Dolphins Friday Mailbag: Kacmarek, Brooks, Hafley, and More

Part 1 of a Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag for the first weekend after the end of the offseason program:

From David Agudelo:

The rookie TE from Ohio State intrigues me... What do you think his ceiling is? Any player comps you can make?

Hey David, how are you, old buddy? I’ve become very intrigued since the draft about Kacmarek and his possibilities and I think at worst he’ll be a good blocker for the offense and at best he could become a high-end, two-way tight end. The ceiling is effective at both blocking and catching while not necessarily being a downfield threat. As for a player comp, I’m thinking maybe somebody like Anthony Fasano, who had two stints with the Dolphins and played a big role in 2008 when Miami won its last AFC East title.

From Jorge boyd:

Hi Alain, first Malik Willis, then De’Von Achane and Brewer; is that a possible sign that they do Brooks too? Is it doable?

Hey Jorge, it’s more than doable for the Dolphins to sign Jordyn Brooks to an extension, and it actually was doable even before the other moves because they could have lowered his cap number by converting his base salary into a signing bonus that could be spread out over multiple years. The question for the Dolphins is how much they’re willing to spend on Brooks relative to how he’s asking, with the other factors being his age, where the Dolphins are as an organization and what the team did at linebacker in the draft with the selections of Jacob Rodriguez and Kyle Louis. My expectation is that Brooks will get a contract extension sometime before the start of the 2026 regular season.

From maubau:

How did some of the UDFAs look during the OTAs? Do guys like Louis Moore, Reiger, Konga have a chance at making the 53?

This question comes from a viewer of the All Dolphins Podcast, and it’s a very good one. Among the UDFAs, Moore was the one who really caught me eye in the spring practices we watched. The knack for being around the ball that he showed at Indiana was pretty evident. I think he’s the UDFA with the best chance of making the 53. Keep in mind that it’s more difficult for linemen to make much of an impression in the spring. Having said that, I’d still put Moore at the top of the list of UDFA with the best chance of making the 53, adding that I don’t think you’ll see very many of those because of the large number of draft picks.

From Dave Campbell:

Greetings Alain ! Thought it was pretty wise on the Dolphins part to giving only a three-year deal to Aaron Brewer. I'm terrible at math but he will be 31 at the end of it so for a smaller center the wear & tear piles up quick. Bad take on my part? Do you think Dave Wannstedt could be a kind of unofficial consultant for Coach Hafley? My mornings start with excellent written content on SI.Com and evenings are dedicated to All Dolphins and Dolphins Collective podcasts. Fantastic stuff all.

Wow, thanks Dave! Your take on Brewer and his age makes sense, but also remember that every contract needs to be viewed in terms of when the guaranteed money ends because even though it might say a four-year deal, usually teams can get out of it pretty easily before that. We also haven’t yet seen the details of Brewer’s contract, so it may be a three-year extension where it really ties the Dolphins’ hands for two. As for Wannstedt, Hafley has said the two talk all the time and there’s little doubt that Wannstedt passes along what he learned during his time as head coach with the Dolphins and with the Chicago Bears.

From Brian Shoe:

Does Hafley a history of longer stretching periods at GB or BC, or is this a new approach? If it had been done elsewhere, did it actually reduce the amount of injuries?

Hey Brian, Hafley told the media last week he brought the longer stretches over from Green Bay and that studies had shown them that certain exercises can help reduce the risk of injuries. Bottom line, though, this is football and there’s only so much you can do because you never will eliminate all injuries given the nature of the sport. And the extra stretching didn’t keep Micah Parsons from getting a torn ACL with the Packers last year. That said, I’m all for anything that might add even a 1 percent better injury outcome, though I don’t know that there’s any evidence to support that theory.

From John Flora:

Do you see a veteran WR being added before the season?

Hey John, barring a serious injury beyond what we already have, I really have a hard time seeing this happening because the Dolphins went out of their way to make a lot of additions there with only veterans Jalen Tolbert and Tutu Atwell, but then draft picks Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell and Kevin Coleman Jr. The Dolphins will want to see what they have in those players instead of adding somebody else, particularly since the 2026 season is about finding assets for the future and not necessarily pushing for a title because the Dolphins really aren’t that close right now.

From jimmywashington3501:

Is there a discernible difference yet between this coaching staff and the last regime?

This is another question coming from a podcast viewer, and, yes, there are some clear differences so far that we have been able to observe from a media standpoint. With the offseason practices, there was a lot more time devoted to stretch and then devoted to special teams. I also maybe have detected a little bit more on-field coaching, but that also could be a product of having a much younger team. The music at practice also is played at a much lower volume than under Mike McDaniel. The real differences, though, will become more apparent during training camp and once we get into the regular season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google