Saturday Dolphins Mailbag: Smith, Cedrick, Safeties, and More
Part 1 of the latest SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:
From Dan Giunta (@Dan_B_Phin_Phan):
When will Cam Smith be signed?
From Zach H (@ZachFinsUp):
Do you know what is holding up the Cam Smith signing or has he already signed and they just haven’t announced it yet? With the new kick return rule, will that limit Berrios/Achane’s opportunities in the offense?
Hey fellas, since both are asking the same Cam Smith question, no, he has not signed and this isn’t the kind of signing that a team would delay announcing when it got done. As to the reason for the holdup, I’m not quite sure, though there’s a trend around the league where the signings have been much slower to get done this year. And then with regards to the new kickoff return rule (where a fair catch gets the receiving team the ball at its 25, if anything, it would mean fewer opportunities to get the ball on special teams for the two players and then logically would make them fresher to handle additional snaps on offense.
From Stanford J. Young (@SportsMDE):
Where are the Dolphins on extending Christian Wilkins? Are they trying to extend him? Or planning to let him play out his fifth year? If the former, is there any information about their negotiations? Do you expect a new deal before camp?
Hey Stanford, it’s been awfully quiet on the negotiation front and that’s not just with Wilkins, but also players like Connor Williams and Zach Sieler. The Dolphins have made it a habit to keep everything close to the vest in recent years and we saw the same from agent Drew Rosenhaus when he was asked a few weeks back about Williams and Sieler. As for Wilkins, my best guess is his agent wants a contract similar to those signed by some young DTs around the league this offseason, but the one problem is guys getting more than $20 million a year at that position usually are impactful as pass rushers as well as run stoppers, and Wilkins isn’t there yet in the first category. So I could see the Dolphins wanting to see Wilkins establish himself in that department before giving him a lucrative extension.
From Joe Barrett (@Joe Barrett14):
Who’s going to win the punting battle? Why has the national media been so down on the Dolphins safeties? Wasn’t Brandon Jones doing fantastic before he got hurt?
Hey Joe, I think the punting battle is more than likely going to be won by veteran Jake Bailey based on his NFL resume. As for the safeties I can tell you the national media isn’t down on Jevon Holland at all; on the contrary, he’s gotten tons of praise at just about every turn. But the other spot is a question mark and saying Brandon Jones was “doing fantastic” before his ACL injury last season is a big overstatement. Jones always has been very good as a blitzer and a tackler, but his pass coverage has been spotty and that plus returning from his injury make him a bit of a question mark, and the question then is how good newcomer DeShon Elliott will be if he gets the starting job next to Holland.
From Crash Jensen (@Sngly):
You and Omar talked about Stephen Ross possibly having to write a check to get rid of Cedrick Wilson and his salary. Do you think the Dolphins will throw in a draft pick to help incentivize the deal, to help clear some cap space for potentially signing Cook?
Hey Crash, I’m not buying the idea of the Dolphins giving a team a draft pick just to take Wilson’s salary, plus picking up a portion of the tab — you know, like Cleveland once did with Brock Osweiler. I think that’s a bit much. Wilson’s contract isn’t egregious enough to do that. I could see a scenario where the Dolphins do accept to pay some of Wilson’s salary in a swap of late-round picks, so maybe Wilson and a seventh-round pick for a sixth. Something like that.
From Not Really Jerry Mathers (@HandsAtlanta):
What gets us closer to the Lombardi: 1000+ yards from Dalvin Cook or 500+ quality snaps from Taylor Lewan?
Hey NRJM, let’s start with this math, 500 snaps over 17 games is 30 snaps a game, which is less than half a normal game. Lewan also has played left tackle is his entire NFL career and the Dolphins are pretty set at that position. So, yeah, answer here has to be Cook with 1,000 yards.
From Dave (@angryvet59):
You & Omar both feel Hill suspension unlikely or not major. IF he does get suspension, while you can't replace his speed, Waddle, Chosen & Berrios ain't slow. Mostert pretty good out of the backfield. Any major adjustments on Coach McDaniel's play-calling in game?
