Getting the most from the roster
The Miami Dolphins have produced two winning seasons, and two postseason berths this past decade.
That means the Dolphins have endured 10 years of mediocrity, and have been irrelevant on the football landscape for eight of the last 10 years, a time period that has featured two owners, two vice presidents of football operations, three general managers, and three head coaches.
Everyone in the organization needs to take an all-hands-on-deck approach to getting the Dolphins off this prolonged ride on the mediocrity merry-go-round, and headed in the right direction.
On the eve of the team’s first training camp practice of the 2018 season, the South Florida Sun Sentinel has some ideas on how the Dolphins can get the most out of their roster.
Build the offense around play-action plays
History shows that quarterback Ryan Tannehill is at his best when the offense is balanced, Tannehill’s utilizing his legs, the pocket is being moved and he’s throwing on the run. The hope is that Miami can still utilize the play-action passing game despite the left knee injury that sidelined Tannehill for 20 games the past two seasons.
Make three safeties Miami’s base defense
Coach Adam Gase has vowed to use his 11 best players on defense, which could
mean Miami will run an unorthodox base defense that features three safeties instead of three linebackers. It all comes down to whether or not defensive coordinator Matt Burke is comfortable with Stephone Anthony, Chase Allen or Jerome Baker on the field instead of firstround pick Minkah Fitzpatrick or T.J. McDonald, who has started all 61 NFL games he’s played. A defense that features Reshad Jones and McDonald close to the line of scrimmage, and Fitzpatrick roaming center field could be scary for opponents.
Move William Hayes inside on passing downs
Last season Hayes proved himself to be a forceful run defender when healthy, which explains why the Dolphins re-signed the 33 year old to a one-year, $4 million deal, despite his history of back problems. With a surplus of defensive ends and a shortage of reliable defensive tackles, Miami needs to consider putting Hayes inside on obvious passing downs, allowing Robert Quinn, Cameron Wake and Charles Harris to serve as the pass-rushing specialists on third downs while Hayes moves inside to play tackle.
Develop a consistent cornerback rotation
Xavien Howard has the talent to shadow the opponent’s best receiver, and needs to get accustomed to swapping sides to trail them during games. That means Cordrea Tankersley and Tony Lippett both need to become adept at switching from the left and right side.
Split the backfield workload
Kenyan Drake has the talent to become one of the NFL’s leaders in yards from scrimmage, but he must first prove he’s reliable enough to handle an 18-20 touch-per-game workload for an entire season. To ensure he makes it through 16 regular-season games, the Dolphins need to lean on Frank Gore early, getting the 13-year veteran incorporated into the backfield rotation. Gore remains productive despite turning 35 in May, finishing 39 yards shy of his 10th 1,000-yard rushing season last year.
Find a young arm to develop
The camp battle between David Fales, Brock Osweiler and Bryce Petty to determine who serves as Tannehill’s backup will be interesting, but it is hard to envision the Dolphins winning many games if one of these three quarterbacks were forced to start more than a handful of games. Miami needs to have its scouting department combing through exhibition games to find a young quarterback (26 or younger) with upside, someone who can potentially develop into a future starter.
Add a veteran defensive tackle
Replacing an All-Pro caliber talent like Ndamukong Suh, who was waived this offseason and signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Los Angeles Rams, won’t be easy. And the burden shouldn’t be placed on one player’s shoulders. The biggest concern is that the Dolphins only have five veteran defensive tackles in training camp, which means Miami doesn’t have the depth to survive an injury or two that sidelines someone for a month. Adding a veteran like Johnathan Hankins or Kendall Langford before camp begins, or claiming someone with upside when rosters get trimmed to 53 would be a proactive way of addressing the team’s thinnest unit.
Incorporate Jakeem Grant into the offense
In two years I’ve gone from asking why Grant’s on the 53-man roster to asking how the Dolphins can get him more involved in the offense. Now that Grant’s hands have become more consistent, he’s gained the trust of the quarterbacks and his speed has opened up the field for others. Miami should test Grant out as a playmaker during the exhibition season, seeing if he should enter the receiver rotation.
Don’t rush the rookies
Gase’s track record is to have his rookies brought along slowly, excelling in small roles before more is progressively asked of them. It would be wise for Miami to take that approach with Minkah Fitzpatrick, Mike Gesicki, Jerome Baker and the rest of the rookie class considering how unpolished they are.
Rebuild special teams with youngsters
Not re-signing Michael Thomas and Damien Williams means Darren Rizzi’s usually reliable special teams unit could be watered down if Miami doesn’t find a batch of reliable contributors to serve as personal protectors, gunners and flyers. Stephone Anthony, Chase Allen, Jerome Baker, Quentin Poling, Cornell Armstrong, Torry McTyer, Maurice Smith and Trae Elston need to use special teams to extend their stay in South Florida, and improve the Dolphins.