Tuesday Dolphins Mailbag: Williams, Bowden, Skylar, Tua, O-Line, and More
An SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag while the team has a day off before the joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
From Reza Hariri (@Therealrezpect1):
Seems depth charts aren’t always accurate. I know Williams & Bowden haven’t had great camps but it’s a mistake to trade early . Remember last year putting Bowden on IR our depth at receiver suffered during season. Should they keep them for at least 2 preseason games. Depth at DT.
Hey Reza, depth charts are put together by the coaching staff, so they can manipulate a lot of things the way they see fit so long as it’s a pretty good representation of the team. Also understand those depth charts are released for television purposes, not because teams want to do it. Also note that all rookies were placed at the bottom of the depth chart at their position. Lastly, I absolutely don’t advocate just dumping Williams or Bowden for nothing right now, but they’re not making the team in my view barring injuries, so this becomes a game of protecting yourself against injury versus trying to get something for them if there are no injuries. Lastly, yes, depth on the defensive line is a bit of an issue with Adam Butler now gone.
From Andybichara (@stoic5132):
Do you think that Skylar Thompson has done well enough for the Dolphins to justify carrying three QBs on the 53-man roster, or will they risk exposing him to waivers to sign him to the practice squad?
Hey Andy, that is a great question because on the one hand teams rarely carry three QBs these days (though the Steelers actually had four some, like, 6-7 years ago) and on the other one the Dolphins drafted him for a reason. While he has looked a bit raw at times, I also have Thompson with the two best throws of training camp in team drills and there’s something there that’s very intriguing. Long answer short (or maybe the other way around?), I’m thinking it’s maybe 51-49 they keep him on the 53, whereas I might have said 20-80 before camp started.
From GREGORY MARCOTTE (@gmarcotte11b):
Who do you believe was the Miami defender who said if they are sticking with Tua, he is wasting his time there?
Hey Gregory, yeah, everybody would love to know the answer to that question, but it’s a touchy enough subject that it wouldn’t be right to speculate. It’s really not my style to take the wimpy way out, but there are certain topics where it’s just not right to speculate.
From Jay Cutler Reincarnated (@bigbadsmokinj):
Can Tua be the reason the Dolphins win games this year?
Hey JCR, that is the $64,000 question, isn’t it? And if the answer is affirmative, that would be the signal the Dolphins have their answer at quarterback because that’s what a franchise quarterback looks like. And it’s gotta happen on a regular basis. That’s what Tua did at Arizona as a rookie in 2020, but if we’re being honest, the wins last year were mostly the result of defense and a couple of times because of the running game (yes, the running game, against the Jets and the Pats in the finale).
From Scott Eckenrode (@snake21104):
Because you need another Tua question: Since I consider Bridgewater to be a low-level starter, he makes for a decent comparison. If this was a true competition, does Tua clearly look like the better quarterback? He should be at least that at this point, and then capable of more.
Hey Scott, that is yet another Tua question, but a good one. As I noted in a story I published Monday after the progress report on offense, the two have similar completion percentages in team drills so far in camp, with Tua at 62.6 percent and Teddy at 62.3. Tua has had way more highlight-worthy throws, but I’m not privy to the play calls and it certainly seems he’s been given more opportunities to throw downfield — to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, for example. All that said, I’m not sure I see a major difference between the two, but it’s clear that Tua is the one the Dolphins are counting on in 2022.
From John Kerns (@yitwail):
I’ve heard very little about Solomon Kindley. Do you expect him to make the team? And more importantly, how many Expos caps do you have? Thanks.
Hey John, I think Solomon Kindley is very much on the bubble as far as making the team and I’d be tempted to put his chances right now at a bit less than 50-50. The one thing that has stood out watching him in training camp is just how big he looks. It’s quite a contrast with the other returning offensive linemen (Hunt, Jackson and Eichenberg), who all look a bit leaner. As for my Expos caps, I recently got my third. I have two all-blue caps plus the original pinwheel hat the team began wearing in the first year of the franchise (1969).
From Roy Lathan (@Roylathan):
Will Dolphins install a meter to track fastest player at home games? I would call it the zoom meter.
Hey Roy, that is one very cool suggestion, but unfortunately that’s not happening that I'm aware of. NextGen Stats does track those throughout the season (if I’m not mistaken), but l don’t know if the technology is there for instant readings and displaying on a scoreboard, and I’m not sure how many teams would be on board for that information being revealed in stadiums.
From David Roland (@DavidRo22864683):
Alain, if you had to pick the six WRs on this team this year, who are they?
Hey David, if you’ve been reading or following me, I’ve been consistent in saying the first five are pretty much locks to me, and that’s Hill, Waddle, Wilson, Ezukanma and Sherfield. As for a sixth (which the Dolphins might or might not keep), I’m inclined to predict River Cracraft at this point, with a slight edge over Preston Williams, Lynn Bowden Jr., Mohamed Sanu, Braylon Sanders and DeVonte Dedmon.
From Cliffy Mac (@mclifford36):
Who has more trade value: Lynn Bowden Jr. or Preston Williams?
Hey Cliffy, that’s another good question here and it might depend what you’re seeking as an opposing team. Williams has the big body and the ability to make consistent catches, whereas Bowden can be a utility guy on offense who can do a bit of everything, with both able to return punts. If I have to pick one, I’d be inclined to go with Bowden because there might be more to uncover with his game in the NFL and also because of Williams’ two leg significant injuries in 2019 and 2020 (never good for a wide receiver).
Christfollower (@Christfollowero):
How is the offensive line? Any improvement? How is Tindall looking?
Howdy, whenever the offensive line question comes, I always make it a point to say we need to wait until the action gets more serious than intrasquad practices because those just don’t paint an accurate picture. There’s been some good and bad running plays in camp, plays where the protection holds up and where it doesn’t, but guys just flat-out aren’t going 100 percent against teammates in practice at the line of scrimmage. That’s just a fact. It still might not be 100 percent in joint practices or preseason games, but it’s a lot closer. With that disclaimer out of the way, I would say the offensive line does appear better at this stage than at this time last year, but we’ll know a lot more by the end of the week. As for Tindall, he has not been very noticeable, which isn’t all that surprising for a rookie. I’ll maintain that I would expect the vast majority of his snaps this season to come on special teams.
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The SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag runs periodically, but at least once a week. To submit questions, be on the lookout for a call for questions or just submit a question anytime using the #askalain.
