Saturday Dolphins Mailbag: LB Targets, Offense Adjustments, and More

What free agent linebacker could make an impact? Will Andrew Van Ginkel be re-signed? Is Tanner Conner worth trying to develop? Those and other questions from Miami Dolphins fans

Part 1 of the first post-Super Bowl SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:

From Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly):

What linebacker in free agency potential takes Miami’s defense to another level in their new scheme?

Howdy Omar, first off, we miss you on the beat. To answer your questions, I'll give you three guys I like, with the caveat that financial considerations might preclude the Dolphins from getting any of them. I'll start with former Miami Northwestern High star Lavonte David of the Bucs. He's a bit on the older side (33), but he's got some good football left and would be a great fit. I also really like Tremaine Edmunds, whose father Ferrell made the Pro Bowl for the Dolphins. As a slightly less expensive possibility, Kyzir White is coming off a very good first year with Philadelphia and would fit in well.

From Dug-E-Fresssh (@fluflu3):

Alain, thank you for your dedicated work! It is said that accentuating the positives can be transformative. While I doubt you can fix baseball with this question, what is 1 baseball thing, even tiny, that could help the NFL? (*I'm just a seamhead Fin Fan trying to talk baseball).

Hey there, let me preface by saying I was a HUGE baseball fan back in the day (1970s-1994, IYKYK) but not so much anymore. Don’t know that any rules from baseball apply to football, though baseball instant replay only reinforces my belief that it needs to go in football.

From Dixon Tam (@DixonTam):

How would you rank Stephen Ross to previous Dolphins team owners with regards to management style (hands on-hands off), willingness to spend, and overall success during their tenure? I've heard there's an exit strategy in place for when Ross sells. What is next owner like?

Hey Dixon, Ross earns points as an owner for his willingness to spend, whether it be for Hard Rock Stadium, for free agents or for coaches. Where he falls short (way short) is in the results, some questionable hiring decisions and an occasional habit of meddling. Original owner Joe Robbie was known for being cheap, but he did get Don Shula, he did oversee two Super Bowl titles and he did put up his own money for build the stadium now known as Hard Rock. So he deserves major props for that. On the flip side, his unwillingness to pay led to the departure of Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick and Paul Warfield after the 1974 season and broke up the Super Bowl team. Wayne Huizenga was a very good owner in the sense he was willing to spend and he completely stayed out of the way, but the results weren’t there for him in terms of Super Bowl, though the Dolphins made the playoffs eight times in his 15 years (1994-2008) as an owner. I’m not sure I wouldn’t put Huizenga first on this list, though the two Super Bowl titles and the stadium make a strong argument for Robbie.

From Tony Giles (@Tgiles1968):

With a limited draft class and a cap situation that is a bit upside down (and I know there are some ways to fix that), do you expect any "major" free agent signings or more in the line of players that can fill spots and offer depth?

Hey Tony, with the Dolphins under Stephen Ross, I’ve learned never to say never because they do like those splash acquisitions (like Ndamukong Suh and Tyreek Hill, to name just two), but I have a hard time seeing that kind of move this offseason because of the cap situation and the various needs, including the running back position where nobody is under contract for 2023. That said, just watch the Dolphins make a huge move.

From El Capitan (Chris) The Fins Tail Gate (@thefinstailgate):

Does Miami keep AVG? Would you keep him?

Hey Chris, the answer for me would be very easy because I really like AVG as a rotational player as an edge defender plus a special teams player, but I can’t help but think there might be a team out there willing to give him a bigger role on defense and he’s not going to be able to resist. Hope I’m wrong, though.

From Crash Jensen (@Sngly):

Thanks for your coverage, Alain. It’s a real lifeline getting me through the doldrums of the off-season! It seems like the 49ers “figured out” Miami’s high-octane offense, then subsequent teams copied them; Tagovailoa struggled in every game after that. How does Miami counter that defensive blueprint in season 2?

Hey there, I’m going to start with taking issue with your premise about the 49ers exposing the Dolphins offense because Tua had receivers open throughout that game and was just off. If any team caused the offense problems with their scheme, it was the Chargers. And even then, I’d say Tua actually played a pretty good game in the Saturday night loss at Buffalo. What the Chargers did (and the 49ers, to some degree) was get really physical with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and not give up the middle of the field as easily as other teams did. The ways to counter that include more throws outside the numbers and running the ball more often.

From Mike Zurich (@mzurich7):

Does Channing Tindall take the next step in Fangio's defense?

Hey Mike, that would be ideal, no doubt, but I don’t think it’s as simple as Fangio arrives and Tindall automatically makes a big jump. There should be hope that Tindall can make a big jump, there’s also no guarantee it’s going to happen based on what we saw in 2022.

From matt Waldner (@MattWaldner):

Which linebacker would better fit Mia, T.J. Edwards or Tremaine Edmunds?

Hey Matt, of those two, I’d absolutely go with Edmunds, who I see as a better player and also a much better fit in a 3-4 scheme. I’d take it a step further and say that Kyzir White is the one free agent LB from the Eagles who would interest me, even though I still like Edmunds better.

From Bill Whitten (@BillWhitten13):

I don’t understand the Dolphins infatuation with Tanner Conner. Isn’t he basically Gesicki Lite? If you couldn’t fit him into the offense, why waste resources to develop a similar player?

Hey Bill, first off, Conner isn’t Gesicki Lite because he’s probably already a better blocker. The infatuation stems from an intriguing skill set — remember, this guy was a wide receiver in college before converting and he flashed a bit in the preseason. Bigger point is that the Dolphins aren’t really “wasting resources” considering they signed him as a rookie free agent. It’s not like they’ve made a major investment with him. There’s nothing wrong with continuing to work with him to see if there’s something there; if there isn’t, you just cut your losses and let him go.

From Mike Mangaras (@mangaras_mike):

Do you think Byron Jones plays this week? Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Good one, Mike. You’re a funny guy. At least you didn’t ask me about Will Fuller (he’s not playing ever again; he’s retired).

From Dave (angryvet59):

It doesn't seem like good business sense to trade a 5th-round pick for Jeff Wilson for not even a whole season. Shouldn't they try & get him on a team friendly 2- or 3-year deal ? Trill Willams has yet to play against NFL starters. Too soon to get all excited yet, correct ?

I’ll start with Williams, sure, it’s early to get “all excited,” but the potential has been obvious the past two summers. There’s definitely something there. As for the Wilson trade, I addressed it Friday and saw nothing wrong with trading a 5th-round pick for half a season. Re-upping him obviously would be more ideal, but that’s totally separate from the trade.

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