Sunday Dolphins Mailbag: Fuller, Tua, Waffle House, and More
From Jethro Massey (@JethroMassey):
With the annual rush to get under the cap, I'm curious what happens if a team isn't compliant by the deadline. I imagine there's a penalty, what is it? 15 yards on the home opener kickoff? NFL randomly selects players to eliminate from the team? No throwback unis for 1 year? Oh, and are there examples of occasions when this has happened before (league punishing a team for non-compliance with the cap, not throwback bans)?
Hey Jethro, the penalty of not being in compliance is a $5 million fine, with the possibility of draft pick forfeiture and the cancelation of a player contract. I’ll be on the lookout for previous examples, but nothing comes to mind right now.
From Carl Bueckert (@BueckertCa94374):
Alain, what do you think about the influx of interior D linemen that we've picked up so far? Do you think that they can draft a better option?
Hey Ed, as I wrote Friday, the Dolphins clearly have adopted the idea of strength in numbers. It sure looks as though there will be a heavy rotation up front, with only Zach Sieler looking right now like a good bet to get a lot of playing time.
From Jarin Jaffee (@jarinjaffee):
Because you pay 1st round picks by position drafted (and not position on the field) doesn’t make most sense to use pick on WR, OT, DE (positions with highest salaries) and not OG/C even if JPJ is available?
Hey Jarin, you want the best player you can get who’s going to the best player for the longest player of time. If all things are equal in your evaluation, then you can decide between which player can help quickest or positional value? But chasing players at certain positions is a dangerous way to go.
From Jason Kirkland (@1bigdad424):
Hi Alain, of course Fuller isn't X career wise. But it's safe to say that Fuller will give the Dolphins what X has the last 2 years, or more, right? I understand he played hurt, but if you're on the field, you're expected to perform, right? What do you think of the signing?
Hey Jason, I like the Fuller signing and, yes, I would expect he’d give the Dolphins production similar to what Howard provided the past two seasons when he was injured quite a bit of the time. But peak X was among the top corners in the NFL.
From Timothy Wiesehan (@Timbob21964):
Why do you believe the Dolphins have not yet gone after a wide receiver in free agency?
Hey Timothy, there still are a lot of options on the free agent market and the reality is the Dolphins don’t need to be in a hurry to fill out their WR corps even after they re-signed Braxton Berrios.
From Matthew Granat (@granatdesign:
How much of a factor do you think our new DC, who’s from a well-run Baltimore organization, has had in these latest roster moves, especially in regards to value picks, as opposed to “whales”?
Hey Matthew, there’s no doubt that Weaver has input into which players he likes for his system but he won’t be the final decision-maker on free agent signings because cap considerations have to be factored into the equation. And that applies to the idea of chasing “whales,” which would be an organizational decision and not up to any coach.
From Mason (@Orli88704562):
Alain, the Dolphins have signed a lot of new players. Having said that, do you think they have upgraded the roster specifically on the defensive side of the ball? So many players on D that have never played a down together is very troubling. Your thoughts?.
Hey Mason, no, the players having not played together isn’t that troubling because we’re still six months away from the start of the season. But, no, I can’t say the Dolphins have upgraded the roster because I think the loss of Wilkins is more significant than the addition of any player and I like AVG more at this time than I do Barrett.
From Roger Dodger (@RogerDolfan):
How can KC play and win several Super Bowls and still re-sign its top defensive player but Fins can't re-sign Wilkins? Is this just horrible management? Who’s to blame for these bad business decisions and how could they not see this coming?
Hey Roger, the Chiefs didn’t acquire four high-priced veterans the previous two years the way the Dolphins did with Tyreek Hill, Terron Armstead, Bradley Chubb and Jalen Ramsey. That takes a toll on the salary cap. Also, the Dolphins technically could have found a way to re-sign Wilkins, but they didn’t value him as much as the Chiefs value Jones and that’s logical because Jones is a bigger-impact player than Wilkins. So, no, I wouldn’t call this “horrible mismanagement,” though there was a price to pay for going whale hunting.
From NotTheYogaGuy (@NotTheYogaGuy):
Why is Grier so attracted to older and injured vets instead of trying to build through the draft?
Not sure what to say to that, other than that, why are you asking the question? And do you know of many veterans who have been in the league six, seven years who haven’t had past injury issues? If we’re going to start eliminating all those players, there’s not going to be a lot of options left.
From Jesse DeLong (@jessemdelong):
The Texans traded away their only 1st (23 and a 232 for Vikings’ 42, 188 and ‘25 2nd rounder) to the Vikings. As the Dolphins pick at 21, I was wondering if the Texans graded out the top of the first round poorly, or other teams/evaluators have. Assuming Vikes may package for QB.
Hey Jesse, I think it’s more that the Texans didn’t see a huge difference between what they could get at 23 as opposed to 42. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Dolphins making that kind of move like the Texans did.
From OGHighway (@OGHighWay):
Who needs to show more growth next season, McDaniel or Tua?
Hmm, how about both? Especially since they’re kind of connected. But if I have to pick one, I’ll always go with the quarterback.
From Lloyd Heilbrunn (@LloydHeilbrunn):
We've let a Filet Mignon dinner from Morton's go out the door, and we are restocking with steak and eggs from Waffle House at a number of positions, especially defensive line. Is anyone actually impressed with Comp picks in 2025, when this is the 2nd year of a 2-year window?
Hey Lloyd, no, comp picks should not be a prize and it’s not why the Dophins let Wilkins and Hunt leave. As for the Morton’s/Waffle House comp, let’s wait until the end of the season to judge the quality of the meals.
From Daniel (@official)_53):
What route do you want to see the Dolphins take to fill the WR3 opening?
Hey Daniel, as with everything, finances will come into play here. Some names I do like include Hunter Renfrow and Mike Williams (if he’s willing to sign fairly cheap and understanding he’s coming off an ACL).
From JackCanada (@JackCanada22):
Did Miami have real interest in Arik Armstead ? If not, why? Lots of bodies signed but no needle movers.
Hey Jack, I don’t believe the Dolphins ever were in the running for Armstead simply because he was too pricey.
