Dolphins Saturday Mailbag: Debating Whether the Willis Move Was Overhyped

Part 1 of a late-March weekend Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From InvaderCB:

With a bounty of picks in the ’26 draft, should the Dolphins be concentrating on getting picks for ‘27 now? Hopefully they’ll hit really good on this year, but with so many, I worry about 4 to 5 good players with the same contract year.

I think the Dolphins would love to have the problem of too many good players to extend four years from now, if we’re going to be honest about it. But since this does look like more than a simple one-year rebuild, it certainly wouldn’t surprise me to see Miami make trades to pick up additional picks in 2027. The key, of course, will be maximizing those picks whenever they are.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

From rjgrosso:

AP... What's your take on the net result of essentially swapping Strange for Salyer?

Hey Richard, I alluded in a story Friday that I think the offensive line actually might be in better shape now than it was last year and one reason is that I absolutely think that Salyer is an upgrade over Strange. And the Dolphins signed Salyer for a lot less than what Strange got from the Chargers, so let’s call it a win-win right there.

From JCEsq1982:

The vitriol directed at Tua’s comments regarding what went wrong in 2025 feels over the top. He didn’t name coaches, didn’t name players, he simply said the issues were more “players‑coaches” than “players‑players.” He didn't call out McDaniel by name. What am I missing? Seemed pretty generic to me.

What you’re missing is that Tua called out McDaniel without calling him out, if you catch my drift. And maybe it’s not a biggie to you, but this was a time for him to take the high road, not throw a little shade and then laugh when talking about the situation being “unique” in “a lot of ways.” Was it egregious? No. Was it unnecessary? Absolutely.

From Cru Jones:

Based on the defenses Hafley ran in GB, is there a specific type of player we can expect them to target in the draft at DL, edge, LB, or DB?

Hey Cru, generally speaking, the Green Bay way favors size, including on the edge where the current projected starters, Chop Robinson and Josh Uche, certainly don’t fit the bill.

From Thomas Hudson:

It is odd seeing you hype up the Willis acquisition so much, you are usually a little more facts-based and less about hoping something happens. So here is the question: So much of playing QB in the NFL is mental. Why are you not concerned that a season behind what is still a poor pass blocking line with no good targets will not damage his mental state? I, and I suspect many other fans, wanted to see the Dolphins build up the line and WR room before investing anything substantial in a QB. They are setting Willis up to fail this year, and that is never a good thing. As far as grades go, if the question is how good a job they did getting better this year, then they obviously didn’t. I think a low grade is justified at this point because no one is grading a team now on how much better they may be in 2028. Buying flexibility is a positive, but it does not help this year. They can get credit when they use the cap space and picks, not before.

Hey Thomas, I’m going to disagree with you and correct you every step of the way here. The reason I’m high on the Willis acquisition is not because I’m predicting greatness for him, it’s because I love the idea of taking a shot that he could be great with a very modest commitment of two years and $45 million. And you can disagree all you want, but, no, offseason grades should not be based solely on whether they make the team better immediately, otherwise it would take no analysis whatsoever and just look at the teams that spent the most. That’s not how it works.

From Olive Grove Jon:

Hi Alain, if by some crazy situation Downs, Bain, Tyson, Styles and Mauigoa are there at 11, who do think they would take?

Hey OGJ, that’s a great question. If we’re going to Jon-Eric Sullivan’s comment about building from the inside out, then logic says Mauigoa would be the pick, right? But Downs and Styles also would be very difficult to pass up.

From dolphman99:

Hi Alain, everybody in the sports media saying the Dolphins are going to tank this year. Doesn’t the new GM and HC want to be competitive? Isn’t that what playing is about. I am hoping they play each game to win. Still have this year’s draft to build up some missing pieces. There is no guarantee of a QB in the 2027 draft that can be a no-brainer. Malik Willis has a good arm and is athletic to get the job done. Players and coaches are being paid. Hopefully this Green Bay duo can bring this team to the playoffs and a championship in the near future. Just don’t tank!

The Dolphins will not be tanking, but trying merely to win games never was the objective from the time Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley were hired, it was about rebuilding the organization so it can compete on a perennial basis and that meant resetting the roster, moving on from some former major contributors and accumulating draft picks. The result is a roster that simply won’t be good enough to produce many wins right away, but it won’t be for lack of trying because the Dolphins absolutely will not be tanking.

From jorge boyd:

Hey Alain, do you think OL Fano will be there at 11 and if he is would the Dolphins take him?

Hey Jorge, Fano is a very good offensive line prospect, but the general idea seems to be that he needs to play guard in the NFL, which might make him a bit less desirable. If I had to guess, I’d say Fano still would be there at 11 and the Dolphins would not take him.

From Dolfan:

Which O-line guy has the best bench press result? That is what they need.

Well, if you’re going strictly by bench press results from the combine, then the choices would be Clemson’s Blake Miller at tackle and Texas A&M’s Trey Zuhn III for the interior. But there’s more that comes into play here and, besides, a whole bunch of prospects declined to lift at the combine.