Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
A look at the depth chart heading into key Week 2
The Miami Dolphins are headed into the most important week of training camp considering that joint practices provide coaches and evaluators the best opportunity to assess their rosters during the exhibition season.
Miami’s two days of joint practices against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Friday night’s preseason game should provide some insight on areas of strength, and positions where the Dolphins have talent and depth concerns.
Overall, this week should provide clarity when it comes to who deserves to be on the Dolphins’ 53-man regularseason roster and the practice squad. Here is a look at where the Dolphins’ depth chart stands heading into Week 2 of the preseason:
OFFENSE
QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Josh Rosen, Jake Rudock
Fitzpatrick’s experience, mastery of the offense and his leadership makes him the leading candidate to earn the starting spot. He hasn’t spent one week with the backups since joining the team. But Rosen is making steady improvements, processing things faster, and playing at a higher level each week. The Dolphins hope that Rosen can continue to clean up his game by cutting down on the mental errors, reading defenses faster and throwing less check-down passes. Rudock is pushing to be Miami’s practice squad quarterback, but needs to impress during the exhibition games.
RB: Kenyan Drake, Kalen Ballage, Mark Walton, Myles Gaskin (R), Patrick Laird (R) Kenneth Farrow
Drake and Ballage will likely share the Dolphins backfield if they both remain healthy, splitting the workload. Drake, who contributed 1,012 rushing and receiving yards and scored nine touchdowns on his 173 offensive touches last season, will likely fill the Kevin Faulk role in this offense while Ballage will mimic LeGarrette Blount’s style, injecting power into Miami’s running game. Walton, the former Hurricanes standout Miami signed this offseason, appears to be leading the pack as the third tailback. Gaskin and Laird are battling for the final spot, or a practice squad job.
FB: Nick O’Leary, Chandler Cox (R) O’Leary, who started seven of the 12 games he played last season in Miami, has been the most consistent tight end through camp’s first three weeks of practice. He seamlessly fits in as Miami’s H-back, working as a chess piece in the offense. Cox’s battering-ram style stood out in Thursday’s preseason game against Atlanta, and his physical nature
should inject fear in the opposition because he mows down defenders with cut blocks.
TE: Dwayne Allen, Mike Gesicki, Durham Smythe, Clive Walford, Chris Myarick (R)
Allen hasn’t been cleared to practice because of a knee injury that has lingered all offseason, but he’s viewed as the leader of this inconsistent unit. Miami’s carving out a pass-catching role for Gesicki, who struggles with the physicality required to be a traditional tight end. The hope is that Gesicki, the Dolphins’
2018 second-round pick, stops shying away from contact. Smythe and Walford are serviceable, but nothing to brag about.
Slot WR: Albert Wilson, Isaiah Ford, Trenton Irvin (R); Flanker: Kenny Stills, Jakeem Grant, Allen Hurns, Reece Horn, Saeed Blacknall; Split end: DeVante Parker, Preston Williams, Brice Butler
Wilson and Grant’s injuries have opened the door for Williams to shine, and he’s seizing the opportunity. The undrafted rookie from Colorado
State could begin pushing for a starting role because he’s just as talented as Parker, and might be more durable. Stills needs to be groomed to play the slot receiver role because Miami needs an intelligent playmaker there, and Stills has scored 24 touchdowns over the past four seasons. Hurns, Butler and Ford need to take their game to another level to convince the Dolphins to keep a sixth receiver. Only Ford has practice squad eligibility left out of those three.
LT: Laremy Tunsil, Zach Sterup, Joey Jones-Smith, Will Holden; LG: Michael Deiter (R), Kyle Fuller, Durval Queiroz Neto (R);
C: Daniel Kilgore, Chris Reed, Tony Adams; RG:
Shaq Calhoun, Michael Dunn, Aaron Monteiro (R); RT: Jesse Davis, Jordan Mills, Isaiah Prince (R)
The Dolphins have done a poor job improving this unit, which explains why their position coach got fired after the first week of training camp. But plenty of the offensive line’s struggles can be credited to the team’s shortage of decent options. The Dolphins lack a backup left tackle, and Davis being forced to play right tackle creates a massive need at right guard, the spot he started at the past two seasons. Calhoun, an undrafted rookie, presently holds the starting right guard spot, but Miami can, and should do better. Deiter, the Dolphins’ 2019 third-round pick, is being groomed to handle the left guard spot, and he’s making steady progress, but he needs to learn and develop fast. Blocking Ndamukong Suh this week will provide Deiter plenty of valuable lessons.
