Dolphins Sunday Mailbag: Willis, Tua, Draft Trades, and More

Part 2 of the Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag for the final weekend of March 2026:

From Marcus Zahn:

Do you think they will make a serious effort to turn 2026 draft capital into 2027 picks (trading down from 11 or one of the 3rds) or maybe with a potential Brooks trade (2027 2nd would be nice)?

Hey Marcus, yes, I do think Jon-Eric Sullivan would love to be able to do that and set up the Dolphins like they were in 2020 and 2021 when it was two years, not just one, of a surplus of draft picks. But here comes my usual caveat: It takes two teams to make a trade and the reports on the overall quality of the 2026 draft class don’t lend themselves to the idea of a lot of teams looking to trade up.

From Dave Campbell:

Greetings Alain! Happy Birthday & Happy Anniversary. I was never a Tuanon nor a Tua hater. Just a long-time fan (Super Bowl WINNING time) hoping for a playoff off win. Tua's latest comments about player-coach nonsense really grated on my nerves! I can usually hope for the best for a former player but I kinda hope he has a big flame-out in Atlanta. Am I a grumpy old curmudgeon, flat-out wrong or somewhere in between? I understand the NFL is a business but that's bad business IMHO. Team question (finally). Looks like 2026 team will be JAGS & Rookies. I'm OK because team is in cap hell (it's REAL!) & resetting. My question is can we see a team that loses but tries like hell to win or go through the motions for draft position? Always appreciate your written work and All Dolphins and Dolphins Collective podcasts.

Hey Dave, thanks as always for the kind words. Here’s what I would say about Tua’s comments: They really didn’t need to be said and he should have taken the high road in an introductory press conference with his new team rather than put out the idea of dysfunction in Miami (regardless of whether that was the truth; it wasn’t the time for that). Having said that, what Tua does in Atlanta really shouldn’t matter to Dolphins fan, though I suspect it will because if he plays really well, some fans are going to point the finger at Sullivan for having eaten the cap space needlessly and if he flops, then you’ll have a group of folks who’ll gloat. The move has been done, it was the right move, and now it’s time to move on. As for the 2026 season, there is zero doubt in my mind the Dolphins will be playing hard and not “go through the motions” because, more than anything, this next season will be about establishing an identity and you want that identity to be that of a team that’s always going to be a tough out.

From The Fins Reset:

A lot has been said about the “Green Bay way” coming to Miami. Have Sully and Hafley given any hints that they may veer off that path slightly in any way?

They have not, but then again it’s not something we should expect them to divulge. We’ll find out for sure when draft time comes, but we also must remember there always are exceptions to the rule. For now, I would suspect what the Dolphins do to resemble what the Packers did.

From Bill Ahearn:

All I want to ask is whether the moves so far have strengthened the O-line?

Hey Bill, I wrote about this Friday and, yes, I do like the offensive line better because I think (regardless of PFF grades) that Salyer is a better guard option than Cole Strange, I think Charlie Heck will be just as good as Larry Borom was, and the Dolphins now should have Andrew Meyer back.

From Mark@Merrymeeting:

Thanks for all your work- here’s my question: How is the Dolphins’ new regime using AI (Artificial Intelligence) to hasten the team’s return to respectability on the field?

Hey Mark, I don’t know about using AI, but would suggest that analytics kinda sorta is the same thing and I know the Dolphins in recent years have been very big on it. Whether that remains standard operating procedure, I’m not sure. Not that you asked that question, but I’m not a fan of overreliance on analytics because those simply don’t factor intangibles and there’s probably no sport where intangibles are more important than football.

From Ed Helinski:

Do you ever look back, maybe shake your head in disbelief, and wonder about what went wrong with the Dolphins last season?

Hey Ed, not so much in that sense, but I have thought back at how close things were to being so different and how it could have changed everything. For example, the Dolphins started 0-3 when they were in a position to beat New England in Week 2 and Buffalo in Week 3 but were let down by two drives coming up short against the Patriots and a horribly timed penalty against the Bills (the roughing-the-punter call against Zach Sieler). Then what does the rest of the season look like? And the Dolphins also easily could have won in Week 5 and Week 6 against Carolina and the Chargers, but it just seemed like there was just bad juju the whole year.

From Earlwithan_E:

There has been a lot written and said about the Fins’ dead cap money of $182MM. Will that number come down when the post-June 1 cuts take effect?

Hey Earle, no, the $182 million factors in Bradley Chubb’s cap hit after June 1 and that of Tua. And, yes, it’s an insanely high number.

From Thee Dolphins Dum Dum:

Have the Dolphins set up Willis with no way to do any true evaluation this season? The cupboard seems almost bare on offense. The way this roster is currently constructed with no accomplished receivers besides Achane, and some very scary players at guard, how do can they do any evaluation on Willis? If the quarterback-rich draft comes to fruition, teams will be offering the moon for an early pick if the Dolphins have one. Do you have any concerns that if Willis plays mediocre to poor the Dolphins will be tempted to accept the excuses they have put in place and bypass on a QB?

Hey Dana, no, I’m not worried, but you can evaluate a quarterback regardless of the talent around him and, in fact, it might provide a better gauge if he’s not playing with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle easily getting open on a regular basis. What differentiates quarterbacks at the NFL level is the ability to make something happen under bad circumstances, and what better way to see if Willis can do that than by having him play with a nondescript group of offensive players (Achane aside, of course).

From Luis Rodriguez:

How crazy is it that a (now) Super Bowl-winning defensive coach passed on Brooks, an (now) All-Pro? And does that give a slimmer of hope with the signings made this year? Is there treasure amongst the perceived “trash”?

Hey Luis, that is exactly what the Dolphins are banking on, that something clicks for one or several of their free agent acquisitions. This also is where good coaching could make a difference for a player or two. It's actually not a bad strategy, particularly since the Dolphins simply didn't have any cap space to do much differently once they decided to reset their cap situation.