Dolphins Monday Mailbag: Chop, Hafley, Malik, and More

Third and final part of the roster cutdown weekend Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Ed Helinski:

Who is the designated Turk for cutdown time? Is is one person or done by committee? What things have been disappointing during training camp?

Hey Ed, as best I remember it’s usually somebody from the coaching staff or a staff member, and I remember all the way back to the days of Don Shula when that person was running backs coach Carl Taseff. It’s not something teams publicize and I can’t recall who it was in 2012 when the Dolphins were featured on “Hard Knocks” and there were scenes (as I recall) of players being told to go see then-GM Jeff Ireland and “bring your playbook.”

From Damian from Pittsburgh:

I love the Tutu trade. Getting anything for a player that pretty clearly wasn't gonna make the roster is always a win. But my question - a running back in return? Seems to me that there are far more pressing needs we should have been looking to bolster. Do you think it was a case of a) just what they could get, b) they don't like the look of the RB room after Achane, or c) there's actual belief that Hunter is ready to break out?

Hey Damian, I wrote about the Atwell and the Ewers trades on Sunday morning and handed out my grades for each, and I think all three factors played in what they got in return (even though they ended up waiving Jarquez Hunter). And, to be honest, getting anything at all for a player they were going to cut and be responsible for his guaranteed salary, I never would complain for a millisecond about who they got.

From Dave Campbell:

Greetings Alain! I've no questions or comments on Giants joint practice or game. It just plain stunk worse than a wet skunk. So, with Aug 31st fast approaching I imagine 2 rooms will have coffee & energy drinks pumped in. One for who to keep/cut besides obvious players. Second for scouring waiver wires. That being said, what positions will they look for hardest with the caveat being they got cut for a reason? IMHO a backup QB ( preferably from a Shanahan type system) is paramount. Next question is are the CBs pretty much locked onto one side or can one travel with best receiver? Haven't heard much about that. As always, look forward to both All Dolphins and Dolphins Collective podcasts. The absolute best out there. Written content on Miami Dolphins on SI.Com puts others to shame ! Regular season is finally around the corner!!

Hey Dave, yes!!! Two weeks and we’re playing real games. Thanks as always. As an editor’s note, this question came in before the Dolphins traded Quinn Ewers, so clearly they agree with your assessment about needing a new second QB. I still think the Dolphins could use another safety and another backup offensive lineman, but love your caveat (think I’ve heard it somewhere else before) about being careful in assuming that somebody another team didn’t deem good enough all of a sudden will succeed somewhere else. As for the cornerback question, more often than not those guys play one side or the other, and some teams utilize a boundary cornerback (on the shorter side of the field) and a field cornerback (wider side). Haven’t yet determined exactly how Jeff Hafley will operate.

From Jorge Francisco boyd:

Hi Alain, do you think Chop Robinson has gotten better and do you think we have a strong seven up front?

Hey Jorge, we can’t say whether Chop has gotten better because only the regular season games will tell us that, but I absolutely can tell you that he looked better in training camp than he did last year (he always was effective, but didn’t look as good physically). As for the front seven, there’s a lot of potential, but it still has to be proven and I’m not ready to say it’s going to be a “strong” group.

From JLF:

In your opinion who starts in 4-3 defense?

We’re getting into semantics here because that’s exactly how the Dolphins depth chart is set up with two defensive linemen, two edges and three linebackers. My best guess here would be Chop Robinson and Josh Uche on the edge, Zach Sieler and either Jordan Phillips or Kenneth Grant at D-tackle (when Grant comes off IR and that's depending on whether they’re expecting heavy run or heavy pass), and right now Jordyn Brooks, Jacob Rodriguez and Willie Gay Jr. at linebacker after Tyrel Dodson was released Sunday.

From Mark Malbeck:

Hi Alain, with the season getting started what do you think will be considered a successful season by the end of the year? Mine would be that we have finally after years of failure find a franchise QB and not have to draft one. Bonus would be a good offensive line foundation.

Hey Mark, absolutely with you there, and I’d also add seeing at least a handful of young players or draft picks prove they can be foundational pieces moving forward. If all that happens, then the Dolphins could finish 6-11 and it still would be a positive season in my eyes.

From Carlos Ramirez:

Hey Alain, I understand Hafley’s concern about injuries and sitting the starters, but isn’t there value in getting real game reps and facing pressure? Especially for a young roster that still needs to find another gear. It’ll be nearly a month without game action before week 1.

Hey Carl, I think you’d find a lot of coaches around the NFL these days who would tell you that joint practices are much more valuable. And are 15 game reps in a meaningful preseason game really going to make a difference in the long run? Not for me. If starting a little bit slower offensively is the price for not risking more injuries, I don’t have a major issue with it.

From Jeff:

Hello Alain, I hope you are doing well and we all appreciate you're hard work! I'm basically one eye on the team at this point just because of my own perspective on this rebuild/retool and how it has all been handled. I watched highlights (against Washington), Achane did the usual 2-5 yard runs (highlights didn't show the long gain) and then OG2 and Wright step in and both of them hit 10+ yard runs and make it look like men playing against high school kids. This week (against the Giants) was bad. QB play was bad and the line was collapsed. Offensively, what I noticed was the same issue we've been seeing and discussing ever since McDaniel was "figured out" towards the end of 2023, all of 2024 and remained an issue in 2025. I checked the QB’s height just for the sake of it, yep.... 6-1. The QB can't see over the line, defense just blocks the run, QB can't make a pass down the field for 5 different reasons. This is not a new critique and this has been something we as fans have been begging for the team to adjust from. Here's my question, next year we draft a QB and shuffle the deck again, but has the organization actually learned from past issues, especially scheme?

Hey Jeff, don’t assume the Dolphins necessarily are drafting a quarterback in 2027. I’d suggest giving Malik Willis a shot before we decide he’s too short.

From Dan Ford:

Bon Jour Alain! Is there any validity to Hafley’s suggestion that the Dolphins would have fared better in joint practices and exhibition games if they were scheming plays?

Hey Dan, sure, to a certain degree, if you throw exotic blitzes at an offense during a joint practice, you’re likely to have more success. And it’s what the Giants did at times against the Dolphins, but there also were a lot of instances when Miami simply was beaten physically. So it doesn’t excuse everything.

From Colin Crabb:

Hi Alain, Johnson, Douglas and Proctor for me develop into legitimate starters this season maybe due to lack of competition. Who do you think makes that jump? Your great work is much appreciated.

Thanks Colin. Those three guys absolutely are going to be starters, but they won’t be “legitimate” starters because of lack of competition, they need to be because they’re good enough. Jacob Rodriguez is another player who fits into that category without question, and the Dolphins need at least one of those drafted wide receivers to make that jump as well, whether it be Chris Bell, Caleb Douglas or Kevin Coleman Jr.

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