[Intersaison] Miami Dolphins: new foundations … and even Tua?

How to revive or how to do even better? The editorial team of touchdownactu offers you a point of view franchise by franchise: inventory of strengths and weaknesses as well as ideas for the market and the draft. Today a franchise to the surprisingly eventful off-season: the Miami Dolphins.

The art of starting over. While the start of the Brian Flores era had hinted at great things, despite the two playoff qualifications missed by nothing, the Florida management has once again decided to complicate the task. Exit the head coach Brian Flores, under the pretext of an offensive performance deemed insufficient, although the recent statements of the person concerned and the lawsuits against the owner Stephen Ross suggests a much deeper evil. It is suddenly an offensive specialist, Mike McDaniel (ex-49ers) who takes over the reins of the Dolphins to take the local attack to a new level, and in particular its star quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa. Is this the only problem area right now in the Southeastern United States? Response elements.

The owners

1. Jerome Baker (LB)
2. Xavien Howard (CB)
3. Christian Wilkins (DL)

One of the great satisfactions of these last two seasons in Miami is of course the defense. Recently extended, linebacker Jerome Baker was a veritable tower of control and also ended up being the best tackler of his team, demonstrating an ability to generate pressure in the blitz. On the position of cornerback, Xavien Howard is no longer to present, he who was selected for the third Pro Bowl of his career. One of the great confirmations also came from the defensive line, with the rise of Christian Wilkins over the whole of the 2021 financial year, to justify his first-round draft status.

L’undesirable

Jesse Davis (OT)

Given the current contracts of the franchise, difficult to say if real cuts would facilitate the task of the new staff. But the situation of Jesse Davis greatly questions. Aligned on the right side of the line, to protect the blind side of Tua Tagovailoa, the former handyman has shown a worrying regression at almost 31 years old. His departure would only save Miami $3 million. It remains to be seen if the game will really be worth the candle or if Mike McDaniel will still prefer to keep it as a luxury backup among the many young wolves of the O-Line…

Change of cast around Tua Tagovailoa, for his third year in Miami.

The summer man

Tua Tagovailoa (QB)

He will certainly be the cursor of the new mandate of Mike McDaniel. It is an understatement to say that the beginnings of Tua Tagovailoa were not easy. Between a truncated rookie year in terms of physical preparation and a second emanating from permanent transfer rumors, the left-handed quarterback posted less waste in 2021, with a completion rate of more than 67%, but has not yet fully reassured on his ability to become the Floridians’ Franchise QB. He will be granted the fact of having had a very bad pro pass and a ground game that is too little present to ensure an offensive alternation. He will also be granted the fact of having a record of eight wins for five losses when he started this season. But his irregularity was still felt, with 10 interceptions in 12 complete outings and ball protection concerns (9 fumbles conceded, although only one lost). With an offensive specialist around him, Tagovailoa is at a turning point in his career and will have to carry his franchise a little more in 2022.

The main free agents

1. Mike Gesicki (TE)
2. Emmanuel Ogbah (DE)
3. Elandon Roberts (LB)
4. Will Fuller (WR)
5. Durham Smythe (TE)

Autres : Jacoby Brissett (QB), Malcolm Brown (RB), Mack Hollins (WR), Albert Wilson (WR), Duke Riley (LB), Nik Needham (CB), Michael Palardy (P).

Thanks to an attractive salary margin, the Dolphins are in a good position to be able to keep their main satisfactory elements. This should be the case of Mike Gesicki, whose role could be valuable in the new attacking system. Because of his big production and his versatility, Emmanuel Ogbah also has a good chance of winning again. For the rest, it will be necessary to judge the compatibility of mood with the new organization chart to guess the contours of the depth of the workforce, in particular on a post of receiver very marked by the end of the lease.

Top 5 Needs

1. Tackle
2. Running Back
3. Recipient
4. Tight end
5. Linebacker

It has been said: there are many needs to effectively support a Tua Tagovailoa who is too often left to his own devices in 2021. A right tackle is necessary, as well as less fragile targets and a running back with more chest. In defense, only the position of linebacker requires potential additional depth, but the defense is generally complete at the moment.

Orlando Brown, a return on the right with a left tackle salary?

Target

Orlando Brown Jr. (OT)

An inevitable idyll? Pro Bowler for the third consecutive year, despite his stint on the left with the Kansas City Chiefs, Orlando Brown Jr. has the opportunity to cash during this offseason, he who could be considered the best tackle available on the market. Excellent on the pro pass, he also demonstrated all his value in an attack very focused on speed, as was the case in Baltimore. He would also not discover the position of right tackle, which he knew in Maryland and which would allow him to deal effectively with the protection of Tagovailoa. In short, Brown would tick a lot of crucial boxes to move the Florida O-Line forward.

Christian Watson, the FCS phenomenon, as physical as he is fast.

The new blood

Christian Watson (WR)

We would tend to forget it, but at more than 1m95, Christian Watson is one of the most explosive players in this class. Capable of excelling on the run block, in an attack very focused on the ground at North Dakota State, the Bison player is a real playmaker on the yards after reception and can be as formidable out of the backfield as on the vertical game. His association with Jaylen Waddle would in any case make the Dolphins’ aerial attack supersonic and give a lot of headaches to solid defenses in the American conference. In 2021, Watson compiled 800 yards and 7 touchdowns. He also scored a lot of points, in Mobile, Alabama, during the Senior Bowl.

Alternative : Bernard Raimann (OT), Tyler Linderbaum (C), Isaiah Spiller (RB)