Wednesday Dolphins Mailbag: O-line, Tight Ends, Depth Chart, and More

Part 3 of the latest SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:

From Rick Lupisella (via email):

Alain, I'm wondering if Grier and McDaniel have some head fakes going on with this depth chart. It's no secret that they tried to trade Cedrick Wilson Jr. Now, he beats out your free agent signing Robbie Chosen? I believe that this is a ploy to make Cedrick Wilson Jr. marketable. As you've said in your podcast with Omar, "They know what they've got in Chosen." I think you're right and Omar is wrong on this issue. In the same vein, Mike White is NOT beating Skylar based upon reports I've read, but White is higher on the chart. Could Miami be keeping all three QBs as they did last year or are they AGAIN making Mike White marketable for a trade?

Hey Rick, as I indicated in my breakdown and analysis of the initial depth chart Tuesday morning, take it for what it’s worth with the understanding that coaches hate it and only put it out because they have to for television reasons. I’m really not buying the idea of Mike McDaniel using the depth chart to send messages. With Wilson, teams around the NFL know what he is as a player and the issue continues to be his salary more than anything else. As for White and the QB, no, I don’t believe Skylar is ahead of him and, yes, I strongly believe the Dolphins will keep three on the roster. It’s practically a lock, the way I see it.

From Nick (via email):

Hi Alain, I keep reading that our TEs aren’t going to be doing much other than blocking this year. So the obvious question is when is the big lad moving out there? We all saw what Mr. Hunt can do with the ball in his hands and I for one would LOVE to see that again. Plus his blocking has to be better than your average TE.

Hey Nick, that’s a good one and I’m going to assume this was sent and is completely tongue in cheek. Robert Hunt is not playing tight end.

From rob hellenbrand (@dolfanrob1):

The Dolphins had a bunch of losses all of a sudden to CTE a few years back — Kiick, Morrall, Buoniconti, maybe some others. Anyway, that flow of loss seems to have slowed down. Are you aware of other players who are currently battling that now? You don’t need to share names.

Hey Rob, I am not aware of any other former Dolphins player dealing with cognitive issues (CTE is diagnosed postmortem). Can’t say I’m really digging for that kind of information, though.

COMPARING THIS DOLPHINS CAMP TO OTHERS

From Flipper13 (@Flipper13):

From all the Dolphins camps you have covered, where does this 2023 Dolphins team rank compared to the previous ones?

Oh man, you’re testing my memory here, considering I’ve covered the Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 (yes, that long). I think I’d say this team has more talent than many most in recent memory, but the most talented teams were the Shula teams of the 1990s.

From matt thau (@thau_matturgist):

Difference in flow of training camp compared to previous regimes?

Hey Matt, that notion always comes up with a new coach, but the reality is that most training camps look alike. If I were to say there’s a huge difference between the McDaniel camps and what we saw from Brian Flores in terms of flow, I’d be lying. There isn’t a huge difference, though there’s no TNT wall with McDaniel.

From Ken Dasher (@kdash65):

Hey Alain, thanks for grinding for us. Which of the UDFAs has the best chance of making the 53?

Hey Ken, I did not have any rookie free agents on my 53-player roster projection 2.0, but I certainly would give both linebacker Aubrey Miller Jr. and nose tackle Brandon Pili legitimate chances of making the roster and, who knows, I just might change my mind and include before my final projection is out.

From Olive Grove Jon (@Owlizee):

Hi Alain, your thoughts on Channing Tindall? Has he progressed this camp and does he appear to have picked up the playbook?

Hey OGJ, Tindall has had his moments during training camp, but I can’t say he’s been a consistent factor for the defense. The hope is he can make a nice jump in his second season, but I can’t say I think he’s a lock to be on the 53-man roster.

TACKLING THE TIGHT END ISSUE

From JB (@JB0123wxzy):

Will the tight end position as a group this year break 45 catches?

Hey JB, man, that’s a low over/under! Yes, the tight ends will eclipse that number, though I can’t tell you I expect anything major in terms of receiving numbers from this group.

From Milton (@Milton_92):

Should they move Connor to LG and Look at Liam at Center?

Hey Milton, this actually is a very interesting idea and it does have its merits, but I just don’t see the Dolphins doing something this drastic at this time.

From JoeRay1324 (@joeray1324):

I hear the defense won the day Saturday at the stadium, but reading some live tweets it didn't seem that bad of a day for the offense. Was it really that lopsided?

Hey JoeRay, I thought it was a clear win for the defense on this day, if not a blowout. There should have been absolutely zero debate that.

From EZ OSEGUERA (@EzOseguera):

Haven’t heard much news from TE group. Is that position an issue for this offense?

There’s a reason you haven’t heard much, and that’s because I’m not sure I can recall a day when a tight end caught more than one pass. But it just might be by design, with the idea that the tight ends in this offense will be needed to block but not necessarily factor very much as receivers.

From Jason Kirkland (@1bigdad424):

Hey Alain, I know you can't speak on who is starting and who isn't, but who has looked the best at LG?

Hey Jason, that’s a good question and one without a clear-cut answer. And also please understand that there are a ton of things to watch during practice and I can’t just dedicate all my time to the left guard position. Having said all that, my eyes tell me that maybe Robert Jones or Lester Cotton have looked the best.

From Marsalis Temple (@marsalis_temple):

How would you address this obvious problem at TE?

Hey Marsalis, if by obvious problem, you mean the fact there’s not a big-time pass catcher on the roster, I don’t think there’s a clear solution in sight. The issue is there simply aren’t good receiving tight ends still on the market. That’s even assuming the Dolphins would want to bring in that kind of tight end because it just might be that the coaches are perfectly fine with their more blocking-oriented group.

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