Dolphins Friday Mailbag: Waller, Tyreek, Douglas, and More

Can any of the newcomers make an impact? What are fair expectations for the draft class? Tackling those and other Miami Dolphins issues

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) reacts on the sideline against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium during the 2025 preseason. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Part 1 of a Labor Day weekend Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Mike Marchese:

Is Darren Waller OBJ 2.0? Have a good weekend.

Hey Mike, starting us off with a doozy, huh? Well, there’s already something different about Waller in that he was activated off PUP in August and not after the regular season already had started. But, yes, there have been some OBJ-like vibes in terms of his availability (or lack thereof) throughout training camp and the mystery around what’s going on with him.

From The_Finsider:

Keep up the great work! Is any of the additions we made like JuJu or Greg actually going to make an impact?

This is the hope, right? What I would say is what I say anytime the Dolphins pick up somebody from another team, and that’s to always hope for the best but remember that those players were released or waived for a reason. If you look at JuJu Brents, for example, the Colts went out and signed Xavien Howard after he was out of football all of last year and if they thought Brents could be an answer they simply would have kept him and not gone after X. With Dulcich, some folks out of New York were shocked he didn’t make their 53-man roster. So, again, I think both players absolutely were worth a shot given the upside potential, but I wouldn’t automatically count on a significant impact.

From Mark@Merrymeeting:

Thanks for all your hard work- in what feels like a very important year for GM Grier, how has he improved in his job since he took over? Where could he improve the most?

Hey Mark, where I think Grier has done his best work has been more often than not getting good value in trades and he’s also done well at finding cornerback hidden talents, such as Kader Kohou, Storm Duck and Nik Needham. Where he has come up short, though, is in the draft with some examples being Channing Tindall and Cam Smith. Granted, nobody hits all their draft picks, but it’s really painful to miss with early picks when you don’t have that many selections in a particular draft.

KICKERS AND THE PRACTICE SQUAD

From Kevin Craig:

Appreciate it’s smart practice squad roster maneuvering the Dolphins have used with their long snappers last season and it appears to be the plan for their kicker this year. But, how does this ruthless promote for 3 weeks and then cut for the next guy strategy sit with players on the team?

Hey Kevin, business is business is business. I’ve never specifically asked any player about this, but all of them understand what goes on. And another way of looking at it is that it may be ruthless for the kickers involved, but it’s pretty cool for that one player who gets the roster spot that was created by using that method. And the bottom line is it’s smart business by the Dolphins because the difference between one unemployed kicker and another is very small, just as it was for the various long-snappers used last year.

From Toby Marmorino:

Hey Alain,  if I was the team that is playing the Dolphins the first three weeks of the season, I would claim the Dolphins kicker who is on the practice squad to be elevated that week just to screw over the Dolphins, which would force them to have to find a kicker within 5 days and activate him for game day. That way they would stop the Dolphins from manipulating that practice squad/elevation rule. I'm hoping opposing teams don't read this, lol. Your thoughts on that type of gamesmanship? It would probably force the Dolphins to keep two kickers on their practice squad to avoid this happening.

Hey Toby, see my previous remark about the minute difference between unemployed kickers. And it’s not like a kicker has to learn a playbook. Shoot, the Dolphins could sign somebody on Saturday and he’d be good to go the next day. And I haven’t even mentioned the fact that a team wanting to steal a Dolphins practice squad kicker would have to carry him on their 53 — bad use of roster spots, if you ask me. So, no, this is not happening.

From Dave Campbell:

Greetings Alain ! With the 53 set, sort of, couple questions. With Rasul Douglas a late signing with no training camp, maybe not  quite football shape, would you see him starting week 1? He's a savvy veteran but unfamiliar with scheme/terminology. Slowly work in? Also how surprising is a Jeff  Wilson reunion (albeit practice squad) after a almost criminal lack of usage last year? Employment is employment, I suppose.

Looking forward to your continuing excellent coverage throughout the season!

Thanks as always, Dave. It’s a very good question regarding Douglas and how early he gets into the starting lineup, but let’s remember he’s been around a while, so it shouldn’t take him long to learn the scheme. As for Wilson, like you said, employment is employment and it’s clear that no bridges were burned after he moved on this offseason.

