2024 Dolphins: Throw the Damn Towel

[sodenj5]

Figured I would kick off the new thread seeing as the Dolphins made some news yesterday.

Xavien Howard will be released before the start of the new league year, along with Emmanuel Ogbah.

Howard was one of the most successful draft picks of the Chris Grier era, and one of the most dominant man to man corners in the league. That being said, it’s clear he’s lost a step and has struggled to stay healthy the last two years. I wish him nothing but the best moving forward.

Ogbah was a square peg in a round hole in Fangio’s scheme. Even with that being said, he was over paid and once they traded for and signed Chubb, this was always the logical outcome.

I’m very interested in seeing a year 2 Cam Smith in a different scheme and maybe with a DC that doesn’t put him in the dog house for a full season.

That being said, these moves are being made to both extend Tua and the rumors are extend Christian Wilkins. An extension for those two likely buys them another year or two of salary cap flexibility with some creative accounting.

 

[j-man]

miami is in a tough spot
is tua the guy to lead them to the big game or is he a top 10-15 QB will be outmatched come playoff time

glass haif full u win the afc east getting a top 2 seed and balt and kc lose in round one giveing u homefied in the afc
emity the jets win 10-11 games and buff wins the east whild u fight with AFC North and LAC for 6/7 SEED

 

[sodenj5]

miami is in a tough spot
is tua the guy to lead them to the big game or is he a top 10-15 QB will be outmatched come playoff time

glass haif full u win the afc east getting a top 2 seed and balt and kc lose in round one giveing u homefied in the afc
emity the jets win 10-11 games and buff wins the east whild u fight with AFC North and LAC for 6/7 SEED

I have think within the context of Miami’s team, Tua is a top 10 QB. The argument can be made that if he wasn’t in McDaniel’s offense or he didn’t have Tyreek, he would be top 15. Well, guess what? He is in Mike McDaniel’s offense, and he does have Tyreek and Waddle.

Eventually Tyreek will move on (probably when it’s time to pay Tua and Waddle), but Tua will continue to be with a head coach that builds his scheme around Tua’s strengths.

Tua looked very good in 22 before the concussions, and he just played 17 games and lead the league in passing. There’s nothing more for him to prove. Miami has to pay him, especially with the roster they’ve built.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

Nothing more for him to prove? Obviously we want to be fair to him and look at his whole body of work, but after his torrid start, his last 10 games of the season were nothing to write home about.

240 Yards per game (14th)
7.4 YPA (12th)
90.1 rating (19th)
12 TD / 8 INT

So, with one of the most explosive offenses in football, the last 2.5 months of the season saw Tua perform as a league average QB. If you were happy with his overall body of work and strides he took, that's fair. But I'm not sure "there's nothing left to prove" or that he should get paid like a top QB.

 

[j-man]

Nothing more for him to prove? Obviously we want to be fair to him and look at his whole body of work, but after his torrid start, his last 10 games of the season were nothing to write home about.

240 Yards per game (14th)
7.4 YPA (12th)
90.1 rating (19th)
12 TD / 8 INT

So, with one of the most explosive offenses in football, the last 2.5 months of the season saw Tua perform as a league average QB. If you were happy with his overall body of work and strides he took, that's fair. But I'm not sure "there's nothing left to prove" or that he should get paid like a top QB.

yeah that is russell wilson numbers but Starting QB are going to be worth 40 mil a year going forward which is why the NFL office shouild pay that for all 32 teams without a rookie qb contact this wouild all teams at least 40 ex mil to play with
i almost think starting spots shouild a fixed number like

QB 40-60 MIL
RB 5-12 MIL
FB 1-2.5 MIL
WR 20-30 MIL
TE 7-20 MIL
LT 25-40 MIL
OG 10-20 MIL
C 15-25 MIL
DE RUSH 40-50 MIL
DT 25-30 MIL
MLB 15-25 MIL
CB 30-40 MIL
S 20-25 MIL
K 15-25 MIL
P 5 MIL

 

[sodenj5]

Nothing more for him to prove? Obviously we want to be fair to him and look at his whole body of work, but after his torrid start, his last 10 games of the season were nothing to write home about.

240 Yards per game (14th)
7.4 YPA (12th)
90.1 rating (19th)
12 TD / 8 INT

So, with one of the most explosive offenses in football, the last 2.5 months of the season saw Tua perform as a league average QB. If you were happy with his overall body of work and strides he took, that's fair. But I'm not sure "there's nothing left to prove" or that he should get paid like a top QB.

