Dolphins Monday Mailbag: OBJ, O-line, 'Cheat Motion,' And More

Part 2 of a Miami Dolphins mailbag for the pre-preseason weekend:

From Crash Jensen (@Sngly):

How much do you think the new motion rules will affect Miami’s “cheat motion”? The language seems vague, and at times, redundant. Does it prevent them from actually doing what they were doing last year? THANK YOU FOR THE MAILBAG, POUP! My weekends just got a little brighter…

Hey Crash, thanks much. The Dolphins absolutely will be able to do what they did last year, but they might not get away with Tyreek turning upfield a hair early like he did a few times last year (check out his second touchdown at Washington as a example). But the premise of the jet motion is to give Tyreek a running start and make it tougher to jam at the line, and that won’t change.

From Eric Michaud (@EricMichaudCT):

How concerned are you about the O-line?

Hey Eric, I’d say I’m a tad concerned. It’s still way too early in the process for me to start panicking, while at the same time being able to acknowledge it’s a work in progress.

From will w. (@Willmvg):

Are the guys in the trenches (both side of the ball) good enough?

Hey Will, good enough for what? I’m going to guess the answer is winning a Super Bowl, and that’s an absolutely fair question. This is where I would say that the Dolphins would win a Super Bowl with massive performances by their skill position players (Tua, Tyreek, Waddle, Mostert, Ramsey, Holland, to name five), not the trenches.

From DW (@TheDrewWelch):

Should I go traditional IRA or Roth? Or football related, how are the depth guys looking in the secondary and receiver groups?

Yeah, I’ll leave the first question to financial professionals. I’ll happily tackle the football question and tell you I’m not necessarily enamored with the depth at either wide receiver or the secondary, though I think the deepest of those groups is the safeties.

From Chris Roney (@ChrisRoney0):

Which player will have the biggest year 2 jump when the games start? (Not who is the best player, but which shows most improvement?) Ethan Bonner, Julian Hill, De’Von Achane.

Hey Chris, if the question strictly is about “biggest jump,” then that eliminates Achane in my book because I don’t know how much of a jump you can have from averaging 7 yards a carry. Of the other two, I’d be inclined to go with Julian Hill, though the question will be how many snaps he can get alongside Durham Smythe and Jonnu Smith. I’m also not sure how much playing time Ethan Bonner will end up getting in the secondary.

From Mason (@Orli88704562):

Alain, thank you so much for answering our questions. My question is how can the Dolphins as a team become a tougher and more physical team? Especially after Poyer’s comments that this team folds when you get on top of them. Have the Dolphins done enough to upgrade the roster to win down the stretch, specifically in cold-weather games?

Hey Mason, I’m not sure about Poyer’s comments because I don’t know that I ever blamed lack of toughness for the Dolphins’ problems against good teams. If the Dolphins have to become more one-dimensional offensively when they fall behind and they’re facing a good team, I’m not sure that’s a toughness issue. That’s my take on that. As for the roster, the Dolphins have made a lot of really nice additions (Campbell, Beckham, Jonnu, Brooks, Poyer, Fuller) that could help make a difference down the stretch.

From Rick Schoppe (@DolphanSchop):

Hello Alain. Great show! With the available cap space, what are your 3 top possibilities IF the Dolphins go out and sign one of the remaining top free agents?

Hey Rick, I’m going to answer this question by telling you not to count on or expect big-name additions anytime soon and as proof I’d point to the two veterans the Dolphins signed this week, Willie Snead IV and Sean Harlow. Also be aware that vested veterans (four or more seasons) have their salary fully guaranteed if they’re on a roster in Week 1, so teams often wait until after that opening weekend to add older, perhaps pricier veterans.

From Roger Dodger (@RogerDolfan):

Hi Alain, any concerns with over 25% of Fins salary cap tied up in 3 players for the next 3 seasons assuming Hill contract is extended? Does this make you a little "queasy"?

