Dolphins Saturday Mailbag: Wright, Wilson, Tua, and More

Part 2 of a pre-league meetings Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Stephen Ryan:

What about Dart at 13?

Hey Stephen, nothing that I saw in my limited viewing of Dart or have heard and read about him suggests this is a must take for the Dolphins, who have a bunch of major needs at different positions plus a QB with massive guaranteed money over the next two years. So it’s a no for me.

From Luis Rodriguez:

Hi Alain, happy belated B-Day. Q: If McD were to get fired during or after the season, but Weaver got hired as a HC by another team, would Fins still get the comp picks?

As long as Anthony Weaver has completed two years with the Dolphins, the team would be entitled to the two third-round compensatory picks if he were hired by another team.

From Marcos Brodsky:

Hi Alain. Views on the backup QB sitch now? Personally I feel we are basically where we were last year. Tua goes down and we are royally screwed.

Hey Marcos, the Dolphins situation should be no different than any team in terms of losing their starting QB, but not as significant as if, say, Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson get injured. As I indicated in a story this week, talk of the Dolphins’ backup QB issues always leave out key elements, such as Terron Armstead also being out when Tua was out in 2022 and the slightly important fact that there was a QB injury in five of the 10 starts Tua missed the past three seasons. As I’ve indicated many times, Teddy Bridgewater put up really good numbers when he was on the field in 2022; the problem was he couldn’t stay healthy. Having said all that, I have a hard time accepting the idea the Dolphins aren’t better off with Zach Wilson than Skylar Thompson. And if Wilson looks like the Denver QB of training camp last year, I reject the notion the Dolphins season automatically is sunk if Tua gets injured.

From Mason:

Alain, thanks for your amazing Dolphins coverage. With McDaniel and Grier jobs on the hot seat, do you think they’ve done enough to improve the roster in free agency? Also, what are the positions the Dolphins must add in this upcoming draft?

Hey Mason, first off thanks. The job status of McDaniel and Grier, which may or may not be as clear cut as many folks would have you believe, should have zero relevance into whether the team has done or not done enough. And as it stands right now, there are too many glaring holes on this roster for my liking. As for positions need to be addressed in the draft, any list needs to include DT, CB, S and then G.

From NYCFinFan4Life:

If Shedeur Sanders slides to 13, do you pull the trigger, and if not available do you draft a QB prospect, who and what round?

I would not draft Shedeur Sanders at 13 for a variety of reasons, the biggest being the large number of major needs still remaining along with Tua being owed big money over the next two years. As for another QB prospect, I don’t know, maybe Tyler Shough in Round 4 if he’s still available, maybe Kyle McCord around the same range.

From Craig M:

It seems pretty clear to me that Campbell isn’t coming back or won’t be letting the team know until after the draft. DT seems like a position the team is really weak at. Would you pick a DT high and having 10 picks in the draft, would you draft a second DT?

Hey Craig, I absolutely would take a defensive tackle in the first round and then add another one in a later round (though not back-to-back DTs). The Dolphins currently have only four on the roster and it would be nice to build a group that doesn’t have to be fortified every offseason.

From Mike Marchese:

Any chance we get a shot at Jaxson Dart?

Hey Mike, all indications are that Jaxson Dart is going to be a first-round pick, which means the Dolphins would have to use the No. 13 pick to get him and I don’t see where that makes any sense given what the Dolphins have and don’t have at the moment.

From Earlwithan_E:

A lot of chatter out there, including on your All Dolphins podcast, about the curious moves Chris Grier made to restructure Zach Wilson. Do you think it's a pending FA move which will take place before the draft, as part of the draft, or after the draft?

Hey Earle, I don’t know exactly what to make of spreading Wilson’s signing bonus over five years by adding four void years to lower his cap number from $6 million to $2.2 million in 2025. My takeaway from that is that no team logically would use $6 million of cap space on a QB who wouldn’t be the top backup, whereas it’s a different story at $2.2 million, meaning that maybe it’s no longer a lock that Wilson would be the No. 2 QB. But then, why the change?

From RATED R:

What do you think about the Dolphins trading back from 13 to 16 with the Cardinals and drafting Booker guard from Bama and adding extra pick in 3rd Round and drafting Watts safety from Notre Dame at pick 48.

Love the idea of trading back from 13 to 16 because I think the Dolphins still would be able to get a good prospect there and they have enough positions to fill that they wouldn’t lose the ability to address a need. Don’t like the idea of Booker at 16 because, as good a prospect as he appears to be, I believe in positional value and a guard doesn’t move the needle very much for me. I like the idea of Xavier Watts at 48.

From Dwayne Page:

Appreciate your work, Alain. Would the smart approach be to prioritize doubling down at CB and DT in day 1 and 2 of the draft since the churn rate at both positions has been high for the Fins?

Hey Dwayne, the Dolphins currently have three picks in the first three rounds, but I could see them trying to acquire a second, say, third-round pick. In that event, I would have no issue with taking two DTs and two CBs because the Dolphins have big needs at both spots. And at corner, let’s not forget that the Dolphins always could make Jalen Ramsey a safety at some point if they had other starting options at cornerback.

From Giancs13:

What is Tua’s trade value? Should Grier be allowed to draft a QB? Should Grier be allowed to trade up? Would Dolphins make an in-season change if we start off terrible? What would happen if Grier fires McDaniel halfway through the season but doesn’t get fired himself? Mayhem.

I understand you were exaggerating, but if Chris Grier weren’t allowed to draft a QB or trade up, he wouldn’t still be GM. Yes, the Dolphins could make an in-season change if there’s a terrible start because they’ve done it before with Stephen Ross as owner, with Tony Sparano in 2011 and Joe Philbin in 2015 — both of them in their fourth season, as Mike McDaniel will be in 2025. And the decision to fire McDaniel — if it came to that, which I think is unlikely — would not come from Chris Grier, but Stephen Ross himself. Lastly, Tua's trade value, I would think, would be minimal at best because of his injury history and his guaranteed money the next two seasons. A third-round pick maybe?

From AntMan:

I know the answers or have my opinions already but I have some for talking points and to inform others. Can Jaylen Wright be the 20+ carry a game back we need? With NWI addition, does Miami go less 12 personnel and more 11 personnel? Tough to predict future but any guesses as to what MM's offensive wrinkles will be this year? Do you think Miami makes it more of a priority to draft NFL-ready prospects this year? What would you consider what Miami is doing right now? Rebuild? Re-tool? And what stage are they in? In MM interview with Simms/Florio, he said this is the first year that he can "finally attack the tape." What does this mean and can you explain how solidified training camp install is/how hard it is for teams to adjust their game plan in-season?

Hey AntMan, rapid-fire answers for multiple questions/thoughts: Yes, Wright can be that guy (he’s more built for it than De’Von Achane); don’t know that I’d expect a major move toward more 11 (one back, one tight end) personnel instead of 12 (two tight ends) because that seems to be a McDaniel staple; I would think (and hope) the Dolphins draft more for the present this year; I’d say the Dolphins are retooling; not exactly sure why McDaniel couldn’t “attack the tape” (which I take to mean self-scouting) before this year because I don’t know that an extra week of playing a playoff game would make that much of a difference; teams adjust their game plan regularly during the regular season, some according to their opponents.

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