I suppose I meant nothing to prove in terms whether or not he’s worthy of paying and keeping on the team. Not necessarily that he’s conquered the NFL.

Also, those number match up exactly when Miami’s entire offensive line went down, and his down numbers are still top half of the league. Not trying to make to many injury excuses, but it was Austin Jackson, Liam Eichenberg, and some duct tape for a stretch there.

 

[sodenj5]

New NFLPA survey results released today. Miami ranked #1 in the NFL, with Stephen Ross receiving near perfect marks, and their family treatment improving year over year from last season.

https://nflpa.com/miami-dolphins-report-card-2024

For contrast, the Patriots ranked 29th in the NFL.

https://nflpa.com/new-england-patriots-report-card-2024

 

[Justthetippett]

New NFLPA survey results released today. Miami ranked #1 in the NFL, with Stephen Ross receiving near perfect marks, and their family treatment improving year over year from last season.

https://nflpa.com/miami-dolphins-report-card-2024

For contrast, the Patriots ranked 29th in the NFL.

https://nflpa.com/new-england-patriots-report-card-2024

Stephen Ross can't tamper or throw games for shit, but he does serve a nice souffle!

I'm surprised they beat out the Cowboys or maybe Vegas. Would have thought all the new facilities would make a big impression.

 

[RG33]

New NFLPA survey results released today. Miami ranked #1 in the NFL, with Stephen Ross receiving near perfect marks, and their family treatment improving year over year from last season.

https://nflpa.com/miami-dolphins-report-card-2024

For contrast, the Patriots ranked 29th in the NFL.

https://nflpa.com/new-england-patriots-report-card-2024

[Insert “raise the ‘Treat Families the Best’ banner” joke here]

 

[sodenj5]

[Insert “raise the ‘Treat Families the Best’ banner” joke here]

[Insert “raise the ‘Treat Families the Worst’ banner” joke here]

 

[RG33]

[Insert “raise the ‘Treat Families the Worst’ banner” joke here]

That would be an unfunny joke though, considering.

 

[pdaj]

Well ... a lot has happened since February, so I'll comment on just a few aspects.

1) Free Agency

Losing Christian Wilkins was tough for me, as he's everything you want to see in a player and team leader. For the last few years, he set the tone up front for the defense and was the prime reason Miami ranked well among the top teams vs. the run. But 30+ per season? That's peak Aaron Donald money. Best of luck to Wilkins in Vegas! I'm glad he at least left the division.

Add Robert Hunt to the list of over-pays. Good player; crazy contract. With a big QB contract looming, you don't have the luxury of paying a guard that much.

Note: The Wilkins subtraction hurt more due to the late-season injuries to both Chubb and Phillips. When will they be back, and how effective will they be once they are? These questions made for a challenging FA period, and I think Grief nailed it with the addition of Fuller (Howard's replacement), Barrett, Brooks, Walker, and Poyer. Additionally, on the offensive line, adding Brewer and bringing back Jones, Lamm, and Wynn was big.

2) The Draft

A) I like Chop as a prospect, but he's only 20, and may need a year or two to develop. If he can contribute to the edge rotation right away, it's a win.

B) Miami drafted an OL! However, he, too, appears to be a project.

Can both players work out? Sure! And, of course, I'm hoping for that. But I'm nervous.

C) Wright, the Washington duo at WR, and Kamara look to be great additions (potentially). I'm interested to see the final makeup of the WR room, especially after the signing of ...

3) Odell Beckham, Jr.

MAN! What a perfect fit. He can play everywhere, which helps when Hill and Waddle inevitably miss time. And when the 3 are together? Goodness.

4) Tua.

I still like him. I still see a realistic path to him getting better and better. However, if I'm 100% honest, I'm scared to see Miami pay him 50+ million long-term. He shrunk in big moments/games many times last season.

5) P.S. An underrated addition this offseason? Jonnu Smith.

Defenses are going to have a helluva time stopping this off-season on 3rd down.

 

[johnmd20]

Odell is washed, you can't expect anything from him. He has 102 catches in the last 4 season.(he missed 1 of them in full)

 

[pdaj]

Odell is washed, you can't expect anything from him. He has 102 catches in the last 4 season.(he missed 1 of them in full)

I respectfully disagree!

 

[SoxinSeattle]

Needed both hands on every catch. Would not roster.

 

[pdaj]

Needed both hands on every catch. Would not roster.

When are we going to be able to like/react to posts on this site? Hopefully soon! I had to come up with some additional football-related information just so I could give this response the "Haha!" it deserved.

