Friday Dolphins Mailbag: The Strength of the Team, Talking Tretter, the Vibe, and More

Part 1 of the latest SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:

From Reza Hariri (@Therealrezpect1):

Hi Alain, being a SDSU alum I endorse taking our punter by the 5th round. I still think we need to address edge, C, ILB and big back . Do you see draft as the means to fill these holes or will we dip into Tier 2 FA? Some intriguing names at LB, C & Edge. We do have $ to spend.

Editor’s Note: This question was sent in before the Dolphins signed veteran punter Thomas Morstead, so that takes care of the idea of drafting Araiza. The Dolphins are returning their top 15 defensive players in terms of snaps played in 2021, so I don’t think there’s any need that’s major at this time beyond adding depth and potential future contributors. As for a center, yeah, I could see the Dolphins picking up a veteran for depth in the second wave of free agency and certainly could consider somebody Cole Strange or Luke Fortner were available late in the third round.

From jorge Boyd (@raga1922):

Hi Alain, will the current RBs in the Dolphins roster be good enough to propel the offense to be a top 15th offense this season?

Hey Jorge, I would answer that with a resounding yes, provided they stay healthy because Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert both have big-play ability and they should complement the big-play potential of wide receivers like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Let’s face it, Mostert-Edmonds looks like the best Dolphins RB tandem in quite a few years.

From Phinaholic (@dana_buice):

Hey my friend, after this incredible off-season what is the strength of the Dolphins? Offense or defense?

Hey Dana, that is a very interesting question and I’d say it’s very close because I do believe the offense has caught up (or close to it) to the defense with all the offseason additions. If I had to pick one right now, I think it might go with a slight edge to the defense, but that easily could change.

From Mcdrip’s twin (@TheGreatPhinsby):

Yo Alain!! What's the energy so far in the building? Who has been a pleasant surprise to you?

Hey GP (Great Phinsby), understand that all the Dolphins have done this week after the opening of the offseason program is strength and conditioning, and it’s been done not in front of the media. So there’s no way I could tell you who's been a surprise. As far as the energy, this always is a good time of year because things start fresh and this year there’s the added element of there being a new head coach.

From Scott Eckenrode (@snake21104):

Why the lack of interest in JC Tretter? He would be a clear upgrade and not that expensive. We know all five starters will not play 17 games.

Hey Scott, Tretter made $9.1 million in base salary with Cleveland last year, so not sure where we’re getting the “not that expensive” part. He also pretty much never practiced during the season because of knee issues, though he did manage to play (and start) in 16 of the Browns’ 17 games. So, no, it’s not quite as simple as saying, “Tretter is out there, so let’s sign him.”

From Kerry Patrick (@coachgavin):

X and Ogbah both referenced a different, more positive vibe around the facility. Has that been apparent to you also, and how do you think that will manifest once we get into the thick of the season?

Hey Kerry, this is a topic that’s come up quite a bit recently and I’ll just say this: It should be pretty obvious by now that Mike McDaniel is a lot more of a player’s coach than his predecessor, so it would make sense that there would be a more positive vibe, but I would caution against overstating things right now because we’re also in April when all the players are doing in strength and conditioning work and X and Ogbah just both signed lucrative new contracts, so they have every reason to be happy about everything these days. In the final analysis, the idea that a “positive vibe” will affect what happens in the regular season probably doesn’t apply. As proof, New England has been known for a long, long time as not exactly being a joyful place to work but the Patriots sure haven’t seen their results suffer as a consequence.

From E-Rod (@phinfan2003):

Does Queiroz Neto or Coleman have a chance to make this team in this offense?

Hey E-Rod, I’m sorry to inform you that Durval Queiroz Neto isn’t even on the roster anymore. His practice squad contract ran out and the team didn’t bother re-signing him to a “futures” contract. As for Coleman, before he spent all of last year on IR, he looked badly overmatched in practice, so I would put him as a long shot to make the team.

From Brian Dougherty (@BrianBoru619):

Any chance the Dolphins draft Araiza? We dont have many picks but this guy could really help us.

This was a question sent before the Dolphins signed veteran punter Thomas Morstead, and his arrival pretty much ended the idea of using a draft pick on Araiza — no matter how good of a punting prospect hie might be.