Dolphins Sunday Mailbag: Washington, 2025 DTs, Rodriguez, and More

Part 2 of the post-minicamp weekend Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Sal:

We know the Dolphins don’t have a Justin Jefferson or Chase, but can Malik Washington be Deion Branch or a Julian Edelman? The Patriots won for years with Defense, and Team Offense. I know Brady is the outlier but is the formula possible with this group?

Hey Sal, whoa, that’s a pretty lofty goal there, and let’s not forget that the Patriots were loaded with solid veterans, and the Dolphins are nowhere near that at this time. Specifically about Malik Washington, Branch and Edelman would be good targets, but he likewise isn’t there just yet and Malik Willis clearly has a ways to go to be considered somebody who could lead a team to a Super Bowl, and forget about a Brady comp. The bottom line is that it’s a good formula, but the Dolphins are very far from having the necessary ingredients.

From Thee Dolphins Dum Dum:

I’ve heard this mentality that tanking is a loser’s mentality. However, the greatest collection of NFL talent collected in my lifetime was the early ’90s Cowboys and I don’t think there is any room for debate. The rebuild was set into motion in 1989 with the arrival of Jimmy Johnson and the selection of Troy Aikman. They absolutely tanked and built a treasure trove of draft picks. A great many of the Dolphins media seem to believe that tanking is what losers do. I stand firmly on the opposing side. To me, 7-8 wins this season is the worst-case scenario. You do have to execute with your drafts and free agency acquisitions to make it work and, yes, things could go south, but that is a problem with execution and assessment rather than an issue of philosophy. Why is the greatest long-term turnaround not the best possible blueprint for the Miami Dolphins?

Hey Dana, the part that you forget about the Cowboys is they were able to pull off the biggest team-building trade ever when they sent Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings and then they did a fabulous job of nailing draft pick after draft pick. Short of being able to accumulate a boat load of draft picks, I don’t think picking first makes a huge difference as opposed to picking like seventh or eighth. The Dolphins actually had the right idea in 2019 when they sacrificed veterans and loaded up on draft picks and cap space and set themselves up for a big run, except they just didn’t max out their draft selections. Bottom line is no matter how you do it, building a perennial contender requires some home runs in the draft and the Dolphins haven’t done that for a long, long time.

From Adnas:

Do you think Kenneth Grant could wind up being the 3rd-best DT the Dolphins drafted in 2025?

Hmm, based on what we saw last season I don’t think we can eliminate that possibility, even though it would be disappointing. But even now it’s Grant who clearly has the highest ceiling of those three and hopefully for the Dolphins he can max it out.

From JLF:

I understand he is hurt, but can Caleb be a surprise potentially good receiver for us? He along with Tolbert and Malik can be good receivers; also Greg added to mix, Bell hopefully can contribute in October.

If Caleb Douglas becomes a good receiver, it’s not supposed to be a surprise because the Dolphins drafted him in the third round. Can he become a good NFL wide receiver? The Dolphins clearly think so, but we’ll have to wait to find out. And that’s the story of the 2026 Dolphins: a lot of young prospects or reclamation projects who aren’t proven and have to show they can get it done.

From Ross Jones:

Do you believe the Dolphins will have enough offensive weapons to be able to properly evaluate Willis’ ability to be a viable starting QB for us?

Hey Ross, I’m on record as saying it shouldn’t matter because if Willis can’t perform with substandard personnel around him, then he’s not franchise quarterback material. Now, it’s a different story if none of the receivers can get open, but that’s not realistic, even if the receiving corps winds up being one of the worst in the NFL.

From Keith:

Hiya Alain. I love reading you and other team journalists for the Dolphins. I know Miami is not winning the SB this coming season. But I also don’t think they are a 3-win season despite the brutal schedule that the “experts” predict. The previous regime needed to go and I am pleased with the way the new one goes about business. Am I going crazy in thinking this team (based on reading you all) can be a 7-win team? Or am I buying into the hype of offseason practices?

Hey Keith, I also like what I’ve seen from the new regime, but I absolutely would caution against reading too much into spring practices or even training camp practices because it’s joint practices and the preseason games that will be far more revealing. Having said all that, the reality is the Dolphins have a roster full of holes and logic says that on talent alone getting to seven wins won’t be easy. But there’s a reason they play the games.

From UncleBobT1:

If Dolphins media rules allow you to answer, specifically how long are the “very long stretching periods” that have been seen in OTAs and minicamp? Hopefully, they prove useful in reducing injuries. Thanks.

Hey Bob, yes, we can divulge that information and we’re looking at 20 minutes of stretching, which basically is twice as long as what we were used to in the past. Jeff Hafley has indicated that studies they saw when he was in Green Bay showed the longer stretches helped and certain exercises also helped reduce the risk of ACL injuries.

From Kasey Jones:

Ok Poup.. what last year Dolphin do you you see making the biggest impact for his new team? Chubb, Waddle, Phillips, Tua, or even McDaniel?

Hey Kasey, that is a fabulous question and I’ll start off by eliminating McDaniel because he’s a coach and maybe a big issue for the Chargers offense last year wasn’t so much the scheme or play calling but the fact they used like 15 different line combinations. Of the four players, I’m thinking maybe Chubb because he should have a lot of pass-rushing opportunities with the Bills playing ahead. Tua should have some degree of success if he ends up starting for Atlanta, but how he does down the stretch always will remain a question mark.

From Kevin:

So, is our base defense going to be a 4-3 and not 3-4?

Hey Kevin, as Jeff Hafley himself would tell you, I don’t think anybody should get hung up in titles like 3-4 or 4-3 because the Dolphins are going to use a lot of different players and a lot of different formations, and some of it may have to do with the opponent. I do think that probably more often than not the Dolphins will line up with four players along the defensive line of scrimmage, but often one of those could be in a position to drop back at the snap. So I think it’ll be a multiple defense is the best way to answer this.

From RedDevilDawg:

How does Jacob Rodriguez look?

With the background that we’re talking about spring practice and therefore extraordinarily early, I can’t say I’ve noticed Rodriguez very much except for a couple of passes that Quinn Ewers lifted just over his reach as he jumped to knock it down.

From Chris Shields:

What safety not named Trader has been the most impressive. Assuming Trader is a starter, who do you see starting beside him?

Hey Chris, among non-Trader safeties, I’d say both Lonnie Johnson Jr. and Zayne Anderson have made a couple of noticeable plays in practice, though I wouldn’t say either one has stood out. As for my projected starter alongside Trader, I’d say it’s slightly more than 50-50 that player isn’t on the roster right now.

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