Dolphins Saturday Mailbag: Willis, Jackson, 2027 Draft, and More

The pre-Bengals game Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Darryl Carpenter:

Alain, thanks for all you do. Having followed the team 40 years I don't get the witch hunt on Willis and Slowik at this stage. Do you think the fan base really appreciate what a strip down and full rebuild with 180m dead cap looks like?

Hey Darryl, the thing is that fans could realize what was happening in the offseason with everything the Dolphins were doing and a good number of them were OK with the direction chosen, but once the regular season starts logic to some extent gives way to passion and it’s difficult to remember the whole thinking before the roster strip-down and the reality that it would or at least very well could produce the results we’re seeing. Regardless, it’s not an easy season to go through for Dolphins fans, even if it likely was the right course of action to tear everything down and rebuild.

From Mmmm:

Who steps up in the WR corps this week? If anyone.

It would be too easy to say Malik Washington, and it wouldn’t even be stepping up because he’s been consistent since the start of the season. So the answer has to be Chris Bell, who had a very good game against Kansas City and then came close to that big play against Minnesota.

From FZB_Dolphins:

Alain , there is a report the Dolphins are working out RTs, you think the Dolphins are getting ready to make a move there? Maybe move Jackson for a conditional late pick ?..

The Dolphins have been giving tryouts to players at basically every position except for quarterback and wide receiver lately, and a lot of it is gathering info on players that maybe they’ll try to land at some future date. And, yes, there have been offensive linemen involved, but I wouldn’t connect those tryouts to an Austin Jackson trade, at the same time not dismissing the idea they could move on from him before the trade deadline.

From Lloyd Heilbrunn:

Is this the worst offense in Dolphins history? Same question for special-teams…

Hey Lloyd, funny you should ask because I wrote this week a story comparing this offense to those of 2004 and 2019, the only other two times in franchise history the Dolphins failed to reach 14 points in any of their first four games. You can check out for details, but the short answer is no. As for special teams, I haven’t dived into those stats, but my memory tells me it’s not close to the worst, particularly when you factor in Jaylen Wright’s 79-yard kickoff return in the opener.

From Dave Campbell:

Greetings Alain ! I'm probably really wrong but I'm looking at Malik Willis as a rookie because this is his first year as a full-time starter. He looks frustrated & I think his confidence will grow when he throws a TD pass when it's not in garbage time. Thoughts ? I also saw a moment when it looked like he & Bobby Slowik were having a rather animated discussion. Game time stuff or trouble brewing? I'm old school (plus just plain old) to really enjoy Ollie Gordon II success as a big RB. Does Jaylen Wright need a change of scenery? I will really look forward to both All Dolphins and Dolphins Collective podcasts plus the great written content on Miami Dolphins on SI.Com for great game analysis. I'll miss the game Sunday because if I don't take my wife of 45 years out for dinner & favorite dessert restaurant for her birthday, there will be a Missing Persons report here in Key West.

Hey Dave, thanks and absolutely take care of the missus on your big day. Congrats! Yes, Willis should not be viewed as a typical fifth-year player because he had such little game experience in the first four. Was not aware of any heated discussion between him and Slowik, though animated conversations between QB and OC are pretty common. I don’t know if Wright needs a change of scenery just yet, but it absolutely is trending in that direction.

From Randy Millard:

Do you think that Bengals player comment on Malik tapping the ball before he throws is more just trying to get into Malik's head than anything else? Saying it to the media instead of keeping a potentially helpful tell internal leads me to that conclusion. Thanks!

Hey Randy, perhaps it was, but as Jeff Hafley explained it was much ado about nothing because it’s not like Willis is the only doing something like that — as it’s been mentioned, Tom Brady was a ball tapper. Besides, in the heat of the action, can defenders really immediately react because they see Willis tapping the ball and, besides, it’s not like Willis has never tapped the ball anticipating to throw it but then changed his mind because his receiver wasn’t open.

From Thomas Hudson:

I am going to both agree and disagree with you. The Dolphins should not force it with a QB in the top of the draft. If there is not a player there that they think is worth the pick, then they should not draft a QB. If there is a foundational player there at another position, then they should trade that pick for as much as they can get. No other position is worth it, especially if other teams are scrambling for a QB. You mentioned the Dolphins history with 1st round QBs. But what about their other top 10 picks? Here they are: Jaylen Waddle – 6th … Tua - 5th … Dion Jordan - 3rd … Ryan Tannehill - 8th … Jake Long - 1st … Ted Ginn Jr. - 9th … Ronnie Brown - 2nd .. Troy Vincent - 7th … Richmond Webb - 9th … Sammie Smith - 9th … Larry Csonka - 8th … Bob Griese - 4th … Not bothering with 1966 …

So, who wants to draft in the top 10? Does it make anyone feel good that you can argue Tua was the best top 10 pick of the last 30 years? There are no guaranteed players at any position in the draft. And don't count on the Packers connection to make you feel better. Here are their top 10 picks since 1988 (Sterling Sharpe): Tony Mandarich, Terrell Buckley, Jamal Reynolds, AJ Hawk, and BJ Raji. So the Dolphins have not gotten impact from the top 10, and neither did the Packers while Sullivan was there. Find someone willing to give up something good and get out of the top 10.

Hey Thomas, props on the research off my story on what the Dolphins should do at the top of the 2027 draft! Love that. I don’t disagree with the idea of trading down if the Dolphins can get good value. As for Miami’s top 10 picks, if you remove Griese and Csonka because the NFL was totally different 50 years ago, you’re kinda sorta proving my point about positional value (though it would be just coincidence) because the best players the Dolphins have gotten in the top 10 were two offensive tackles (Webb, Long) and a cornerback (Vincent, though he became a star in Philadelphia).

From Dan Ford:

Bonjour Alain! Your pre-emptive response to the possible case of mistaken identity with the French Canadian singer made me laugh out loud. If Storm Duck and KG are active this week, are they taking snaps from week 1-4 starters?

Hey Dan, I would say this would be most definitely likely in the case of Grant because it would get more than the token work that Keith Cooper Jr. and Mazi Smith got in the first four games, which would enable a fresh rotation among the big guys. With Duck, I don’t know if I’d expect him to immediately get a lot of snaps at cornerback because the Dolphins seem happy with the work of Chris Johnson, Jason Marshall Jr. and JuJu Brents. I’m included the “case of mistaken identity” tweet for those not aware what we’re talking about.

Before any follower, or Dolphins Collective or All Dolphins Podcast viewer asks, no, this is not me circa 1970s. https://t.co/oEcIGdopVw
— Alain Poupart (@PoupartNFL) October 9, 2026

From JROD’S THE TRUTH:

After 4 weeks of the NFL season this defense has been better than this offense. Did you see this coming? If not, how surprising is it?

Hey Dana, I did not totally see it to be honest because I thought the offensive line was ready to take a big step forward and would pave the way for some success in the running game, which would open things up for the pass game, realizing there would be growing pains at wide receiver. But let’s be clear that the defense has picked it up significantly in the last two weeks because it was not good against either the Raiders or 49ers, and then it needs to be said that the Minnesota offense isn’t very good and yet still managed 339 yards against the Dolphins after not reaching 250 yards in the Vikings’ first three games.

Add us as a preferred source on Google