Dolphins Week 1 Saturday Mailbag: Gordon, Sanders, Must-Win, And More

Tackling various Miami Dolphins topics ahead of their season opener against the Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins 2025 sixth-round pick Ollie Gordon II | Alain Poupart - Miami Dolphins On SI

Part 2 of the Miami Dolphins On SI Week 1 mailbag:

From MD928:

Do you think McDaniel will give Ollie Gordon a fair shot to overtake Wright for number 2, or do you think Jaylen is Mike’s Wright-hand man? Also do you see Mike continuing to make power running in short yardage situations a point of emphasis? Thanks!

Yes, McDaniel had high expectations for Wright (cute pun, by the way) because of what his speed could do for the offense, but it’s not like he’s going to hurt the team just to get his guy in the game. Gordon has a big opportunity at the start of the season with Wright sidelined, and if he shines then I might just give McDaniel no choice but to give him opportunities.

From Bubba:

Is McDaniel’s press conferences one of the most difficult to sit in and listen to in your career? With all those “ums” and “ughs.” I give you and your fellow beat writers a lot of credit the past 3+ years.

Hey Bubba, all I’ll say about this is Mike is very deliberate in making sure he uses exact words to convey the message he’s intending on a particular answer.

From Thee Dolphins Dum Dum:

The Dolphins have had receivers come in and play with limited time with the offense and have been a disaster. Those players are Chase Claypool and Grant DuBose. Both failed to make routine plays, crushing the Dolphins chances of winning. The TE position in my opinion has more responsibility and generally takes longer to grasp. How concerned should we be if Waller is asked to play with very limited practice participation?

Hey Dana, last things first, Waller won’t be playing against the Colts. If that somehow happens, I would imagine he’d get very limited reps and very few targets. But once he does play and is OK physically, we’re not dealing with a rookie or young player here, so I wouldn’t expect a long adjustment period being required.

From Jeffinsfan:

Alain, do you think a lack of a receiving tight end can be more than offset by a stacked WR room?

Hey Jeff, without question. Look back at 2023 when the leading receiver among tight ends was Durham Smythe and the offense led the NFL in total yards and was second in scoring. Jonnu Smith racked up big receiving numbers last year because the Dolphins threw underneath way more often, and that’s not necessarily their best recipe for success.

From Mike Marchese:

Hey Alain…..people are saying this should be a W for us, yet the betting line says we’re dogs……is this a must win game already???!!! I’ll hang up and listen to your answer.

Hey Mike, sorry, but there’s no so such thing as a must-win game in Week 1. I’m not even a fan of calling any game

AN UNDER-THE-RADAR PLAYER TO WATCH

From The_Finsider:

Who is an underrated player that’s going to show out against the Colts?

As I’ve said before, I struggle with these questions because who classifies as “underrated.” From my end, I would look for Jack Jones maybe being a difference-maker with a timely interception against Daniel Jones.

Miami Dolphins cornerback Jack Jones (23) runs on the field during training camp at Baptist Health Training Complex. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

From Preston Feiler:

Almost every team embraces wearing their throwbacks and honoring their history. The Dolphins always seem so against it, especially when the fans and players want it. Why is that?

Hey Preston, the Dolphins have worn the throwbacks twice a year, which is the maximum allowed. So I don’t understand the question. I do know Stephen Ross is fond of the new unis.

From Jesse Munoz:

Will the Dolphins defense show out vs. Daniel Jones and the Colts?

Hey Jesse, I’ll give you the answer to that question Sunday at 4 p.m. Seriously, I don’t know. The preseason isn’t like the regular season, so what we saw in August means very little right now. I do have confidence the Dolphins defense can have a good season, but we just won’t know for a bit.

From Bag of Donuts:

Outside of Tua’s injury history, why are the national sports media so down on the Dolphins?

Well, BOD, that’s a big part of it, no question, but I also think there are major concerns from the outside about whether the cornerback room is good enough and whether the offensive line can hold up.

From Adam Lawley:

If you could use two words to describe the Dolphins going into 2025… what would they be? And why?

Hey Adam, my two words would be “intriguing” and “enigmatic.” The Dolphins are intriguing because they have some very good front-line players, guys good enough to carry this team to a playoff appearance and maybe even a palyoff win. They’re also enigmatic because there are so many questions that need to be answered, and it’s those questions that have many refraining from predicting a good season.

From NYCFinFan4Life:

Knucklehead here, do you feel confident in the roster to be competitive? Any updates on Sanders? Crystal ball prediction of wins? I say 10-7 we squeak out a wild card.

The front end of the roster is competitive, no question. The back end of the roster is very suspect. Have not seen any updates on Jason Sanders and we’re probably a couple of weeks away from asking Mike McDaniel about him. I don’t like predictions, but broke my rule because I know fans like them and went game by game along with Deputy Editor Dante Collinelli, and had the Dolphins winding up at 8-9. But don’t hold me to that. I prefer your 10-7.