Editor’s note: This question was sent before Tyreek’s contract was restructured (not extended). Jaylen Waddle’s cap number for 2025 is only $8 million, to go along with Tua’s $39.5 million and Hill’s $34.3. With the 2024 cap at $255 million, the total of $81.8 million indeed will represent easily more than 25 percent of the cap. No, it’s not entirely ideal, but there always are ways to make things work, particularly if you have an owner who’s willing to spend, and the Dolphins definitely have that.

From John Shea (@JohnShe65978548):

Do you see any DTs stepping up? Seems like a rather pedestrian group behind Sieler. This scares me as I have flashbacks of the Dolphins getting gouged at the line during Marino’s heyday.

Hey John, Calais Campbell is hard to peg in terms of position because of his versatility, but he’s somebody I’d feel good about. As for the vast group of free agents signed in the offseason, it’s fair to suggest that none of them has flashed very much in camp.

From TJ (@akfinfan):

What do you know who about the NFL banning the “cheat” motion? How will this impact the Dolphins offense? Has anyone asked Coach McDaniel about it?

Hey TJ, the NFL is NOT banning the “cheat” motion, they’ll just be emphasizing making sure that receivers don’t get a head start running forward before the snap, something Tyreek actually did a few times in 2023. But the Dolphins still will be able to send him in motion before the snap. And, yes, Mike McDaniel has been asked about it, and he said the Dolphins will make sure to abide by the rules.

From John Flora (@Capt_Cavephin):

What are you liking in the new defensive scheme? Also, how can Miami keep players healthy this year?

Hey John, the new scheme simply looks a lot more aggressive than what we saw last year and that immediately is a plus for me. I’m from the school of the more attacking the defense does, the better. As for the second question, there’s only so much you can do because luck always will be the biggest factor when it comes to injuries. The one thing teams can do is be smart about dealing with players who have any kind of issues and I also would advocate for pulling starters in games where the outcome no longer is in doubt, which would have saved Bradley Chubb last season.

From Glenn Austin (@GlennCorlett):

I’m hopeful the defense is better, even with some guys missing to start the season. How’s the OL look?

Hey Glenn, the offensive line looks like a work in progress, which is what you’d expect it to look like at this time.

From Adnas (@Anase815):

Is there a legit chance Skylar Thompson beats out Mike White and White gets cut? Or even look elsewhere … dare I say Ryan Tannehill?

Prefacing my answer by saying that White hasn’t looked good in training camp, I’d still be very surprised if Skylar ended up beating him out for the No. 2 spot and also if the Dolphins called Ryan Tannehill, who’s really not a good scheme fit for this offense.

From Mark Lever (@MarkFinsfan):

What’s the status on OBJ? What realistically do you think we can expect from him this year?

Hey Mark, OBJ’s status is unclear, though I can tell you we’ve seen him run during practice in recent days. I would temper my expectations on his numbers for 2024, but I do think he can make a significant contribution, but maybe more so with key catches at key times rather than big numbers.

From Thomas Hudson (via email)

Hi Alain, it is great to see the mailbag back. I have a question about QBs. I have seen the comment so many times that with the change to the 3rd QB rule Miami will only carry two QBs on the regular roster. But in 2022, without the emergency QB rule at all, Miami kept three on the roster. Do you think Miami could keep both Thompson and White on the regular roster? And do you think there is any chance one of them could be traded? I know they wouldn't get much, but if the team doesn't want to keep all three on the 53 and think whoever they try to put on the practice squad would be grabbed by someone else, maybe a trade works?

Hey Thomas, it’s an interesting point you made, but I don’t think this year is like 2022. Back then, Skylar Thompson looked so good in training camp and the preseason, the Dolphins felt they have no choice but to keep him, otherwise he would have been snatched up on waivers. This summer isn’t like that. Neither Thompson nor Mike White has looked good in training camp and I’m not sure White has enough of a body of work to fetch anything in a trade or that the Dolphins would be comfortable with Thompson as their backup. At this time, I’m still sticking to my prediction that there will be two QBs on the 53-man roster and the second one will be White.