Hey Dave, let’s preface that by saying that we’re going based on the reporting of what happened at that marina on Father’s Day when we suggest the likelihood of a lengthy suspension is remote. Having said that, yeah, not having Hill would require some minor tweaking because nobody has his speed and, more importantly, defenses aren’t likely to defend the Dolphins the same without having to worry about Hill’s stupid speed. But I wouldn’t expect anything drastic.
From Prince-Bishop Militantly Aardvark (@MilitantlyA):
Which decision made by the Grier regime would you undo/do differently, and why? Is a suspension for Tyreek Hill potentially a gain for the Dolphins? Could there be advantages to forcing McDaniel away from his comfort zone toward a more unexpected offense?
Second question first: I hear where you’re coming from, but that’s a no for me. It’s like suggesting that the Chiefs would benefit from not having Travis Kelce in the lineup because it would force Patrick Mahomes to spread the ball around more. You simply want your best players in the lineup. As for the first question, it’s low-hanging fruit, no? In that 2020 first round when the Dolphins had three picks, they could have come away with a Big Three of Justin Herbert, Justin Jefferson and Jonathan Taylor instead of Tua, Austin Jackson and Noah Igbinoghene. So that’s where you start, with the Jackson and Igbinoghene picks being the egregious ones here (I threw Herbert in there because, yes, practically every GM in the NFL would take him as the choice at this point, though it’s not in the same league as a whiff compared to the other two).
From OGHighway (@OGHighWay):
Who gets cut if we sign Cook? Gaskin, Ahmed or both? Do you cut Gaskin and keep Ahmed as a training camp body, then release him during cut downs?
If the Dolphins sign Cook, it’s easy to see the Dolphins working the phones to see if they can swing Raheem Mostert or Jeff Wilson Jr. in a trade for a pick because at some point they’ll have an overload of running backs. If they don’t get anything done, then the RBs clearly would be Cook, Mostert, Wilson and Achane, with both Ahmed and Gaskin on the outside looking in. If either Ahmed or Gaskin end up making the team, I’d say Ahmed has a better chance.
From Luke Fader (@lukefader):
Hi Alain. Recent comments/discussions about DeVante Parker's new deal make me wonder about what constitutes a successful draft pick. In your opinion, what are your baseline expectations for a non-QB first-round draft pick?
Hey Luke, very interesting question. First, I’d separate the first-round picks by top 10, middle 10 and then bottom 12. My baseline expectations for a top 10 pick is full-time starter and multiple Pro Bowls; for middle 10, it’s full-time starter and at least one Pro Bowl; for bottom 12, it’s full-time starter. There’s more to it than that because consistency also has to factor in, but that would be sort of a guide.
From Olive Grove Jon (@Owlizee):
Do you expect Cedrick Wilson to still be on the team by the trade deadline? I think the Fins would like to move off him but his contact makes it difficult.
Hey OGJ, yeah, it’s his contract that’s keeping him on the team at the moment if we’re being honest. He’s got $5 million guaranteed for 2023 and it’s a fairly sizable amount to just toss him aside. As it stands right now, I see Wilson as a valuable insurance policy in case injuries hit at wide receiver, but also wouldn’t be surprised if the Dolphins decided to eat a portion of his guaranteed money to facilitate a trade at some point.
From Chris Bustin (@ChrisBustin13):
Hey, Alain. I was excited to see the ticket demand for the Chiefs vs. Dolphins in Germany. Obviously, this is an NFL game that features the reigning Super Bowl Champions, the Chiefs. However, do you have a sense that the Dolphins also have an international draw? Thanks!
Hey Chris, there is absolutely zero doubt that the Dolphins are an international draw. I do believe their popularity was more significant during the Marino years, but this remains a marquee franchise because of all the success it had with Don Shula as head coach.
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