Dolphins Friday Mailbag: Bell, Brents, Jonah, and More

Part 1 of a Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag following the joint practice and heading into the second preseason game:

From 305 Sports Babe:

What has surprised you most about this Dolphins team during this year’s training camp?

Hey Ashley, this is an interesting question and I’m frankly not sure anything really has surprised me after watching and learning about this team throughout the offseason program (if any of this makes any sense). Maybe the biggest surprise — and unfortunately not in a good way — has been the failure of the veteran free agent wide receivers to make more of an impact. There have been players from whom I’ve seen more than I expected, and that group would include Ronnie Harrison Jr., Matthew Butler and Robert Beal Jr.

From Jake Mendel:

What are three positions the front office should be keeping an eye on once teams start trimming rosters? Cornerback comes to mind. Maybe a running back if things go a bit sideways over the next two games?

Hey Jake, to me the one position above all others is safety because there’s just no proven commodity back there (not that the waiver wire usually is where you’ll find a proven commodity). After that, I think I’ll go along with your call of cornerback but then replace running back with either tight end or the offensive line.

From Damian from Pittsburgh:

I've been thinking about what would constitute a “successful” season (barring something miraculous, of course). It seems that the ideal outcome would be threading the needle - Willis balls out enough to unquestionably be the long-term answer at QB, multiple rookies emerge as legit starters, but the overall record is poor enough to land a very high draft pick. That would give MIA the Golden Ticket; a QB-level draft pick while not needing a QB. Can this happen?

Hey Damian, that’s a pretty good wish list right there, but I think that if Willis balls out and a solid group of rookies emerge as legit starters, the Dolphins will win too many games to be able to land a QB-level draft pick that would fetch a bunch of draft picks. And here’s where I would say that under your scenario, if the Dolphins finish, say, 7-10, but Willis establishes himself clearly as “the guy” and 4-5 rookies show they’re legit starters, that absolutely will make it a very successful season, even without the high draft pick in 2027.

From Mike Marchese:

Hey Alain, why do I NEVER hear you ask questions at Coach’s press conferences?

Hey Mike, that’s because you’re not playing enough attention (smiley face emoji). I will ask a question here or there, but don’t do it very frequently. And the reason is the questions I would want answered usually deal with lineup or injury details and coaches nowadays are declining to directly address those issues. Another factor is deferring to my peers, who pretty much always do a good job of asking the pertinent questions.

From Dean Rodriguez:

Morning Poup, you think Chop or Sieler have a chance to get double-digits sacks this year? Was also weird seeing Jaylen Wright on special teams. Could be a sign Ollie is ahead. There’s also not much reporting on it, but A.J. Henning took a huge hit and immediately needed medical attention after a big hit upfield. Worse part is that he was flashing during practice.

Hey Dean, I’d say there’s a better chance of Chop reaching double digits in sacks than Sieler, and I’d put Chop at maybe a little less than 50-50 right now. I would not connect Wright returning kickoffs with the battle for the No. 2 running back job, where I do think Wright might have a slight edge at this time. Finally, everybody (including me) did write about Henning’s injury, including the fact he’s had himself a good summer. He’s not somebody, though, who can afford to miss much time if he hopes to land on the 53-man roster.

From Dave Campbell:

Greetings Alain! While watching The All-Dolphins Podcast you said something about Chris Bell lumbering. I watched some of his college highlights and didn't notice any real speed but frame looked pretty solid & muscular. How's he look frame wise post-injury? When is the last time Dolphins have had more taller possible starting WRs (Bell, Douglas & possible others I'm forgetting) vs. recent Smurf corps? Finally, was impressed to see Hafley pull Ollie Gordon II & bench for a couple series after a dumb penalty. Haven't seen a HC do that here in a while. As always, look forward to & appreciate All Dolphins and Dolphins Collective podcasts. Plus the written content on Miami Dolphins on SI.Com. As the only football fan in the house (trying to teach 6 yr old grandson lol), best information out there!

Thanks as always, Dave. Best way to describe Bell’s physique is he’s thick. I mean, he’s just built big. And, yeah, after the years with Hill and Waddle, it’s nice to have some size at wide receiver. DeVante Parker did bring good size to the position, though he has his issues staying healthy. I’m with you on the Hafley-Gordon chat, but I can’t say that Mike McDaniel never did that. This just happened to occur during a preseason game and TV cameras happened to catch it.

From SciGuy17:

JuJu Brents, high draft pick, always injured. Do Hafley/Sully tie up a roster spot with him? This dance hasn't gone well historically for Dolphins.

That’s a great question. Brents is a very frustrating player because he does look like somebody who could become a high-end starting cornerback if he could just stay healthy, which just hasn’t happened yet in his career. It’s why the Colts gave up on him, but I suspect the Dolphins are going to be patient because they’re likely not making the playoffs regardless in 2026 and the last thing they’d want to do is give up on him too quickly and then watch him become an All-Pro with another team.

From John Flora:

Have you seen enough of Jonah to have him start this year?

Hey John, very simple answer is yes. Now, that’s not saying he’s ready to become a Pro Bowl player right away, but I do suspect he’ll be a lot better than he was as a rookie. Besides, do the Dolphins really have another appealing option at this time?

From Mark:

Hi Alain, thank you for all your work. I've been reading your columns since the old Dolphin Digest days. You're the best. Apologies to Perk and Omar. Quick trivia type question: I count eight sons of former Dolphins players currently in the NFL: Tremaine Edmunds, Patrick Surtain Jr., Frank Gore Jr., Mason Taylor, Orande Gadsden II, Joey Porter Jr., Nick Bosa and Joey Bosa. Am I missing anybody? Can you remember a time when so many Miami Dolphins sons were in the league at the same time? Can you think of another team with that many? Seems like a lot.

Hey Mark, first off, thanks very much and congrats on your very obvious football acumen. You missed Arizona Cardinals safety Isaiah Oliver, who’s the son of Muhammad Oliver, a cornerback who played 13 games for the Dolphins in 1994. Wide receiver Zay Jones, son of former Dolphins LB Robert Jones, currently is a free agent after playing with Arizona last year. Those are the ones that come to mind right now, but I’m pretty sure there are more and I’ll scour the rosters of every team at some point for that answer. And, yes, it’s a lot and I have a hard time picturing more from the Dolphins at any time or more from any other franchise in the NFL.

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