Dolphins Saturday Mailbag: The Cowboys Case for Not Dumping Every Big Name

Part 2 of a Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag for the first weekend after the offseason program:

From robertjason6885:

Special teams have been iffy the past few years. I realize you cannot report certain goings-on, but to your eyes is the new ST Coordinator doing anything different? Thanks much!

Hey Robert, thanks for the question sent in the comments of the All Dolphins Podcast. What I would tell you about the Dolphins special teams and new coordinator Chris Tabor is the team is spending way, way more time on that part of the game than before. Like, twice as long. As for anything else specific, I didn’t see anything that really stood out.

From DonnaPrawel-c6z:

Any word on Cam Miller, the QB we stole from the raiders?

Here’s another question from the All Dolphins Podcast, and what I would tell you is that in his limited opportunities in the spring Miller wasn’t particularly overwhelming (being polite), but then again neither was rookie free agent Mark Gronowski. I’d say right now the best-case scenario for Miller is making the team as the third quarterback, but the chances he sees the field in a regular season anytime soon are very, very slim.

From Jon Russell:

Hey Alain, which position group do you think would benefit most from bringing in a FA vet? WR, S or edge rusher?

Hey Jon, I think the safety spot clearly is the most questionable on the team, even though second-year player Dante Trader Jr. did look very impressive in the spring. There’s simply no other proven commodity at the position. The Dolphins certainly could use another edge defender, but I just don’t see them spending any real money at that position or any other. I addressed yesterday in the mailbag why I don’t see the Dolphins adding a veteran wide receiver.

MALIK WILLIS AND THE QB SNEAK

From Jayco:

Quarterback sneak has been a missing element around here for years. With the addition of Malik Willis, will that play call be a consideration now?

Hey Jay, I asked Jeff Hafley during the spring for his thoughts about the “tush push,” and he mentioned that he’d like it if the Dolphins were able to use that with Willis. I’d add here that it doesn’t necessarily have to be with Willis because the Green Bay Packers when Hafley was there used tight end Tyler Kraft to run it. But, yes, it absolutely would be great to have that option on offense for a change.

From rjgrosso:

Here's one ... you (whom I trust the most) and others have some very positive things to say about the potential shown by several young and/ or new players and the new regime. What's the chance this team surprises us all and becomes a contender in 2 years, not later?

Hey Richard, I think that is an absolutely legitimate goal and I’d also be inclined to believe it’s what Jon-Eric Sullivan and Eric Hafley are expecting as well. The biggest key might be Malik Willis showing in 2026 he’s the right guy at quarterback and then the rest of the development project will depend on how quickly the young players can break through. But I’d absolutely look at 2027 as a realistic timetable for when the Dolphins could compete for at least a playoff spot.

From Thomas Hudson:

This came out of the mailbag (last week), and I just had to say something. People talk a lot about the late ’80s and early ’90s rebuild of the Dallas Cowboys. And you regularly point out the impact of the Walker trade. But here is what always gets me about when people talk about them as a guide for tanking. The following players were on the 1988 Dallas Cowboys roster: Bill Bates, Kevin Gogan, Mark Higgs (OK, that one was just for fun, but he was there), Michael Irvin, Jim Jeffcoat, Kelvin Martin, Nate Newton, Ken Norton Jr., Mark Tuinei. The biggest key to a turnaround is not being able to get some high draft picks. It is being able to get some of the talent that is already there to play well on the new team. After all, what do those Cowboys teams of the early ’90s look like without Irvin, Newton, Norton and Tuinei? If you completely clean house, you simply do not have the talent to compete for a couple years. If Miami is competitive in 2026, there is a good chance that a lot of the credit for that will go to players who were here in 2025, especially Achane, Paul, Brewer and Jackson.

Hey Thomas, that is a legitimate point you make, though I could turn it around and say the Cowboys don’t win three Super Bowls without Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Mark Stepnoski, Tony Tolbert, Daryl Johnston, Jimmie Jones, Russell Maryland, Alvin Harper, Erik Williams, Leon Lett, Larry Brown, Kevin Smith, Darren Woodson, all players who were drafted from 1989-91 after Jimmy Johnson arrived. So it’s a combination of both, with your point about avoiding a complete teardown where every player is sent away certainly being a valid one.

ADDING PLAYERS, WORKING OUT DURING THE BREAK

From SciGuy17:

Hi Alain, do you have a feeling if/when there will be any FA signings? Before camp? After camp starts, and they see what they have in pads? Safety and OL concern me most. Relying on Kion is a mistake. Need better depth, especially if Proctor has to move to RT.

I do believe there will be some roster additions between now and the start of training camp, though I suspect those more likely would come later rather than sooner, and more importantly I wouldn’t expect any needle-moving moves. What the Dolphins have right now for the most part is what they’ll field in 2026. Safety does concern me as well, but to your point about Kion Smith, I’m not sure I believe the Dolphins are going to be relying on him. I believe Charlie Heck will be the top backup at both right and left tackle.

From sh00gs:

With the culling and subsequent dearth of talent, which side of the ball concerns you more? Me, I’m leaning defense (barring an injury to Achane) with improved line play a play-action ball-control taking shots offense can be successful. Follow-up, am I crazy for thinking that?

No, what you’re saying makes a lot of sense. There are concerns on both sides to be sure, but I think the offense looks more solid at this time because of Willis’ potential and Achane’s explosiveness, though the receiving corps will have to do its part because if it becomes all about Achane, that’s going to be a problem for Miami.

From Dan Ford:

Great follow-up question on joint practices in the last OTA presser, and an even better response by Haf. I love that he is making injury prevention a priority. Which coaches during your tenure have had the most and least arduous training camps?

Hey Dan, this is a question that requires an important asterisk, and it’s the fact that coaches are bound by CBA guidelines in terms of how often they practice, how long the practices are, and what they can do during those practices. For example, the Shula practices were brutal, but he was allowed to do more, including three-a-days at times. Now the limit is practice and a walk-through and the number of padded practices is limited. I seem to recall Jimmy Johnson’s practices being very physical, as were those of Tony Sparano and Dan Campbell’s first practice as interim head coach in 2015 was an all-timer because of its physicality. That all changed with the 2020 CBA, so practices just do not look the same these days.

From Sal:

This month in between… do players ever meet up on their own to work out? We’re sitting here talking about chemistry between Willis and WR, what’s stopping them from creating that on their own?

Hey Sal, there is nothing stopping any player from working with a teammate during the break and it actually happens quite frequently. I believe Dolphins offensive linemen talked last week about doing just that over the next few weeks. As for Willis working with receivers, just be on the lookout for those social media videos.

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