Regarding the additional info, Miami media is speculating that the Dolphins may be looking to add additional OL help (guard) after the money from cutting Xavien Howard comes off the books post-June. Dalton Risner and Van Roten have been mentioned as possibilities.

https://www.profootballnetwork.com/miami-dolphins-free-agency-2-begins-monday/

 

[sodenj5]

Miami’s receiving room is ridiculously stacked right now.

I think everyone sort of forgets that Waddle battled injuries all year last year, from the start of training camp, and Tyreek battled a high ankle sprain the last few weeks. I don’t want to say, this offense is going to be insane, because odds are one of Hill, Waddle, or OBJ is going to get hurt and miss time, but when OBJ and Jonnu are your third and fourth options, that’s a good place to be.

Adding Jaylen Wright at RB is just a hilarious “we are speed” addition, and he’s likely Mostert’s long term replacement.

Miami is in the phase of team building where they are correctly not paying large dollars to non-premium positions. Wilkins is a very good player. He isn’t a great player, and up until his contract year, he didn’t have great production in the passing game. Happy for him to get the bag, but Miami was never matching that contract. Same with Hunt. A good player got paid like the best guard in the league. Carolina has a QB on a rookie deal, and Miami is about have a QB on a second deal.

Good teams need to be able to sustain losses like Wilkins and Hunt and Xavien Howard and find cheaper alternatives. This is where Chris Grier is going to earn his money.

 

[pdaj]

I'm excited to see how Wright will be used this season ...

 

[DeadlySplitter]

View: https://twitter.com/adamschefter/status/1796179769635090773

 

[Ferm Sheller]

Shaq Barrett has retired.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/40605020/two-super-bowl-champion-shaq-barrett-retires-nfl

 

[sodenj5]

A tiny bit of a gut punch. Barrett was really a half year rental until Phillips and Chubb come back from injury.

Chop Robinson and Mo Kamara are going to be getting a lot of snaps early in the year. Would imagine they looks to pick someone up now. Old friend Ogbah is still out there as a free agent. Would probably be a good one year bridge on a cheap deal.

 

[sodenj5]

Like clockwork:


Ogbah played decently in his reduced role, the problem was he had the highest cap hit on the team last year and Fangio banished him.

Ogbah handled everything like a true pro last year and I’m sure still has plenty of supporters in the locker room and staff. Makes too much sense not to get done.

 

[sodenj5]

And now confirmed, Ogbah will be signing back with Miami. They also reportedly had Yannick Ngakoue in for a visit.


Makes a lot of sense and they probably needed someone a little more stout than can play a true hand-in-the-dirt edge, with Chop being particularly light and mainly a pass rusher at this point.

 

[DeadlySplitter]

View: https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1816912940676927770

 

[Pesky Pole]

$167M guaranteed on the Tua deal.

 

[sodenj5]

Slots in under Burrow and Lawrence, but just over Herbert, Goff, and Cousins in AAV

Tua earned it. You can say he hasn’t delivered in the big moments, but he has been one of the most effective passers in the league since being paired up with Mike McDaniel and Tyreek Hill.

Eventually Tyreek will depart, but Miami has Waddle and Tua locked up long term moving forward.

Tua would be 31 at the end of this deal. If he plays well and stays healthy, he’s probably entering negotiations in his age 30 season for another deal.

Final edit: I feel better having Tua, who has shown improvement every single year of his career so far and has numerous metrics and statistics supporting his case as an upper tier QB than I would having Trevor Lawrence locked up longer for more dollars.

 

[Cotillion]

Slots in under Burrow and Lawrence, but just over Herbert, Goff, and Cousins in AAV

Tua earned it. You can say he hasn’t delivered in the big moments, but he has been one of the most effective passers in the league since being paired up with Mike McDaniel and Tyreek Hill.

Eventually Tyreek will depart, but Miami has Waddle and Tua locked up long term moving forward.

Tua would be 31 at the end of this deal. If he plays well and stays healthy, he’s probably entering negotiations in his age 30 season for another deal.

Final edit: I feel better having Tua, who has shown improvement every single year of his career so far and has numerous metrics and statistics supporting his case as an upper tier QB than I would having Trevor Lawrence locked up longer for more dollars.

I think people have to get used to what are "table stakes" in QB negotiations now. Really need these deals reported as % of cap to really understand how out of whack they might be. At face, this deal doesn't seem way out of whack from what starting QBs are earning these days.

I also assume they have kept the normal outs and offramps that allow teams to get away from these contracts.

