Dolphins Sunday Mailbag: Willis, RB2, Chop, and More

Part 1 of a Miami Dolphins On SI post-Washington game mailbag:

From Mark Lever:

I hear people talking about us getting a backup quarterback. I believe that if we lose Willis, this season is over anyways, so might as well take at that point. Do you think we should still find a top receiver to help him out this season or play with what we have?

Hey Mark, I’ve answered this question a few times, always with the background of understanding what the Dolphins’ game plan is for 2026. That game plan is trying to win as many games as possible, but also evaluating the young players on the roster to figure out who could help moving forward. It’s why the newcomers (outside of Malik Willis) are all young players or cheap veterans. The reality is you’re not getting a cheap veteran who’s immediately going to be better than what’s on the roster at wide receiver. I’m not opposed to adding a former high-round draft pick who maybe can resurrect his career, but this notion of adding a vet like Stefon Diggs (before he signed with Washington), Keenan Allen or like Brandon Aiyuk never made sense because it’s not that kind of player who’s going to make the difference and get the Dolphins to the playoffs.

From Mike Marchese:

Hey Alain, do you think moving Miller up to the 2’s will help with the backup spot?

Hey Mike, not in the least. I haven’t seen anything from Miller from an intangible standpoint (reading defenses, pocket presence, feel for the rush, decision-making) to suggest he’s anywhere near ready to be a No. 2 QB at this time. Now, he'll get his shot in practice for a few days with Quinn Ewers dealing with a groin injury, but I don't see this as a long-term solution.

GORDON OR WRIGHT FOR RB2?

From Dan Chinchar:

What are your thoughts on the RB2 situation behind Achane? Do you believe the Dolphins are higher on Gordon or Wright?

Hey Dan, what I feel about the RB2 spot is that Gordon and Wright are not going to be displaced on the roster, and it very well could be that both will get a similar number of carries in the regular season. If I have to give an answer on your question, based in part on the fact that Wright was listed ahead on the depth chart, then I’d give him a slight edge in terms of confidence from the coaching staff.

From WildRide:

Achane ran the ball 7 times on the initial drive. If you do the math over a full game we may be seeing that "joke" number of carries come close.

Yeah, but Jeff Hafley also knew that Achane would be done after that first drive. Bottom line is that Achane averaged under 20 touches in 2025 and he most definitely wasn’t under-used. So to me the ceiling here is 25 touches a game, and I’m not even sure it gets that high.

From Chris Shields:

In your mind what progression or developments do you want to see between preseason game 1 and 2?

Hey Chris, the biggest progression I want to see is from the second- and third-team offense. What we saw at Washington simply wasn’t good enough. I don’t even know if there’s anything else because the defense was missing five likely starters — Sieler, Brooks, Brents, Trader and maybe Biggers.

From Mason:

Mr. Alain, now that we have seen the lack of quality depth on the Dolphins roster at almost every position group, including quarterbacks, what position group needs more of an upgrade?

Hey Mason, my answer to this question has been the same since the start of training camp, and it’s safety. I know wide receiver gets a lot of talk, but that’s because it’s a glamorous position. But the Dolphins safety group includes a second-year player who was a part-time starter as a rookie (Trader), a career special teams guy (Zayne Anderson), a former high draft pick who has barely gotten any starts in the past three years (Lonnie Johnson Jr.) and a rookie fifth-round pick (Michael Taaffe). That position absolutely is a concern.

WOULD JIMMY G MAKE SENSE?

From Fins Fan Ryan:

Hi Alain, long-time listener, first-time caller, fellow Canuck, was just in your hometown watching Canadian Open tennis!! I think we can all agree that neither Ewers nor Miller instilled any confidence in our backup QB position on Friday (albeit playing with 2’s and 3’s). My question is if we get into a position that we need either of these guys to play significant time, i.e. Malik gets hurt or worse he is inept (let’s really hope not!), will it really matter? At that point aren’t we going to be throwing in the towel and going for a high draft pick and simply plowing ahead with Ewers to achieve that? Why try to win a game or 2 extra with Jimmy G or some other retread and hurt our draft position? Isn’t this season really about testing what we have in Willis and the development of other young pieces. Keep up the great work, my man!! Appreciate the articles and pods.

