Dolphins Friday Mailbag: Tua, Terron, Achane, and More

Part 1 of a post-Bengals/pre-Bucs Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Basti:

Hey Alain, it‘s been a while. But with all that happened over the past week I just wanted to get a few questions in. First: I just watched Terron Armstead’s take on the benching of Tua. He said he’s 100 percent sure that Tua will be the starting QB of the Dolphins when the ’26 season kicks off. Interesting! Despite him being a friend of Tua’s and knowing him quite well personally, what is your take on T-Stead’s opinion? I’d also like to know your opinion on the DB room right now. I feel like we should overhaul the room as we did with the D-line this year. But I’d also like to have Douglas and Jones back next year, though I don’t think we will get both for a fair price. What do you think? Thanks and best regards!

Thanks Basti and welcome back. First off, no, I don’t agree with Terron’s assessment when it comes to Tua and I absolutely believe he’s trying to wish it into existence. The reality is your bench your starting QB based on performance, it’s really tough to come back from that. And this is what Mike McDaniel has said publicly was the reason. If it strictly was about evaluating Quinn Ewers, as Terron suggested, there would have been some kind of way for McDaniel to tap-dance around the question of why he was making the move without specifics about “playing with conviction.” As for the DB room, I think Douglas has had a really, really good season but he’s not the future, and I think Jones has earned a return engagement if the price is right. The safety position needs to be addressed, though, even if they bring back Minkah Fitzpatrick.

From jorge boyd:

Hi Alain, what happened to the Dolphins run Defense that was very good against Buffalo and the Jets with their great RBs? How many yards will De’Von Achane achieve this season?

Hey Jorge, the Dolphins run defense was very good against Buffalo in part because Miami played with a lead the whole game and against the Jets it was easy to focus on Breece Hall when the Jets passing game offered no threat. Against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, those two situations were different, which made life a lot more difficult for the defense as a whole and in terms of stopping the run. As for Achane, he’s got 1,267 rushing yards with two games left and 1,726 total yards. I think reaching 2,000 total yards would be a great accomplishment, though that’ll be tough, and I think 1,400 is realistic as a final rushing tally.

From Ed Helinski:

What should be some New Year’s Resolutions for the Dolphins?

Hey Ed, first and foremost and probably all that needs to be said here is the idea and hope that the organization has learned from its mistakes, whether it’s drafting a quarterback with injury concerns, extending players unnecessarily, and fans can fill the rest with their own complaints about the franchise.

From CC Hall:

Are there any good QBs possibly available in the ’27 draft that you think might be better than the QBs in ’26? How would you rank the QBs in 26 for the NFL? Happy Holidays!

Hey CC, happy holidays to you as well, and I can’t answer your first question thoroughly until the deadline has passed for players to declare whether they’re going into the draft or returning to college. My initial thought is Dante Moore of Oregon might be favorite at this time, but there’s some thought he might wait until the 2027 draft. LaNorris Sellers of South Carolina has big-time ability that makes him intriguing and he’s also reportedly going back to college. Among the big-name quarterbacks for the 2026, I’m not sure how entirely sold I am on either Fernando Mendoza or Ty Simpson, though I do have to do more research.

From Earl:

Hello Alain, good work navigating a crazy season! 2 questions: 1. if McDaniel is kept for next season, do you think he will have a say with the GM hire? 2. if Tua's demotion leads to release in the offseason, do you think he will retire? It’s almost as if he has been intentionally playing himself out of a job, maybe for long-term health concerns. Thank you for all the good work.

Thanks as always, Earl, it indeed has been a crazy season. I would be shocked if McDaniel were given any say in a GM hiring, though I maintain a very possible scenario is Stephen Ross keeping both McDaniel and interim GM Champ Kelly in a one-year, prove-it situation. I would be equally shocked if Tua decided to retire given all the guaranteed money he’s got coming his way in 2026 — players very seldom walk away from that kind of money. I also need to point out that his playing seemingly very carefully at times might be the result of having Dolphins folks, from Chris Grier to Mike McDaniel to Darrell Bevell, constantly telling him he needs to stay out of harm’s way.

From Kevin D’Agrella:

Merry Christmas!!! Did you watch Kurt Warner's breakdown of Tua's last game as a starter vs the Steelers? It sure sounded like he was unimpressed with the design of the Dolphins passing plays. Is McDaniel solely responsible for this or are there more responsible?

Hey Kevin, yes, I’m familiar with Warner’s breakdown and it indeed was not very complimentary. While we don’t know the inner workings of the offensive scheme and game plan, a best guess is that McDaniel gets input from his top assistants like Frank Smith, Jon Embree, Bobby Slowik and Darrell Bevell, but ultimately he’s responsible for the final product.

From Dave Campbell:

Greetings Alain! I hope you & family had a wonderful Christmas! We have our QB...QB2...maybe. Once again Dolphins are in hunt for a franchise QB. Maybe they should hire Indiana Jones!? McDaniel is hanging on by a spider web. Coaching stability IMHO has been this franchise's Achilles’ heel forever. Dolphins take all the fun outta dysfunction. Any HC candidates stand out to you? Please no more up-and-coming coordinators. Someone who has SOME previous HC experience, even on an interim basis. A really good talent-evaluating GM would be nice. Is it too much to ask for a QB with some size/weight with SOME scrambling ability? I don't really see any QB in 2026 draft that stand out. Too soon before all the Senior bowl stuff and combine but anyone NOT named Mendoza you see as a starter or a good developmental QB? These are some hypothetical questions I know, so apologies! Enjoy all the excellent work on the All Dolphins Podcast and Dolphins Collective PLUS the written work (for free) on .

Thanks as always, Dave. No, I can’t say I’m really jacked about any of the 2026 quarterbacks so far, though that would change a bit if Dante Moore declared. Coaching stability (or lack thereof) absolutely has been one of the Dolphins’ issues, right there along with finding THE guy at quarterback. If the Dolphins were to make a coaching change and went the experienced coach route (not sure that would happen), I certainly think they could do worse than Mike McCarthy or John Harbaugh if he became available. I’m not sure I wouldn’t like a fiery offensive or defensive coordinator, though, like an Anthony Campanile or a Lou Anarumo.

From FJV:

Happy Holidays Alain, we have all witnessed the team's 3rd qtr struggles but what specifically has been so difficult about getting the ball to Darren Waller in the 2nd half?

Hey FJV, that’s an excellent question and it’s part of the overall issues this team has had. It should be pointed out, though, that Waller’s two touchdowns against Pittsburgh came in the fourth quarter (admittedly when the game already was out of reach). But, yeah, there are things that have been a bit mysterious and I don’t accept the idea that it’s defenses taking players away. It’s a coach’s job to scheme to find a way to get playmakers the ball.

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