Saturday Dolphins Mailbag: Igbinoghene Outlook, Bridgewater Status, the Week 1 Spread, and More

Part 1 of the latest SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag around the preseason home opener against the Las Vegas Raiders:

From Miami Dolphins Québec (Dolphins_Quebec):

Considering you can't answer on depth chart, what does the tight end position look like? Is a trade of Mike Gesicki a possibility? Thanks a lot for your great coverage.

First off, merci beaucoup. I actually can talk about the depth chart now that the preseason has begun and the Dolphins have been forced to make one public. As it stands right now (and as it was for the preseason opener), Mike Gesicki is listed as the first-team tight end, followed by Durham Smythe, Hunter Long, Cethan Carter, Adam Shaheen (who's now on IR) and rookie free agent Tanner Conner. Is a trade for Gesicki a possibility? Yes, but the Dolphins certainly won’t be giving him away, particularly since they figure to get a pretty good compensatory draft pick if/when he leaves via free agency.

From Mark Harriman (@MarkHarriman13):

Alain, is Kader Kohou getting any looks as a returner? He had some success doing it in college (on a limited basis).

Hey Mark, I can answer this strictly per the depth chart because the media are not supposed to reveal certain information from practice, and I can tell you he’s not listed there as a returner and he didn’t play against Tampa Bay in the preseason opener, so he couldn’t be used in that role even if the Dolphins had wanted to put him back there.

From Steve , (@jujusimba7777):

Hi alain , 2/3 questions ,the contract for alexander have we the details yet? Am guessing vet min or around $1m? The waiver wire, where are dolphins situated on the list , how far down? Greg Little needs to get healthy and see what he has; what’s the issue? Kader Kohou same!

Hi Steve, multiple questions, so rapid-fire answers: Haven’t seen contract details for Alexander, but considering no team had signed him before now and it wasn’t the result of bouncing back from an injury, I think it’s pretty safe to assume he signed for around the veteran minimum, which is a bit over $1 million. For the waiver wire, until the Tuesday after the third regular season weekend of 2022, the claiming order is based on the 2022 draft order disregarding trades. That would put the Dolphins at 15th in the pecking order until Sept .27. Finally, I wish I could provide you with injury details, but the Dolphins do not reveal the nature of injuries at this time of year, nor are they required to do so by league rules as they will be once the regular season starts. All I can tell you is that Little hasn’t practiced in over a week, though Kohou was back at some point this week.

From Reza Hariri (@Therealrezpect1):

Biggest position battles for roster spot LB/OG/T/WR & CB, and who you see coming out of it? Can Tanner Conner beat out Cethan Carter?

Hey Reza, I think the backup LB spots will have the fiercest competition for the final spots because there’s so little apparently differentiating the candidates. As for my predictions on all those positions, I’ll refer you to my later roster projection. Regarding Conner, I like the kid a lot as a prospect based on what I’ve seen this summer, but now I’m more concerned about his health status after seeing him in a knee brace at practice Thursday. If he’s healthy, yes, I do think he’s got a chance of making the 53-man roster.

From jorge Boyd (@raga1922):

Why do you think Tua has played poorly the last three practices; is the absence of Waddle affecting him?

Hey Jorge, well, I’d start by saying that Tua actually was very effective in the final practice of the week after two sub-par outings Tuesday and Wednesday. But, no, I don’t think it had anything to do with Jaylen Waddle being out. He just wasn’t as sharp with his passing on those two days. It’s that simple.

From JP (@juanpbeltran):

Do you think Kindley replaces Eichenberg by Week 1? He looked good in that first preseason game.

Hey JP, yes, I agree with you that Kindley looked good in the first preseason game, but remember that the Bucs sat a bunch of their starters in this game. And there’s way more than preseason games that goes into making lineup decisions. The answer here is a pretty emphatic no.

From Chris Roney (@ChrisRoney0):

Quick one Alain: True or False? Michael Deiter will replace Connor Williams and start at C by Week 3 of this season?

Hey Chris, I’ll make it a quick answer then: False.