Really that's the only thing to worry about now with these QB contracts is whether they are properly structured for a team to move on without severely hamstringing themselves.

 

[sodenj5]

This clip on Twitter is making headlines:


Tua has spoken indirectly about how he was treated with Flores but this is the first time he’s been this direct. Called Flores “a terrible person.”

Tua has spoken about how he’s been coached hard by Saban and what his background was like with his father. He isn’t some softie that can’t take coaching or criticism. Flores ground him to a pulp, mentally.

 

[DeadlySplitter]

View: https://twitter.com/JeffDarlington/status/1829522336615141455

 

[sodenj5]

Organizational stability? Look at us.

Mike McDaniel has shown himself to be one of the best offensive minds in football. He’s also shown that he is able to connect with and lead a room full of NFL players. There are still some areas for growth, but in general, McDaniel has been as good as any fan could have possibly hoped for.

Not even mentioning he completely salvaged the career of Tua.

 

[DeadlySplitter]

View: https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1832068080534491462

 

[sodenj5]

It’s probably worth mentioning that Ramsey can, and maybe likely will, transition to safety at some point. I don’t think he’s going to be a lockdown corner for the rest of his career, but he might be valuable enough at safety/nickel even if he loses a step.

 

[pdaj]

Hey, Fins' Fam ... life's been crazy busy with work and school, but I still plan to make time for plenty of football talk this season.

How's everyone feeling about Sunday?

Injuries are (and likely will be all season) my biggest concern ... but September home games are about as big of a lock as it gets for the Dolphins. Can't wait!

 

[sodenj5]

Hey, Fins' Fam ... life's been crazy busy with work and school, but I still plan to make time for plenty of football talk this season.

How's everyone feeling about Sunday?

Injuries are (and likely will be all season) my biggest concern ... but September home games are about as big of a lock as it gets for the Dolphins. Can't wait!

Overall, pretty positive about Sunday. Jacksonville’s secondary is pretty bad. They’re banking mostly on the pass rush getting home, but Miami is so good at getting the ball out fast, that I think Miami is a bad matchup for the Jags.

Would feel better if we were at full strength, but this is hopefully a season where we will get healthier as we go, with guys like Chubb and OBJ waiting in the wings, and Phillips likely on a pitch count to start the year.

 

[dwainw]

Hard to see this team through a glass half-full lens what with distant and recent history being what it is, but I always appreciate checking in here and absorbing the reality-laced optimism and solid analysis you guys consistently provide.

A few points or things I'm curious to see:

-Home field advantage is negated quite a bit this year due to scheduling quirks such as a fellow-Florida team in week 1 and then a couple prime time home games early.
-If Miami can play up to expectations during the first 2/3 of the season, do they figure out how to deal with the cold down the stretch?
-The wOe Line. Can Tua and Mike McDaniel continue to compensate?
-How does Miami adjust for the lack of depth at WR? Do Jonnu and/or De' Von fill that void, at least in the early going?
-At what point to Malik Washington and Jaylen Wright become major factors? Because I think they both will.
-Pretty much everything about the D. Did they do enough to shore up the losses all over that side of the ball?
-Health. Will the (g)od(d)s EVER be in our favor?

All that said, if they stay healthy enough, this seems like another wild card team that could maybe win a playoff game if things break right. I'd call that a successful season with at least another year or two of this window. Let's do this!

 

[sodenj5]

I think Jaylen Wright is going to be a star in this system. Everything I’ve heard so far suggests they’re going to use Achane in the passing game quite a bit more, motioning him out of the backfield and lining him up in the slot.

Wouldn’t be surprised to see some 2 back sets and seeing if teams try and match Achane with a LB in the slot.

They also used Jonnu in some interesting ways in the preseason, feeding him end around and rushing looks, basically just getting the ball in his hands and letting him run.

Getting off to a fast start is really key, because their end of season schedule is brutal.

 

[dwainw]

Getting off to a fast start is really key, because their end of season schedule is brutal.

Miami's reputation as December pretenders is deserved by virtue of results, but how much is it the cold, how much is it an inability to out-adjust opponents at that stage of the season, and how much of it is them losing the NFL's war of attrition? I'd love for them to stay just healthy enough to find out for once.

I think Jaylen Wright is going to be a star in this system. Everything I’ve heard so far suggests they’re going to use Achane in the passing game quite a bit more, motioning him out of the backfield and lining him up in the slot.

