Dolphins Rookie Minicamp Mailbag, Part 2

Part 2 of a rookie minicamp Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Filis:

Has there been any clarity on the Ramsey falling-out? Any rumblings of other dissenters in the locker room?

There has been no clarity beyond what Ramsey suggested with his Instagram post on the first night of the draft and the reports of a less-than-desirable relationship with head coach Mike McDaniel, which the latter did nothing to contradict when he was asked about it at the end of the draft and said he wanted the focus to be on the rookies. There have been no reports of other being dissatisfied.

From Miami Dolphins & Real Madrid PTY:

Which rookie could be a pleasant surprise?

If we use the word “surprise,” that immediately eliminates Kenneth Grant and Jonah Savaiinaea because the former was a first-round pick and the latter was somebody for whom the Dolphins traded up. That leaves the other six draft picks, and the obvious candidate here would be sixth-round pick Ollie Gordon II considering that before his stats slipped in 2024 he won the Doak Walker Award the previous season as the best running back in college football.

From Michael Blackman:

What happened with Blake Ferguson? Except for the issues last year he has been a solid long snapper and a good guy.

Hey Michael, this has been quite the mystery from the time the Dolphins placed him on the Non-Football Injury list last October. The Dolphins typically don’t make players on IR (or other reserve lists) available to the media, so we never got the chance to directly ask him what the issue was, and that assumes he’d be willing to share what happened. I have regularly checked Ferguson’s social media accounts, but he hasn’t discussed what happened there as far as I can tell. And the Dolphins don’t get into specifics in situations like this one.

From Luis Rodriguez:

Hi Poup, is Tua a “fragile” QB because the injuries happen every season? He’s only played 5 games less than Burrow and Burrow had a 6-game head start as a rookie. Thoughts? Is trolling also in decline (like his game)? Seems to me if he really wanted to troll and get clicks, he would have said Herbert was #5 instead of Mayfield.

Hey Luis, there are two issues at play here, and the first is regularity of injuries. Burrow has had three seasons where he’s started 16 or 17 games compared to only one for Tua. Also, Tua is considered a “fragile” QB because of the frequency of his injuries, the nature (three concussions) plus the fact he’s among the small players at his position. As for Tyreek and his trolling, yeah, I guess putting at Herbert would have taken it to a whole other level, but he still got headlines regardless for leaving Tua out.

From Jeff:

Hello Alain, I see 3 or 4 main avenues for money to shift around on the Dolphins roster right now, which may or may not impact when Ramsey is traded (if they have a partner, of course). Jordyn Brooks is an easy candidate for void years to free up at least 5m in cap. Jaelan Phillips is on his 5th year option, due for an extension or something and his salary is 100% hit against the 2025 cap right now (13m cap). Finally, you have the consideration of whatever they bring in via trade or via FA signings. I don't know what Grier will do, but I am looking at everything through the lens of the cap hits in 2026. What would the cap hits be in 2026 regarding the following players: Ramsey, Armstead, Tua, Waddle, Hill, Chubb and Sieler? Can the Dolphins genuinely fill a team in 2026 with these hits? I don't see much room right now and quite a few of those players won't be in a Dolphins uniform in 2026.

Hey Jeff, let’s start with what you said about some of the big-name players not being here in 2026, and those absolutely could or should include Ramsey, Armstead and probably Hill and Chubb. As for your earlier suggestions, I could see extensions for Brooks and Sieler, but it’s not that simple to simply extend Phillips because then you’re committing money and cap space for future years on a player who’s had an Achilles tear and torn ACL the past two seasons. The Dolphins are going to make sure they’re comfortable he can regain his form before making that kind of financial commitment.

From Jason Kirkland:

Hi Alain, I think there are still many holes that will keep the Dolphins from beating last season's record. The FO thinking they have safeties in the building that are good enough to start is 1. Need 2 CBs starting caliber. Still need more DTs. That's just on defense. On offense, more depth on the O-line is needed. They're 2 injuries away from Liam & Borom BOTH starting and that's a disaster waiting to happen. I think the drop-off from Terron to Paul will be significant. The roster now, without Ramsey, is a 7-win team. Your thoughts on all?

Hey Jason, my first thought is there’s a lot of gloom and doom here, some of it justified. The reality is this is a roster with a whole lot of question marks, including Tua’s ability to stay healthy along with personnel issues, but enough talent that a playoff berth isn’t out of the question if more questions than not wind up getting positive answers.

From Thee Dolphins Dum Dum:

I asked you this question after free agency but with the draft now ended, and the Dolphins’ continued emphasis on players with size and physicality, have the Dolphins done enough to be a much more physical team?

Hey Dana, this is an ever-popular topic surrounding the Dolphins and, yes, they can be more physical, but let’s also understand — as center Aaron Brewer indicated last week — that the emphasis on the offensive line more than physicality is mobility. Ideally, you can find linemen with both, and this is what the Dolphins hope they got with James Daniels in free agency and Jonah Savaiinaea in the draft. But the offensive scheme is based on deceiving opposing defenses and confusing them, not overpowering them.

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