Dolphins Saturday Mailbag: Achane, Cam Smith, Gordon, and More

Part 2 of a Miami Dolphins On SI weekend mailbag:

From Olive Grove Jon:

Hi Alain, we’ve seen in the past players come to Miami for the money like Suh and Wallace. Now it seems the top FA want to go to contending teams in some cases for less money. What can Miami do to attract the best FA again? Is it more than just a cap issue?

Hey OGJ, the Dolphins have a lot of things going for them in terms of attracting free agents, starting with first-class facilities and no state income tax, but players always want the chance to compete for a championship. It also doesn’t help when the franchise appears at a crossroads, which certainly is the case for the 2025 Dolphins as it looks right now. But things can change dramatically if the Dolphins have a successful 2025 season and win a playoff game. Then attracting free agents won’t be an issue.

From Ryan:

How are the RBs behind Achane looking and who is the odd man out since 4 RBs aren’t used weekly normally?

Hey Ryan, I’d say coming out of the offseason program that probably little separates the three behind Achane — Jaylen Wright, Alexander Mattison and Ollie Gordon II. I think Wright has the biggest upside of the three and also has the benefit of having been with the team last year, so he’s probably got the edge at this time and Mattison probably has a slight edge over Gordon because of his experience. But I would call this a very fluid situation.

From Jorge Boyd:

Hi Alain, questions about the schedule: What set of games is the most difficult stretch? What are the cold games for them? Where are the Dolphins going to do the most damage?

Hey Jorge, those topics were among my schedule takeaways after it was released in May and here is my summary of your particular questions. The really difficult stretch is Week 8-11 of at Atlanta, at home vs. Baltimore, home vs. Buffalo and then the Spain game against Washington. The Dolphins have three potentially cold-weather games — at the Jets on Dec. 7, at Pittsburgh on Monday night, Dec. 15 and at New England in the season finale. But also remember the game at Cleveland last year was going to be a weather problem and then the temperatures wound up being in the 50s. As for the stretch were the Dolphins could do some damage, that would have to be Week 4-7 with home games against the Jets and Chargers and road games against the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns.

From Marsalis Temple:

What is more likely to happen Mr. Poupart... defensive line play becomes the Dolphins defensive focus or filling the big holes at cornerback with free agent corners?

Hey Marsalis, the Dolphins are going to try to address both areas and get the best production possible out of both groups. I think the defensive line stands out right now as a group the Dolphins really want to develop given the investment made in the 2025 draft.

From Marco A. Briceño:

Is it safe to say Cam Smith is a bust?

Hey Marco, no, it’s too premature to say that. It is, however, entirely fair to be concerned about the direction this is heading based on his first two NFL seasons. It might not even be a stretch to say he’s on the road to bustdom, just not a bust just yet.

From Cliffy Mac:

Of all the free agent cornerbacks available, who would you like to see sign? Also, would you be interested in giving Asante Samuel a 1-yr prove it deal? Worked out well with Brent Grimes.

Hey Cliffy, I would be very interested in giving Samuel a one-year prove-it deal IF his health checks out after the reports of him having offseason neck surgery, which is no small detail. He actually might be my top option if that’s the case, and it also should be pointed out the Dolphins got Grimes on the cheap back in 2013 because he was coming off an Achilles injury (though Samuel isn’t quite the same kind of player). I’ve always liked Rasul Douglas a player because of his ball skills, but the truth is he didn’t have a good 2024 season and that scares me a little bit.

From Luis Rodriguez:

Hi Alain, trying to understand your stance on QB W/L record. Pitchers and goalies have W/L records on team sports, so why not QBs? Also, if it’s not a QB stat, should we stop judging number of rings QBs have then?

Hey Luis, my stance is simple: There’s no sport where everybody is so dependent on everybody else for success that it’s not right to assign wins and losses to one position. I mean, we don’t do it for running backs who can be bigger difference-makers than quarterbacks, like Derrick Henry. I don’t think the team’s record should be examined when looking at a quarterback’s performance, but it should be only part of the picture. And pitchers and goalies have more impact on wins and losses than quarterbacks from where I sit. Lastly, yes, I think number of rings is massively overblown. Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl ring because he was lucky enough to be the quarterback when the 2000 Baltimore Ravens had one of the all-time great defenses. Jim Plunkett and Eli Manning both have two Super Bowl rings and it doesn’t make them great QBs. It's why I have an issue with the idea of Manning as a Hall of Famer just because of the two titles when he never was a great QB in my opinion.

From Thee Dolphins Dum Dum:

What sense does it make to trade Ramsey to the Steelers for peanuts and pay a large portion of his salary? We play them this year. Chris Grier and McDaniel’s careers are on the line. So it’s very possible we will be competing with them for the final playoff spot. If that scenario plays out, you would be paying someone to keep you out of the playoffs and possibly end your career as a head coach and GM.

Hey Dana, I hear where you’re coming from, but I think the Dolphins will view getting rid of Ramsey and the headaches associated with his presence as addition by subtraction and they’re not really thinking about how he could play a role in helping Pittsburgh defeat them and beat them out for a playoff spot. And maybe Grier might think that Ramsey’s arrival could disrupt Steelers chemistry and actually hurt them.

From Jason Bourne:

Chances that Ollie Gordon carves out a role as a rookie?

Hey Jason, I would put those chances at 50-50 if there are no injuries at running back because those obviously go up if anybody at the position gets hurt. But there’s clearly something there with Gordon and I do think he’ll get some kind of role.

From Chris…Grier fan account:

What 4 players would you put on your Long Snapper Mt. Rushmore?

Well, that’s an interesting question, one that may or may not be a joke. But I’m a man of the people and I answer what I’m asked so here comes the answer. My list includes John Denney, Ed Perry, Bob Kuechenberg (along with being a great offensive lineman) and I’m going to go with Tucker Addington because the Dolphins were 3-0 with him last year.

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