Sunday Dolphins Mailbag: Cook, Noah, Running Game, and More
Part 2 of the latest SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:
From Jorge Fernandez (@jfdad):
You never answer my question on being a GM, with $13.6M what do you do?
Hey Jorge, I don’t make it a habit of ignoring questions, so I probably just didn’t see it. I think I’d go looking for a veteran DT (Akiem Hicks, Shelby Harris) and an ILB, along with taking care of some contract extensions starting with Robert Hunt and Zach Sieler.
From Olive Grove Jon (@Owlizee):
Hi Alain. Whilst I would love to sign Dalvin Cook, I would still prefer to add one more legit OL like Dalton Risner. If you could only sign one, which would you choose?
Hey OGJ, sorry if this is taking the easy way out, but it depends on money. I’ve said many times that Cook becomes the best running back on the roster the second he signs, but how much is he going to want if the Vikings release him? While Risner is a big name and potentially could help, I’m not sure he represents the clear upgrade that Cook would.
From Mick (@mrac317):
Why isn’t Bob Kuechenberg in the Hall of Fame?
Hey Mick, I’m not a Hall of Fame voter, but it’s a very legit question, especially given the fact he was a finalist eight times. If I were to offer a guess as to why he hasn’t gotten in, I suspect is that he’s viewed as somebody who always had better teammates on the same offensive line, such as HOFer Larry Little and Jim Langer. But there’s a case to be made that he should be in there.
From Mark Lever (@MarkFinsfan):
Is there a chance we go after Derrick Henry; I’ve heard he’s on the trading block?
Hey Mark, Henry being on the trading block was loosely thrown around earlier in the offseason, but there’s been nothing along those lines in recent weeks and trading Henry makes zero sense for the Titans if they’re keeping Ryan Tannehill for another year at quarterback. So I’d suggest we forget about that idea.
From Chris Roney (@ChrisRoney0):
Achane will have more yards and TDs than Mostert and Wilson combined. True or False (I think Miami nailed this pick and he is a star).
Hey Chris, I’d give true a 15 percent chance and false an 85 percent chance. I’m not nearly there when it comes to anointing Achane as a future NFL star, and I think what Mostert and Wilson did in 2022 keep getting overlooked.
From Mad doggo (@Dogadoodle720:
How has Noah Igbinoghene looked? If anyone can get something out of him, it’s Fangio.
It’s still way too early to make any kind of determination since the media has been to two practices, but I do think he’s somebody worth watching when training camp arrives. And to me I think the idea of playing more zone coverage makes me want to wait before we entirely give up on him.
From Prince-Bishop Militantly Aardvark (@MilitantlyA):
We seem to have quite a few frequently injured players at key spots. Does this worry you? It seems to me that this roster is a gamble against the odds that things will somehow hold together for long enough to make the Dolphins a real contender.
Hey PBMA, everything you said. Yes, there are an awful lot of key players with a troublesome injury history, such as Tua, Terron Armstead, Bradley Chubb, David Long Jr. and X. Injuries are going to hit every team, that’s just a fact of NFL life, but it’s not entirely ideal to go into a season with many key players with a pattern of missing time.
From DytellStorm (@DytellS):
Is McDaniel actually going to commit to the run this year or does that look to be more wishful thinking from Finz fans?
Well, McDaniel has said it himself that he wants to run the ball more and you have to believe he understands the importance of that. At the same time, he’s still going to have to resist the temptation to default to the passing game at every turn because of all the talent at wide receiver. So at this time we can hope the running game doesn’t get abandoned so quickly, but we’ll have to wait until the regular season to see whether it actually happens.
From Hebert Gutierrez Morales (via email):
Hi Alain, thank you very much for your work (and Omar’s too) in the articles and the podcast: hearing and reading both of you keep me informed (and entertained) during this offseason. We understand the Waddle and Hill are the WR stars, Berrios would the primary slot receiver and Robbie Chosen would have another WR spot. Now, if two or three other receivers like Sanders, Cracraft or Ezukanma have better performance, what will happen with Wilson? Will the team cut him and take the dead money? Or will them keep him instead a better WR? As far as I know, Wilson is in the trade block since a couple of months, but nobody wants to take that contract. And I understand the rest of the teams, why should they take that expensive contract if they can get him without losing any draft pick? What are your thoughts about this situation?
Hey Hebert, yes, the Dolphins have a dilemma with Wilson because, as you pointed out, no team will trade for him because of his $5 million guarantee. The best-case scenario is Wilson earning a role in the passing game, but there are a lot of other options. Bottom line, though, is it’s very difficult to see the Dolphins simply eating that guaranteed $5 million unless the non-Hill/Waddle wide receivers all prove to be much more important to keep.
From Jeff (via email):
Hello Alain, I'm reminded of players like Marino, Alex Smith, Tony Gonzalez, LT, Kariya, Marleau and Joe Thornton at this moment. About players who might not have had the chance to win a Super Bowl (or a cup), but who had the heart and the attitude to do so. Apparently Adrian Peterson isn't ready to hang up the cleats. I'm not expecting him to be on a team, but I cannot help but think of this poetry and the story. The behind the scenes of the phone call of Coach like McDaniel talking to a player like him and saying, “Hey, let's give it a shot.” How do you as a reporter try to share the stories of players like that ... who deserves it, but just didn't ever get there? Who had the biggest heart for the game that you've covered or admired?
Hey Jeff, let me just tackle the question of who had the biggest heart among Dolphins players I’ve covered and who I admired for that very reason, and the names that jump out at me are Zach Thomas, Bryan Cox and most recently Jarvis Landry. Those were players who didn’t always succeed or play well (though they did more often than not), but you never, ever for a millisecond question the effort they put forth. And this isn’t meant as a diss to other players or a suggestion that not everybody plays hard, but they were just guys whose motor stood out above and beyond who quickly came to my mind. On the current roster, I keep going back to Jaelan Phillips as the guy who impresses me the most in that department.
From John Kerns (@yitwail):
In 2022, Dalvin Cook led NFL in carries for no gain or loss with 62, and was next to last in carries with positive yards over expectation among backs with 200 carries. Should that temper expectations for Cook as a Dolphin?
Hey John, this is where I push back against advance stats (way too much is made of them) for lacking context and nuance. Yeah, maybe Cook led the NFL in carries for no gain or a loss, but what do we know about the blocking on those plays. Was this Cook's fault or bad blocking up front? How well did Cook maximize what was available on each carry? Bottom line is my eyes and my experience tell me Cook is a high-end running back who instantly would become the best player at his position on the roster, but at the same time I'm not sure his arrival automatically would put the Dolphins in the Super Bowl, as some seem to suggest.
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Alain Poupart has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989. You can follow him on Twitter at @PoupartNFL. Feel free to submit questions every week for the All Dolphins mailbag via Twitter or via email at fnalldolphins@yahoo.com.
