Thursday Mailbag: Solutions for the O-line, Free Agency Forecast, Tackling the Titans, More

Part 1 of the post-Saints, pre-Titans All Dolphins mailbag:

From Richard grosso (@rjgro):

Is it conceivable they move Hunt to RT and insert Kindley at RG? Am I grasping for straws to improve upon J Davis, who even got beat bad on the big throw to Hollins, which TT barely got off?

Hey Richard, my thinking on this is that if the Dolphins had been inclined to make this move, they already would have made it. While they haven’t spoken on the topic (nor do I expect them to), I believe the feeling is that Hunt is more valuable to the Dolphins at right guard than at right tackle.

From Craig M (@Dolfan2334):

Did anything surprise you about the Saints game? Thoughts on how you see the Titans game going?

Hey Craig, no, nothing surprised me about the Saints game because I felt all along that Ian Book would be overmatched, particularly with all the O-line absences. The Dolphins defense is difficult for any young quarterback to handle, let alone a rookie making his first regular season appearance. As for the Titans game, I would expect a lot of defense on both sides and mistakes deciding the outcome.

From ChrisDavis (@KyLouFinFan):

I see where someone asked a follow up and Flores non-answered but what is your sense of when he referred to fence sitters is he talking about people still in the building? Was he being metaphorical? Is he building up the us vs. them narrative?

Hey Chris, you’re referring to his postgame comments after the win over the Saints and I truthfully have a hard time believing that anybody not buying into what he’s been selling all along would still be around. As far as building an us vs. them narrative, that’s certainly a possibility but only Flores would know that for sure.

From RICHARD J. LEONARD (@SLICK6971):

Who do you feel is more likely to get a tag this off-season? Ogbah or Gesicki? Or do we sign both or either? How about Needham?

Hey Richard, I’m not sure either Ogbah or Gesicki will get a tag, but if it’s one or the other, I absolutely would think it would go to Ogbah. At this point, I would be shocked if the Dolphins didn’t re-sign Ogbah. I’m more in the 50-50 range when it comes to Gesicki because while he’s a gifted receiver, I’m not sure his style meshes with what the Dolphins want in a tight end. Also remember that he was an Adam Gase pick, not a Flores/Grier pick. And Nik Needham absolutely should be re-signed.

From Hugo Castle (@CastleHugo):

Just one, Solomon for Jackson, why haven't they already?

Hey Hugo, I have to believe it simply comes down to what they’re seeing in practice. I get that some might think they just don’t want to bench a first-round pick so quickly, but then how would that mesh with how Noah Igbinoghene is being utilized.

From FlGuy (@WilliamCebula):

What is going on with Preston Williams? Has he really regressed that much?

Hey Williams, couple of things with Preston Williams. First, he’s had to deal with two major injuries in his first two NFL seasons. Second, is it possible that maybe fans decided he was a much better player than what reality suggested, perhaps based in part on post-practice comments by Xavien Howard (called him a future No. 1 receiver). If you examine his season, whenever he’s been a target (and it’s not been often), he’s not creating any separation and he’s also not coming up with difficult catches. That’s a bad combination. He’s also better suited to play with a quarterback who doesn’t mind throwing a lot of 50-50 passes, and that’s not what Tua Tagovailoa likes to do.

From Dave (@angryvet59):

With all the whiffs on O-lineman drafts, what's needed? New scouts? Better talent evaluation?

Hey Dave, I’ll start off by saying that maybe it’s premature to talk about whiffs on guys still only in their second season, though admittedly it doesn’t look like Austin Jackson should have been a first-round pick. And if you’re talking new scouts or better talent evaluation, that’s kind of in the same ballpark. It’s also possible that what’s needed for improvement on the O-line simply might be more experience or better coaching.

From Jake (@JakeMc945):

Who gets the strip sack on Tanny on Sunday? It's coming.

Hey Jake, yeah, that wouldn’t be a big surprise, now, would it? Actually, I’m more expecting Xavien Howard coming up with a pick when Tannehill decides to challenge him. If we’re going strip-sack, I’m going to put my money on Andrew Van Ginkel nailing Tannehill from the back side and jarring the ball loose.

From James Sonny Burnett (@JamesBurnett11):

What happened to Ford? Two games ago, he made several plays; last week, he was invisible.

Hey James, this should not surprise you in the least. What the Dolphins do in the passing game varies from week to week depending on how the defense plays them. The only constant has been Jaylen Waddle because his speed makes it more difficult for defenses to take him away. But you’ve seen what happened to Ford happen to Mike Gesicki and DeVante Parker as well.