From Christfollower (@Christfollwero):

How has Mackenzie Alexander looked? Is there any hope left with Noah? Will the offensive line be significantly better than last year? Hunter Long?

Hi there, multiple questions, so rapid-fire answers: It’s way too early to assess how Alexander has looked because, first and foremost, he’s gotten very few reps in team drills. Yes, there’s some hope left with Noah, though it’s clear that everybody would have liked to see him further along at this point. The offensive line absolutely will be better than last year (again, it wasn’t the disaster so many have portrayed). Significantly better? That will depend on how many games Terron Armstead is able to play. Hunter Long? He should get more of a role in his second season, but I’m not sure I’ve seen signs yet of him becoming a top-shelf tight end at some point. So the jury is still out there, as far as I’m concerned.

From Sean Beachem (@beachbob1):

Does Bowden make the final cut? Any trades you potentially see before final cuts?

Hey Sean, right now, I’m sitting at 50-50 on Bowden, which is more than I would have said for him at this time last week. The problem Bowden will face is there’s no guarantee the Dolphins will keep six wide receivers and I see the top five as pretty locked in with Hill, Waddle, Wilson, Sherfield and Ezukanma. And, yes, I absolutely do see some trades happening before the final roster is set, though I’m thinking they’ll involve fringe players and not necessarily starters.

From Bob Curvelo (@curvelo13):

After a couple weeks of camp, do you think the offense is going to be more explosive/higher-scoring than last year?

Hey Bob, let me just say this: It would be borderline depressing if the offense weren’t higher-scoring than it was in 2021 given all the offseason acquisitions and the fact that Tua Tagovailoa has another year of experience. I also expect it to be more explosive, though I would caution against expecting it to be a bombs-away offense. I’d still expect the focus of this offense in the passing game to be on quick, short throws.

"All this Tua hype has been a little over the top."@WillBrinson picks the Patriots over the Dolphins to win the week 1 matchup. pic.twitter.com/GfqjWkdX34
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) August 19, 2022

From Chris Bustin (@ChrisBustin13):

Hey, Alain, as much as I moan, groan, and complain about my Dolphins, even *I* think the Dolphins will trounce the Patriots in Week 1. Because it’s a home game, I think the game’s spread (Dolphins -2.5) is far too conservative. What say you? Thanks!

Hey Chris, yeah, this is an interesting one and, of course, Will Brinson from CBS Sports sure got Dolphins fans riled up by predicting a Patriots victory in that game. The point spread clearly seems to reflect the 2021 standings when the Patriots made the playoffs and the Dolphins didn’t. I think we also should understand that while the Dolphins swept the Pats last year, it’s not like they blew them out. In fact, New England outgained Miami in both games, by 134 in the first matchup and by 81 yards in the second. Bottom line, if home-field advantage still is supposed to be worth three points, the spread suggests oddsmakers think New England is a slightly better team and we certainly can take issue with that, but I’m not sure it’s completely outrageous.

From Peter Ferreri (@peterferreri1):

Is there a realistic situation where Noah Ig doesn't make the 53?

Hey Peter, I’d say the odds of the Dolphins simply releasing Igbinoghene are very small, if not microscopic, and it comes down to financial considerations. Per overthecap.com, cutting Igbinoghene actually would reduce the Dolphins cap space by $1.6 million and produce more than $4.6 million of dead money. You just don’t see teams making that kind of move unless they figure they can’t get any use whatsoever out of a player.

From Adnas (@Anase815):

Any chance we move on from Teddy Bridgwater?

Hey Adnas, slim to none. Actually, make that very slim to none. I understand that everybody is impressed with what we’ve seen from Skylar Thompson, and with good reason, but looking impressive as a rookie seventh-round pick in practice and in the preseason opener is one thing; being able to rely on that player as the backup to a quarterback with durability concerns is an entirely different thing. Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned finances yet and the fact that Bridgewater’s $6.5 million contract ($4.5 million salary, $2 million signing bonus, per overthecap.com) for 2022 is fully guaranteed. So let me amend my original answer and just flat-out say, no, it’s not happening.