Dolphins Friday Mailbag: The Biggest Free Agent Loss, the Missing Pieces, and More

Part 1 of a free agency opening Miami Dolphins On SI weekend mailbag:

From Steve:

Is there one player the Dolphins lost in free agency that made you think, ouch, I wish we could have kept him? For me it was Kader Kohou. I always thought he was solid against both the run and pass.

Hey Steve, yeah, Kohou is the one who jumps out, but that’s assuming the knee he injured last training camp is fine. If healthy, I think Kohou automatically would be the best cornerback on the roster.

From Jason Hennes:

Good morning, how does the Willis contract compare to the 11th pick if it was a QB?

Hey Jason, there’s not a single quarterback who merits the 11th overall pick in the 2026 draft beyond Fernando Mendoza and there’s no universe where he’d be available there (barring a major injury or incident, of course). Some draft folks are high on the potential of Alabama’s Ty Simpson, but I’m not a fan and I’d much rather take my chances with Willis.

From Thomas Hudson:

What does it say that after all that talk about competition at the QB position the Dolphins gave Willis a contract that says “he’s the starter” while shipping out the one player on the roster who had a good chance of winning a competition with Willis? Does anyone believe at this point that Ewers will start week 1 if he outplays Willis?

Hey Thomas, have to say you do a very good job of representing Tua, but you clearly didn’t get the memo that the Dolphins wanted to turn the page and start fresh as an organization as a quarterback because they knew the ceiling with him and they were looking for me. That should be crystal clear by now. They obviously have a strong conviction in Willis based on what they saw in Green Bay, and the only part where I’ll agree with you is that, no, there will not be a QB competition and maybe Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley should have refrained from that comment (though it’s something most new coaches and GM say).

From Sully-Haf Phins:

Have the Dolphins signed more players early in free agency than in past off-seasons? It sure feels like it.

Yeah, it absolutely does. The Dolphins have been on quite the shopping spree. Their record for most unrestricted free agents in a year is 11 (they tied it last year), and they’ve already signed more players this year, though not all of them qualify as UFAs. But it’s been quite the shopping expedition no doubt.

From Olive Grove Jon:

Hi Alain, I see some people saying some of the FA pickups are underrated, almost steals if you will, but you can make any player look good on YouTube. Should we exercise some caution here? These guys are signing 1-year contracts on low salaries for a reason? Am I being too harsh?

Hey OGJ, no, you’re absolutely not too harsh. Most of the players the Dolphins have signed figure to be in supporting roles and some of them will have to battle just to make the roster. Outside of Malik Willis, I absolutely would be cautious about overestimating the impact of this free agent class on an individual basis.

From Hondo Civic:

You think we should trade Jaylen Wright to Jacksonville for more draft picks?

Not sure exactly what the Dolphins would be able to get for him and he showed enough flashes last year that I wouldn’t trade him for the sake of trading him.

From rjgrosso:

After the first week of FA, would you see the draft priorities as ... edge, corner, big WR, IOL, safety, swing tackle, in that order?

Hey Richard, if we’re talking positionally (because I advocate the Dolphins taking the best player, period), I’d be inclined to move safety to third behind edge and CB, and flip-flop WR and IOL.

From JCEsq1982:

If Malik Willis turns out to be nothing more than what he's been his entire career (a competent backup QB), what does that say about the decision to sign him rather than use the meager amount of cap space on many holes in the Miami roster? If we're being honest, the odds that he's elite are minimal.

The Dolphins never were going to fix all the roster holes in one offseason. The biggest priority for the organization is finding a long-term solution at quarterback and taking a swing at Willis was exactly what that represented. The financial commitment wasn’t overly significant, so you will not find me criticizing the move. There are no guarantees, but this was a good gamble.

From mistersteveoh:

Isn’t Jack jones better than all of these dudes they’re bringing in for camp?

I certainly believe so. The thing, though, is that Jones can be inconsistent and maybe he’s just not a great scheme fit for what Jeff Hafley wants from his cornerbacks, along with the maturity questions that have followed Jones throughout his career. Lastly, and maybe most importantly, maybe Miami made an offer that wasn’t up to what Jones was seeking.

From AAWON:

What piece are we missing on offense at this moment? What part of the defense are you most worried about?

I think the biggest missing piece on offense has to be the interior of the offensive line, even after the signing of Jamaree Salyer, unless Jonah Savaiinaea takes a big step in Year 2. On defense, for me it might be a tie between the pass rush and the secondary.

From Jorge boyd:

Hi Alain, would you draft a guard in the first round; are there any good IL in this draft?

Hey Jorge, I’ve been pretty consistent in saying I don’t like the value of drafting a guard in the first half of the first round because they just don’t impact the game the way players at other positions can. As an example, look at Quentin Nelson and Zach Martin, two future Hall of Famers who top 20 picks and how far the Colts and Cowboys got with them. I’d much rather have a defensive player or a skill position player on offense. Francis Mauigoa from the University of Miami would be appealing for me at 11, but only if he becomes the starting right tackle in 2027.

From Kyle Hostetter:

Obviously Willis was the big-ticket item, but what is one of the other FA signings that you feel could make a big impact?

Hey Kyle, that’s a tough one because there’s no slam-dunk choice here. If I had to pick or two, I’d look to the offense and maybe the two guys they added Friday, guard Jamaree Salyer and wide receiver Jalen Tolbert.