I love this. I didn't have the guts to take him at the end of my FF drafts, but I am ITCHING to pick him up. Especially as a handcuff to Achane. He really does seem like the real deal who could help stave off a late collapse should Mostert or Achane miss significant time.

 

[sodenj5]

Miami's reputation as December pretenders is deserved by virtue of results, but how much is it the cold, how much is it an inability to out-adjust opponents at that stage of the season, and how much of it is them losing the NFL's war of attrition? I'd love for them to stay just healthy enough to find out for once.



I love this. I didn't have the guts to take him at the end of my FF drafts, but I am ITCHING to pick him up. Especially as a handcuff to Achane. He really does seem like the real deal who could help stave off a late collapse should Mostert or Achane miss significant time.

I have him as a stash in almost every league. Mostert is on the plus side of 30 and doesn’t have a long history of good health. Very likely Wright plays a fair amount of snaps at some point.

He and Mostert are so similar in size and running style, and he had a great college career in the SEC. I don’t think it’s much of a projection really. McDaniel knows running backs. He hit big with Achane and I think Wright just needs snaps to prove he hit again.

 

[DavidTai]

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/miami-dade-police-department-will-review-tyreek-hill-detainment

 

[swiftaw]

So glad we gave Ramsey that extension, burned for both TD so far.

 

[sodenj5]

Ugly wins are still wins.

Defense cranked it up when they needed to have stops. Stifled Lawrence with the game in the line. Love, love, love Phillips getting a big sack at the end.

The Holland punch out is the play of the game. Jags were about to walk in for a 17 point lead. Next play is the huge play to Tyreek. Momentum completely switched on the Holland play.

Offense found its footing in the second half. All of that horizontal stretching on screens and stretches finally took its toll on the Jags defense. Even when that stuff doesn’t look like it’s working, it’s still working. The offensive line wasn’t great, which is another reason we saw so much horizontal stretch stuff, but the Jags have one of the better units in the league.

I feel like Mostert was banged up and we saw more Achane than expected. Something to watch for Thursday.

Big, big matchup Thursday night

 

[dwainw]

Ugly wins are still wins.

Defense cranked it up when they needed to have stops. Stifled Lawrence with the game in the line. Love, love, love Phillips getting a big sack at the end.

The Holland punch out is the play of the game. Jags were about to walk in for a 17 point lead. Next play is the huge play to Tyreek. Momentum completely switched on the Holland play.

Offense found its footing in the second half. All of that horizontal stretching on screens and stretches finally took its toll on the Jags defense. Even when that stuff doesn’t look like it’s working, it’s still working. The offensive line wasn’t great, which is another reason we saw so much horizontal stretch stuff, but the Jags have one of the better units in the league.

I feel like Mostert was banged up and we saw more Achane than expected. Something to watch for Thursday.

Big, big matchup Thursday night

Loved seeing them grind out the game with Wilson at the end. Considering the short week and with Mostert maybe not 100%, you gotta believe we'll see some Jaylen Wright.

 

[tims4wins]

Body cam footage is out

 

[tims4wins]

View: https://twitter.com/marcel_lj/status/1833280653611143318?s=46


View: https://twitter.com/jalenramsey/status/1833279687025365198?s=46


View: https://twitter.com/jeffdarlington/status/1833279346938970533?s=46

 

[radsoxfan]

These cops know they are wearing body cams, right? I guess they just can't help themselves....

 

[sodenj5]

Was Tyreek being a little bit of a jerk? Maybe initially. In no way should that have amounted to what we see here. Absolutely brain dead from the cop to come in hot for no reason and escalate the situation at every possible turn.

 

[Cellar-Door]

These cops know they are wearing body cams, right? I guess they just can't help themselves....

It generally has never mattered there are basically no real consequences

 

[joe dokes]

Hill's a shit, but his (and smith's and campbell's) fear of ending up dead is palpable.

 

[Justthetippett]

Was Tyreek being a little bit of a jerk? Maybe initially. In no way should that have amounted to what we see here. Absolutely brain dead from the cop to come in hot for no reason and escalate the situation at every possible turn.

Over and over again. The only reaction they display is escalation. The cuffing. The placing on the curb. Freaking out at Campbell. Now the Union doubles down. It's just horrible conflict management.

 

[Cotillion]

Was Tyreek being a little bit of a jerk? Maybe initially. In no way should that have amounted to what we see here. Absolutely brain dead from the cop to come in hot for no reason and escalate the situation at every possible turn.

Cop already had the license and everything he needed to write the ticket for speeding and the seatbelt violation. The rest was all contempt of cop and out of control cop ego.