Thanks Ryan. You make some great points (and I’m not saying that just because you praised my work lol). And I agree with your premise, with the one exception being if a Willis injury were to occur midway through or late in the season and the Dolphins somehow in playoff contention, then all bets are off. Otherwise, yeah, I do think staying the course would be the best plan of action. And the Dolphins aren’t replacing Willis based on performance unless he’s absolutely brutal, which I find unfathomable. On the contrary, it’s way more likely he shows the Dolphins they have their guy than he completely flops.

From Dean Rodriguez:

Did Willie Gay do enough to not get cut?

Hey Dean, it’s never been an issue of not making enough plays for Gay, but rather whether the coaches are comfortable trusting him with his assignments (based on comments from Jeff Hafley and Sean Duggan). He’s one of the most athletic linebackers on the team, if not the most athletic, but coaches want dependability and the reality is we don’t know whether he carried out all his assignments against Washington (because we don’t know exactly what his assignments were). All that said, I think he remains firmly on the bubble.

From Jayco:

Alex Austin has been steady all camp. When is he going to start getting some love? Is this season's backup QB on the roster right now?

Hey Jayco, I have mentioned Alex Austin a few times (I’m sad you haven’t noticed). He’s in the mix for one of the backup roles at cornerback. And, yes, I do believe the backup QB already is on the roster.

From Luis Rodriguez:

Hi Alain, I know the 2’s and 3’s looked bad, but that’s cause they’re all 2’s and 3’s playing at the same time. Is the depth really THAT bad if you plug 3-4 of them in with the 1’s when needed? Maybe the 1’s elevate or mask them? Haff recently said he wouldn’t draft a player that had a bunch of traits and no production. Is that a warning shot at Chop? And do you think he’ll step it up this year, 10+ sacks?

Hey Luis, no, there is legitimate concern with 2’s and 3’s, and it’s not because they’re playing with fellow 2’s and 3’s. The Dolphins just don’t have a lot of depth, which is to be expected with their cap restrictions. And there’s no sugarcoating it: The depth is sub-par (and that’s being polite). As for Chop, I don’t think the Hafley comments was meant specifically for him, but it certainly does apply. And, yes, I can see him busting out in 2026 (though I’m not guaranteeing anything).

WHY WILLIS HAS A HIGHER CEILING THAN TUA

From Ragtop Driver:

Alain, the depth behind the starting units appears really weak. The starters on offense look OK, but their backups did nothing against Washington’s backups. QB2 and QB3 are awful. Why has Quinn Ewers regressed so much in his sophomore year? No doubt Sully will be drafting a QB next year regardless.

Ewers is not performing very well right now, which is pretty obvious to everyone who has watched practice and the preseason opener, and there seems no comfort level whatsoever. Can some of that be attributed to whatever changes new OC Bobby Slowik has made to the passing game? Could it be Ewers having a tough time adjusting to new receivers? Who knows exactly the reason, but Ewers is off and he’s somebody who can’t rely on pure physical gifts to get things done. He needs to be precise and he’s not remotely close to that right now.

From Gabriel:

In your evaluation of Willis, you conceded it is possible he develops into a great/elite QB. You were never willing to go that far with Tua. Even after his success you would not admit he could possibly end up being great, you just didn't see it. You must see Willis as better?

Hey Gabriel, the way your phrased your question says it all, and thank you (seriously) for presenting my comments accurately. I think Willis absolutely has a higher ceiling than Tua and it’s simply because he’s so much better an athlete, with a much better arm and more speed. Tua’s athletic limitations always made him more dependent on teammates around him on offense than a lot of quarterbacks, Willis included. Tua’s bigger strength always was his accuracy, but that was if he could throw on time with his receivers being in the right spot also at the right time, and that doesn’t always happen in the NFL. There are certain throws that Tua never could make, throws that Willis absolutely has the ability to make.

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