge players were at the root of these issues because nobody on last year’s unit could disengage from an offensive tackle’s block and hunt down quarterbacks consistently. Lawson (16.5 sacks in four seasons) and Ogbah (18 sacks in four seasons) should be viewed as immediate upgrades over Moss and Charlton. Van Ginkel, Ledbetter, Davis and Trent Harris all contributed last season in limited roles, and whether those roles get expanded likely depends on how much their games develop in Miami’s hybrid defense, which required plenty from the pass rushers. Miami should attempt to trade Charles Harris, the Dolphins’ 2017 first-round pick, because his contributions last season (23 tackles and half a sack) proves he doesn’t fit in this scheme.
DT (5): Christian Wilkins, Davon Godchaux, Gerald Willis, Zach Sieler and Durval Neto
Only five teams were worse than Miami when it came to defending the run last season. The Dolphins allowed 2,166 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on 485 attempts, which averages out to 4.5 yards per carry. Wilkins and Godchaux collectively produced four sacks and seven tackles for loss last season. They are regularly driven off the line of scrimmage, which indicates that they need to do a better job of anchoring in the trenches. Miami needs to develop a better defensive tackle rotation to help this group stay fresh and play at their best more often. That means one more front-line defensive tackle is needed, and adding someone young would be ideal considering Godchaux is entering the final year of his rookie deal.
LB (11): Kyle Van Noy, Jerome Baker, Raekwon McMillan, Vince Biegel, Elandon Roberts, Sam Eguavoen, Kamu Grugier-Hill, James Crawford, Terrill Hanks, Calvin Munson and Jake Carlock
Van Noy is the jack-of-all-trades piece coach Brian Flores’ defense was missing last season. The former Patriots starter can do everything needed to serve as the Swiss Army knife that makes this hybrid defense interchangeable in the front seven. His addition should lighten the load placed on Baker (124 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one interception in 2019) and McMillan’s shoulders. It could also allow Biegel, who the Dolphins have given an original-round tender to, to play his natural position, which is to serve as a passrushing outside linebacker. Last year Biegel, who contributed 57 tackles, 2.5 sacks and one interception, was forced to serve as an edge setter far too often. Roberts, Eguavoen, Grugier-Hill and Crawford will likely become role players and special teams contributors unless injuries deplete this unit.
CB (10): Xavien Howard, Byron Jones, Nik Needham, Cordrea Tankersley, Ryan Lewis, Tae Hayes, Ken Webster, Jomal Wiltz, Nate Brooks and Linden Stephens
The Dolphins possess two reliable boundary cornerbacks in Howard, who missed most of the 2019 season because of a lingering left knee injury, and Jones, who the Dolphins signed to a five-year, $82.5 million contract as a free agent. Needham, Lewis, Webster and Wiltz will compete to become the third cornerback. Tankersley, a former third-round pick who has missed nearly two seasons because of a knee injury he suffered in 2018, will have a tough time making it onto Miami’s 53-man roster unless he emerges as a top playmaker in training camp and the preseason. If Howard comes back healthy, Miami’s biggest challenge will be to determine who is the best fit as the team’s starting nickel cornerback.
Safety (6): Bobby McCain, Eric Rowe, Clayton Fejedelem, Steven Parker, Adrian Colbert, Montre Hartage
The Dolphins were forced to play most of last season without the team’s two starting safeties, which opened the door for Rowe to make the transition from cornerback to safety, and for Parker (20 tackles and two interceptions) and Colbert (22 tackles) to collectively start nine games. Fejedelem, who was signed to a three-year deal worth $8.55 million as a free agent, has primarily been a special teams contributor. We’ll see if he can handle more in training camp. Because of Reshad Jones’ release, the Dolphins would benefit from finding a more impactful safety because this unit needs to create turnovers. So don’t be surprised if the Dolphins select a safety early in the 2020 NFL draft, and possibly move McCain back to nickel cornerback, the position he played his first four seasons.
Special teams (3): Kicker Jason Sanders, long snapper Taybor Pepper and punter Matt Haack
Sanders had a solid season, making 23-of-30 field goals and 29-of-30 extra point attempts. He’s also produced 49 touchbacks on kickoffs. Don’t be surprised when the Dolphins add a younger, and cheaper punter, because Haack, who the Dolphins played an exclusive rights tender worth $2.13 million, needs to place a higher percentage of his punts inside the opponents 20-yard line and improve his net punt average (41.1).