Sunday Dolphins Mailbag: Fluker, Running Game, Conner, and More
Part 2 of the latest SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:
From Lisa Patterson (@Litlphins):
Hey Alain, do you think it is possible that the Dolphins give D.J. Fluker another chance? At least to compete.
Hey Lisa, All Dolphins contributor Omar Kelly wrote a recent column advocating that very thing (giving Fluker another shot) and I am fully on board with the idea. I’m not convinced it’s going to happen, though.
From Prince-Bishop Militantly Aardvark #FPBE (@MilitantlyA):
Have the Patriots taken the place of the Dolphins/Jets/Bills as the franchise that is good enough to be mediocre, but won't be anything more for the foreseeable future?
Hey there, yeah, it certainly appears that way, doesn’t it? There’s just nothing special about the Patriots anymore and a lot of their core, main identity players, have started to leave or retire, the latest being Devin McCourty. And then there’s the fact the Pats just aren’t special at quarterback, so you’re looking at a middling team.
From PAfinsfan (@PAfinsfan):
Do they not want to upgrade at RB?
Hey there, the better question and the answer here is that the Dolphins clearly feel they did not HAVE TO upgrade at running back. And this is where I remind you that Jeff Wilson Jr. averaged 4.7 yards per carry last year, Raheem Mostert averaged 4.9 and Salvon Ahmed averaged 5.3. Those are really good numbers.
From TonyG (@tonyg5256):
Have they done enough on offense this offseason?
Hey Tony, I think the reflex answer here is no because they really haven’t added anybody of significance and lost Sherfield and Gesicki. But the offseason isn’t over yet, and, besides, the biggest key to improvement on offense will be Tua playing the whole season and the offense figuring out how to counter when defenses take away the middle of the field.
From Jorge Fernandez (@jfdad):
If you were GM and only get one O-line, do you get starter at left guard or right tackle based on need and finances?
Hey Jorge, I think most NFL writers always would prioritize the tackles first, followed by the center and then the guards, and that’s my direction as well.
From rob hellebrand (@dolfanrob1):
How would you compare Tanner Conner with Mike Gesicki? Is Tanner's blocking ability any better? Is Tanner an upgrade over Mike in any way other than being a cheaper contract?
Hey Rob, while Gesicki was a high school basketball and volleyball player, Conner was a college wide receiver. So blocking will be something he’ll need to improve and I’m not sure he’s an upgrade there yet, though I think that’s coming. And, yes, he’s a cheaper contract and the Dolphins still want to find out what he’ll be as an NFL tight end. They already found out about Gesicki and it’s not what they were seeking.
From Hebert Gutierrez Morales (via email):
Hi Alain, thank you as usual for your work during these offseason days. I have a couple of questions and I hope you can answer them. First, if you were Chris Grier, what would be your next movement? For example, signing Bobby Wagner? Trade away Cedrick Wilson Jr. or Jerome Baker? Signing Brandon Shell or other OL? Maybe you have other ideas. My second question is a “little” creepy (you can ignore it, if you want). If you should pick one song to be played in your funeral, what would it be? In my case I pick “Fading Lights” from Genesis.
Hey Hebert, I’ll start with the second question. I’ve always wanted to keep my funeral light, so maybe it would be something like “Turn Out The Lights, The Party’s Over” or “It’s The End of the World As We Know It … And I Feel Fine” by R.E.M. On the Dolphins question, the next move for me would be adding a starting-caliber right tackle to compete with Austin Jackson and that could be Brandon Shell or Eric Fisher.
From Luis Angulo (via email):
Good day, Mr. Poupart, congratulations on your new podcast, I definitely enjoy it and I think it’s a must-watch for all Dolphins fans out there :) With all the draft talk about Grier, my biggest complaint is that he keeps botching/missing on first-rounders, Jackson and Iggy, to give you an example, but to me, the biggest mishap was passing on Herbert and Chase. You cannot deny that a roster with Chase, Hill and Herbert sounds a lot more appealing than Tua, Hill and Waddle. No disrespect to Waddle and Tua, but I think as an organization the Dolphins had an opportunity to get those players and they absolutely failed. I think this is part of the reason they went into F-them-picks mode as they know they are not great at evaluating top talent. Do you agree or disagree and if you had to do a do-over would you have picked Waddle and Tua over Chase and Herbert, and please give us your honest opinion about the top talent evaluators that we currently have? Congrats again and keep up your excellent work. PS: I love that you were able to convince Mr. Omar Kelly to join you :)
Hey Luis, the Dolphins hit and miss just like pretty every organization in the NFL and while we can question the 2020 draft, they certainly came back strong in 2021 with Waddle, Jaelan Phillips and Jevon Holland, though the jury is still out on Liam Eichenberg. As to your question of whether Chase and Hebert would have been better off than Waddle and Tua, it obviously doesn’t matter now but I will answer because that’s what I do. And this answer obviously won’t be popular with a large part of the fan base, but you asked. In retrospect, I think it’s pretty clear that Herbert should have been the choice at number 5 even if, yes, Tua had the better season in 2022. And I think most GMs in the NFL — if not all of them — would agree with that. As for Chase/Waddle, it’s more complicated because the Dolphins could have had Chase, but then wouldn’t have gotten the extra first-round pick in their move from 3 to 12 and then back up to 6. And that one is a wash to me because Chase might be the better all-around wide receiver, but Waddle is faster and close enough to make it even when you factor in the extra No. 1 pick.
From Big Ern McDolphin (@dana_buice):
Hey my friend, seems to me the Dolphins still seemed to be lacking a LB who can be trusted in coverage. Riley seems to still be the best option if you’re going to put a LB In coverage. However, he seems only fair at it. Am I missing something or do we still need a LB who can cover?
Hey Dana, yes, you are missing something. David Long Jr., who the Dolphins signed in free agency, is a very, very coverage linebacker. Like, very good. His only issue has been dealing with hamstring injuries the past two years that caused him to miss a total of 12 games. But there’s your answer.
From Dave (@angryvet59):
Pull out your crystal ball for this one Alain. Hill, Waddle & to a smaller extent Berrios have ludicrous speed & McDaniel (rightly so) will definitely use that. But do you see him balancing out pass vs run a little more this season?
Hey Dave, yes, I do see McDaniel giving the running game a little more importance in 2023 because he is a very smart game and he’ll make adjustments and there will be times next season (as there were last season) when it’s time to rely a bit more on the passing game.