From Jeff:

Hello Alain, I am still kind of in shock at Grier's mention of some emails he received from "fans.” Just not OK that people are doing that. I wanted to ask about the DB room. Why didn't the Dolphins just release Colbert initially instead of putting him on the 53 and the social media video? I saw he will be added to the practice squad, thank goodness. Any word on Zy Alexander coming to Miami? Dolphins had him in for a tryout, but I haven't heard anything since. Any thoughts or opinions on if he is a fit (like Marshall Jr.) for outside CB prospects? Do you think that Marshall Jr. getting some experience in the slot while Kohou is out helps him develop certain skills to use on the boundary?

Hey Jeff, first off, I’m with you about a fan sending an email saying he wished Grier’s children got chance is totally gross and classless. The Dolphins didn’t release Colbert immediately because they didn’t need the roster space at the time of the cuts of the 53, but they did after officially signing Rasul Douglas and it’s likely Douglas hadn’t taken his physical by then. Zy Alexander had a tryout with the Dolphins but hasn’t signed anywhere. Marshall is more than gaining experience in the slot, he’s going to be your nickel corner at the start of the season.

Miami Dolphins 2025 fifth-round pick Jason Marshall Jr. | Alain Poupart - Miami Dolphins On SI

From Jared:

Any rookie or 2-year player you think or see is going to have a bigger impact on the season than we expect? Thanks Alain.

Hey Jared, hmm, this is always tough to answer because I don’t know for sure what you expect. But I’d say Jason Marshall Jr. and Ollie Gordon II will contribute more than anybody should expect from a typical fifth- or sixth-round rookie.

From Olive Grove Jon:

Hey Alain. A general NFL question this time. Can you see a situation in the future where every cold-weather team plays in a domed stadium? I’m sure there are cities that want to host a SB but aren’t able to due to the climate.

Hey OGJ, yeah, I think one day it may be coming and it will be a sad day for me (though I suspect I won’t be covering the NFL anymore). I know it can impact the game, but there’s something special about watching a game in rough elements like a heavy wind day or a snowstorm. I’m not looking forward to the day where every game is played in a dome or warm-weather city because then they’ll all start to look the same. Maybe I’m crazy … don’t say it.

PREDICTION TIME

From NYCFinFan4Life:

Hey Knucklehead here. Do you feel better about our secondary with recent additions? What cuts or additions surprised you the most? Crystal ball time: over/under win prediction, I say we get 10 and a wild card.

Don’t you know me by now that I don’t do predictions. I just recently on the All Dolphins Podcast (Episode 549 with Dave Hyde) that I’d put the Dolphins’ chances of making the playoffs at 45 percent. That’s as close to a prediction as I’ll make. I do feel better about the additions of Rasul Douglas and JuJu Brents as replacements for Cam Smith and Isaiah Johnson, but it’s still a questionable area. No addition of the last week or so really shocked, to be honest, but I was surprised at Pharaoh Brown being released.

From Jorge boyd:

Hi Alain, with the signing of Kendal Lamm and the recuperation of the RT, do you think this OL can become a good one. Would it be better in the run game or in the pass game?

Hey Jorge, I think the Dolphins offensive line does have the potential to become a good one, but it’s far from guaranteed and it’s going to be up to the starters to get the job done and, just as importantly, stay healthy. I think at this point I feel better about the team’s run-blocking ability than the pass protection.

Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Kendall Lamm (70) wears a Guardian helmet cap during practice at the PSD Bank Arena in Germany in 2023. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

From Richard Prieto:

Do you see Hill not on the Dolphins by the end of the season?

Hey Richard, I’ll assume you’re talking about Tyreek Hill and I easily could see him not on the Dolphins roster by the end of the season, but only if things have gone poorly by the time the trading deadline approaches. I just have a hard time believing the Dolphins will trade him if they’re in contention.

From Jason Kirkland:

Hi Alain, I think the brakes need to be pumped on this year's draft class. People are talking like any of them have done anything. It seems to me that none of them were dominant in camp. Yes, there's promise, but let's not act like any are killing it. Your thoughts?

Hey Jason, I agree that some fans and media members get excited too quickly and too easily by what rookies do in training camp. But I will say I left training camp very optimistic about this draft class because not one of them looked out of place and pretty much all of them flashed at one time or another. So I’d say maybe we need to go easy on expectations for their rookie season, but there’s every reason to be excited about the possibilities for those players.