Dolphins in depth
Position-by-position breakdown of roster
A look at where the team improved ... and didn’t.
DAVIE — The draft is over, and the bulk of free agency is over. So right now, how many areas are the Dolphins better in 2015 than they were in 2014? The answer might be sobering.
Here’s a post-daft look at where the 2015 Dolphins stand at each position group: Yes, they’ve improved Running back: Should be marginally better.
Lamar Miller seems reliable. Adding Jay Ajayi (Boise State) should help fill in the hole of power/short-yardage runner and red zone threat. Perhaps Damien Williams grows into a third-down role.
Special teams: Should be significantly better.
Much of this relies on kicker Caleb Sturgis, who ranked 28th in field goal accuracy (78.4 percent). But adding linebacker Spencer Paysinger and cornerbacks Brice McCain and Zack Bowman should help, as should many of the draftees. And you know punter Brandon Fields will be reliable. Maybe they’ve improved
Quarterback: Should be better, but tough to say for sure.
Ryan Tannehill (27 TDs, 12 INTs, 92.8 passer rating) continues trending upward. And now he seems to have wide receivers and tight ends who are well suited for his strengths — the intermediate and short passes. But Tannehill needs to show he can elevate this offense and this team.
Defensive line: It’s a close call. That’s jarring, considering the Dolphins added tackle Ndamukong Suh. But they lost tackles Randy Starks and Jared Odrick. One Suh isn’t equal to a Starks and Odrick. He’s not that good. They added nose tackle Jordan Phillips in the draft, but he’s a wait-andsee prospect. And if they had more faith in the returning tackles, it’s doubtful they would have drafted one in the second round.
Wide receiver: It’s a close call. This is another area where the additions
(DeVante Parker, Greg Jennings, Kenny Stills) might not outweigh the losses (Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson). We can safely assume Jarvis Landry and Jennings are reliable. Parker and Stills are talented, but they’re young. And so is Landry, for that matter. This crew has talent, but youth raises lots of questions.
Tight end: Tough to say for sure.
Jordan Cameron, a Pro Bowl selection in 2013, is coming off a down year due to concussion issues. And Dion Sims, whose skills as a blocker are unquestioned, is only so-so as a receiver. They need to show they can stay healthy, be safety blankets for Tannehill, run the seam route, get yards after catch, and be red-zone threats.
Offensive line: Tough to say for sure.
Much of this depends on how well left tackle Branden Albert (knee) recovers and how soon he returns. He might not be ready for the opener. If right tackle Ja’Wuan James has to play on the left side early in the season, right tackle becomes a question. And there are still questions, to some degree, at right guard and left guard (even though they drafted left guard Jamil Douglas). At least you know center Mike Pouncey is a rock.
Defensive back: Tough to say for sure.
The Dolphins added a number of defensive backs in the offseason, but you still don’t know that they’ve made up for the losses of cornerback Cortland Finnegan and nickel Jimmy Wilson. And free safety Louis Delmas is recovering from a knee injury. Cornerback Brent Grimes and strong safety Reshad Jones are solid veterans. And safety is a team strength as a whole. But the questions at cornerback and nickel are significant.
No, they haven’t improved
Linebacker: A glaring shortcoming.
There’s nothing special about middle linebacker Koa Misi and outside linebackers Jelani Jenkins and Chris McCain, and there’s nothing special about the reserves. This could be a problem against the run and pass.
Collins to visit
LSU offensive lineman La’el Collins, whose draft standing was tarnished because he was linked to the murder of a former girlfriend, will meet with the Dolphins, a day after he met with police in Louisiana.
Collins met with Bills coach Rex Ryan on Monday evening, and is set to meet with the Dolphins on Tuesday according to the Baton Rouge Advocate.
The Dolphins considered Collins as an option for the team’s No. 14 pick, but like every other team couldn’t pursue him until they were certain he wasn’t involved with his ex-girlfriend’s murder.
Collins, who was viewed as a first-round pick, went undrafted and can sign a two-year contract with any NFL team.
Team sources claim the Dolphins thoroughly investigated the matter and planned to pursue the college tackle, who has also played guard, once the legal process had taken its course. Fortunately for the Dolphins, new czar Mike Tannenbaum was a partner in the same sports agency that represents Collins.