Dolphins Aug. 6 Mailbag: Concerns, Corners, Wilkins, and More

From Reza Hariri (Therealrezpect1):

After a week of watching practice what unit are you concerned about and are there any FA that are available that could be an upgrade?

Hey Reza, I will address your question about concerns, and tell you that pretty much every position concerns me — except maybe tight end and linebacker. At quarterback — and this is where some will roll their eyes or insult me — I have concerns as to how big a jump Tua will make. At running back, I have concerns that there's nobody special on the roster. At wide receiver, I have concerns about durability on what should be a very good unit. On the offensive line, I have concerns about the lack of proven players. On the defensive line, I have concerns about the lack of a single dynamic player. At safety, I have a concern about who starts next to Eric Rowe. At cornerback I have a concern about how the Xavien Howard situation will play out.

From Joe Tregellas (JTrey65):

Have heard Bonds is playing well; is he starter good or solid backup good?

You might have heard or read it from me because I've been saying it and writing it. He has indeed looked very good. That said, most of his work has come against second- and third-team receivers, so I'm not ready to say he's starter good. What he's done is put himself in position to maybe steal a roster spot, something I wouldn't have said at the start of camp.

From Mark Harriman (@MarkHarriman13):

Alain, how is Jermaine Eluemunor being used? He seemed decent for the Pats last season before an injury.

Yes, Eluemunor did do a decent job for the Pats last year early in the season. He's kind of in the background right now because the Dolphins seem to be focusing on the young guys and Jesse Davis when it comes to the starting group. I still can see Eluemunor making the 53-man roster as a swing backup.

From Gerry (@gerardolifetree):

Your front seven lineup?

Defensive line of Emmanuel Ogbah, Raekwon Davis and Zach Sieler/Christian Wilkins (I put both because they're interchangeable to me), with a linebacker group of Andrew Van Ginkel, Jaelan Phillips, Jerome Baker and Benardrick McKinney.

From Ryan (@trulyrudy21):

If the Texans trade Watson to the Eagles, any way the Dolphins could get Tunsil back for our extra 1st? Complete rebuild in Houston and we could use Tunsil back.

First off, I don't see any Watson trade anytime soon as long as his legal situation remains cloudy. Second, you don't actually think the Texans would give up Tunsil that easily, do you?

From WorldsTallestLittlePerson (@SlFlBigDog):

Assuming what Jordan Howard said was true, who is most to blame for his ill-fated signing? Grier? Gailey? Flores? My vote would be Flores. He hired Gailey & I'm assuming signed off on signing Howard. I don't think GMs just bring in players without consulting at least the HC.

Yeah, that story was a weird one. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that a running back expected to play a prominent role would be signed without consulting with the OC. But the thinking is that Grier and Flores make decisions collaboratively (which they've said many times), they're the ones who signed Howard, so his failure falls on them.

From Miami Dolphins Québec (@Dolphins_Quebec):

The O-line seems to have difficult times ... right or wrong ?

Yeah, the O-line is not looking particularly overwhelming right now, but I'd repeat that it's still awfully early.

From Richard grosso (@rjgro):

Wilkins ... another 1st rounder who becomes good but not great...or Sieler just that good that he's ahead of him?

Yes? At this point, Wilkins absolutely is a good-not-great player and Sieler is in the same category as a player. And this goes back to my answer to the first question.

From Ken Dasher (@kdash65):

Thanks for all you do, Alain. I appreciate your work. What player(s) on the current team have impressed you the most with their leadership and character? Who have been some of the strongest leaders you've been around on the Dolphins over the years?

First off, thanks very much Ken. Truly appreciate the kind words. The leadership/character question is tougher to answer than it normally would be because the media hasn't been allowed in locker rooms since 2019 because of COVID and that's a good place to watch the interaction between players. On top of the fact there's been so much roster turnover, it's a very hard question to answer. As I go through the roster in my head, it occurs to me there aren't a lot of alpha personalities on the team, either. If I had to name somebody, I think maybe I'd go with Jerome Baker and perhaps Wilkins. In terms of through the years, Bryan Cox and Zach Thomas very quickly come to mind.

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