Dolphins Sunday Mailbag: Tua, Waller, Phillips, and More

Could the team trade one of its young edge defenders? How about Asante Samuel Jr. or acquiring a cornerback via trade? Tackling those and other Miami Dolphins topics

Miami Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips (15) works during training camp at Baptist Health Training Complex. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Part 2 of a Miami Dolphins On SI preseason opener weekend mailbag:

From Brandon Quinn:

Seems to me like we have an abundance of 5-man-roster-caliber edge defenders. In Goode, Bell, Kamara and Murphy, I feel like even if 2 make the roster, the other two will be picked up elsewhere and we won’t get the chance to stash them on the PS. I understand the NFL isn’t Madden, but is there a team out there in a similar situation with their DB depth that we could realistically make a swap with if we’re just gonna lose a couple of these guys anyway? Thanks as always!

Hey Brandon, I can’t think off the top of my head of any team that has a surplus of DBs to just ship one away, though the Raiders just kind of did something like that in their trade with the Eagles. The other issue is that while the four edge defenders you mentioned have made plays in training camp, none of them have established themselves as players for whom any team would give up much in a trade, if we’re being honest about it. It’s just not realistic to trade a bottom-of-the-roster edge defender for a cornerback who would represent a clear upgrade over what the Dolphins currently have.

From NYCFinFan4Life:

Rapid fire bud. Do you think we are cursed or just poor conditioning staff? Any standouts you feel can step up in secondary? On scale of nausea to meh, how do you see O-Line depth? Realistic expectations of we suffer less than one more injury on either side but Tua stays healthy?

Here we go: It’s more cursed than anything else, but the Dolphins aren’t the only team like that. I really liked what I saw of Storm Duck early in camp. The O-line depth is scary until proven otherwise. Injuries are fickle, but I do think Tua has a chance to stay healthy and it’s more likely than not seeing a significant injury to somebody else during the preseason.

THE STATE OF THE TIGHT END ROOM

From Jayco:

I say our TE room is the worst in the league. Not sure if you agree, but how concerned are you about the state of that position?

Hey Jayco, this to me depends on Darren Waller. If he comes back and can provide anything close to what he did for the Raiders in his two big seasons, the tight end room will be fine. If it’s a washout, then it’s indeed a massively forgettable group.

Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller | Alain Poupart/Miami Dolphins On SI

From Dan Kaufman:

Do they have enough at cornerback? I see them above average everywhere else on defense.

Hey Dan, I’m concerned about the cornerback position if the pass rush isn’t making an impact on the quarterback, without question. And that’s even while saying I haven’t seen the CB position as being a disaster in camp — but it’s camp.

From Michael LaVigne:

Has Asante Samuel been cleared to play? I would think at this point his agent would have put that out there.

Hey Michael, you nailed it. If Samuel was good and ready to go, his agent would have leaked it to one of the national reporters and Samuel himself probably would have posted something on social media. Also understand that contracts for vested veterans (four years or more) become fully guaranteed for the season if they’re on the roster in Week 1, so it may be that teams will wait until after that to make a pitch.

From GTT JC:

What happened to the 3 best players to wear the number column? Have not seen it since number 35.

It’s very simple … I aim to give the people what they want and the response to it simply wasn’t worth continuing it. I’m sorry for those who did enjoy it. But here’s what it would look like up to this point: 34 — Ricky Williams, Woody Bennett, Marcus Thigpen; 33 — Karim Abdul-Jabbar, Nate Jones, Deon Dyer; 32 — Kenyan Drake, Benny Malone, Joe Auer; 31 — Brock Marion, Raheem Mostert, Norm Bulaich; 30 — Bernie Parmalee, Ron Davenport, Alec Ingold; 29 — Sam Madison, Liffort Hobley, Brandon Jones; 28 — Don McNeal, Bobby McCain, De’Von Achane; 27 — Terrell Buckley, Lorenzo Hampton, Gary Davis; 26 — Jarvis Williams, Lamar Smith, Lamar Miller.

From Matt Atherton:

Do you believe there is a culture change happening or do you think it’s a smoke screen?

Hey Matt, first off, I’m not big of this notion of “culture change,” but I will say for the most part this maybe does look like a more “dedicated to the cause” team than last year’s. What that means for the regular season? Not sure, but probably not a ton.

From Luis Rodriguez:

Hi Alain, which QB class would you take between 2018 and 2020? 2018 has 3 MVPs but no SB appearances. 2020 is statistically loaded and has 3 SB appearances and one SB win, no MVPs.

Hey Luis, if you’ve followed me on social media or watched the All Dolphins Podcast, you would know I don’t put everything on wins and losses for QBs. For example, you’re not going to convince me for a millisecond that Jalen Hurts is a better QB than Josh Allen or Joe Burrow because he has a Super Bowl title and they don’t. I think the 2020 class has more depth with Burrow, Tua, Herbert, Love and Hurts, but it’s tough to go against the 2018 group because it includes what I consider the top two QBs in the league right now, Allen and Lamar Jackson.

From ol’ jasper:

Which is more likely this season: Tua gets MVP or Phillips gets DMPV?

Hey Jasper, MVP is a QB award, so Tua should be the easy answer here.

From teej:

Would you say the instances of WRs getting laid out were due to chippy play or bad ball placement by our QBs, setting up WRs to get rocked?

There was no excuse for the Bears being overly aggressive, and I don’t want to hear about them just being physical. I’ve seen a lot of joint practices in my time, and this was over the top. Point blank. End of story.

From AKASHA:

Alain, here’s my question, I think we all assumed McD was working on the ANSWER to why defenses were stopping us from throwing mid and deep balls last season. Have you seen the answer yet?

Nope, but we’re still four weeks away from the start of the regular season and we’re also not expecting McDaniel to unveil anything of relevance right now, are we?

From Pixel:

I guess my biggest question is whether we might trade for a CB. We probably need at least 2 more for depth at least.

Hey Pixel, it’s a sound idea, but the question here always is and will be, who’s trading a quality cornerback? And what will the price be? It’s not as easy as just wanting to acquire a top-end cornerback.