DEFENSE
DE: Tank Carradine, Jonathan Ledbetter (R), Robert Nkemdiche (PUP); Pass
rushers: Charles Harris, Nate Orchard, Andrew Van Ginkel (R), Dewayne Hendrix (R), Tyrone Holmes; DT: Davon Godchaux, Christian Wilkins (R), Akeem Spence, Adolphus Washington, Vincent Taylor, Joey Mbu, Jamiyus Pittman, Cory Thomas (R)
The Dolphins are loaded at defensive tackle, which means the rotation on the interior of the defensive line should be solid. But Miami remains relatively thin on edgesetting defensive ends, and lacks a polished pass rusher who can beat his man one-on-one consistently. That won’t change unless Harris, Orchard or Van Ginkel take their game to another level. All three must get better at setting the edge. Adding Nkemdiche to the fold should help once he’s cleared to practice and play, but the Dolphins
need to find pressure players opposing offenses must game plan for.
ILB: Sam Eguavoen, Raekwon McMillan, Chase Allen; OLB: Jerome Baker, Kiko Alonso, Tre’ Watson (R), Quentin Poling, Terrill Hank (R), Nick DeLuca, Terrance Smith
Injuries McMillan, Alonso and Allen are nursing have thinned out this unit, opening the door for Eguavoen to work his way up the depth chart. And it appears the CFL import has no plans to relinquish the starting spot. Baker’s the player this nickelbased defense is being built around, and his skillset as a strong cover guy, and respected blitzer appears to make him the perfect fit. The Dolphins need to find a couple linebackers who can help on special teams while they learn and develop. Trading McMillan and Alonso should be strongly considered because they still have value to other teams, and might lose that value if each spends the entire season as a backup, or role player in Miami.
CB: Xavien Howard, Eric Rowe, Nik Needham (R), Cornell Armstrong, Torry McTyer, Ty Patmon, David Rivers, Cordrea Tankersley (IR); NICKEL:
Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jomal Wiltz, Jalen Davis
Howard is picking up right where he left off in 2018, building a reputation as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. Rowe, who is sidelined by an injury, has been decent, but hasn’t done enough to lock down the other starting boundary spot. And Fitzpatrick seems to be enduring a few growing pains in his new role as the nickel cornerback and tight end coverage specialist. The Dolphins need to identify at least two more cornerbacks they can rely on behind Howard, Rowe and Fitzpatrick, who should be tested on the boundary before the regular season starts. Wiltz, Needham, Armstrong, McTyer, Davis and Patmon
are fringe NFL players who need to play well on special teams to have their stay in South Florida extended. Expect Tankersley, who is rehabbing a torn ACL, to spend all year on injured reserve.
FS: Bobby McCain, Montre Hartage (R), Maurice Smith; SS: Reshad Jones, T.J. McDonald, Walt Aikens, Chris Lammons
McCain has made a successful transition from nickel cornerback to free safety, serving as the leader and traffic conductor in the secondary. Jones and McDonald are expected to share the playing time at strong safety, but a foot injury has Jones sidelined, likely until the regular season starts. McDonald, who has started every NFL game he’s played in, needs to use this opportunity to carve out a significant role for himself. Aikens’ special teams prowess likely earns him a spot on the 53-man roster. The Dolphins need to find another rangy defender to serve as McCain’s backup just in case Fitzpatrick is needed at cornerback full-time. So far none of the youngsters have impressed.
SPECIALIST
Kicker: Jason Sanders; Punter: Matt Haack;
Long Snapper: John Denney, Wesley Farnsworth; Returners:
Jakeem Grant, Kenyan Drake, Albert Wilson, Isaiah Ford and Trent Irwin
Denney, a 15-year veteran, is in a legitimate battle with Farnsworth, a rookie from Nevada, that could end the tenure of the longest-tenured Dolphins player on the roster. However, Farnsworth struggled in against the Falcons, so he’s got some work to do. While Grant remains sidelined by an undisclosed injury, the Dolphins are searching for a respectable return man who can handle a full-time workload.