Saturday Dolphins Mailbag: Tyreek, Weaver, and More

Part 2 of a mid-February weekend All Dolphins mailbag:

From John Pardue (@johnefresh):

Alain, do you think Coach McDaniel understands that the motioning is not working on the road? IMO he still needs to get the play in faster. It’s better than his first year but still not good enough. IMO curious about your thoughts.

Hey John, I would tell you that this wasn’t nearly as much of an issue in 2023, and having four delay penalties on offense down from seven would be one piece of evidence to back that up. I also don’t recall many instances where the Dolphins were rushing plays to beat the clock. It's pretty obvious that crowd noise creates a need to have less motion on the road and that’s what we saw in 2023. Bottom line: I didn’t find the execution from that standpoint to be overly problematic.

From Dave Scheeler (@sure2rain):

Do you think that McDaniel will give up the ghost of trying to get Tyreek 2000 yards in 2024? #AllDolphins

Hey Dave, I don’t think this was about so much getting Tyreek 2,000 yards as it was maximizing the most dynamic playmaker in the NFL. Now, can an argument be made that the Dolphins were overly reliant on Tyreek? Absolutely, but I don’t think this was about getting a player a milestone.

From Sleepy Grier (@SleepyGrierMIA):

Why is nobody bringing up Tua’s regression the 2nd half of the season? Everyone says good vs bad teams but nobody is bringing up that he had nearly double the yards his first 9 as his last 9 (including playoff game). Are we not concerned that the O just gets figured out each year?

Hey Sleepy, I hear what you’re saying, but looking at analytics, this clearly has more to do with quality of opponent than time of season. Tua began the second half of 2022 with big performances against Chicago, Cleveland and Houston before things went south when the tough stretch of the schedule arrived (SF, LAC, BUF). Even this season, Tua had good performances in December vs. Washington and the Jets before things went south vs. BAL, BUF and in the playoff game.

From rob hellebrand (@dolfanrob1):

What’s the most dysfunctional Dolphins team you have covered, and do you have any juicy stories about that time?

Hey Rob, off the top of my head, it has to be the 2007 season that ended with a 1-15 record. The lowlight showing the dysfunction probably was Cam Cameron, in his one and only season as head coach, being yelled at by Joey Porter on the team plane and later in different circumstances by Keith Traylor. Want to talk about a guy who had lost the team, that’s it right there.

From Craig M (@Dolfan2334):

Are you in favor of drafting a QB to sit and develop this year, and while you may not have studied everybody yet, how high? I would redshirt him and have Skylar back up Tua.

Hey Craig, if you land a great QB in the draft, no matter where he’s drafted, you pick up a valuable asset, somebody you could even trade for future picks if he never plays for you. If the Dolphins can identify a future gem at QB, I’m all for drafting him and I don’t care what round. And if the Dolphins decide somebody is worthy of a high pick (first or second round), I also would be in favor of having him compete for the starting job right away. And I’m also not opposed to taking a shot at somebody in the later rounds.

From Dan Ford (@CaribbeanClark):

There’s a good chance Miami takes a step back this year, due to injury carryover and cap issues. If they miss the playoffs, wouldn’t that likely be the end for Grier, and therefore McDaniel?

Hey Dan, totally depends on how the season plays out, whether it’s injuries that can be used as the biggest reason/excuse for a step back and how big the step back actually would be. I would think changes could be coming if the Dolphins aren’t overly affected by injuries and take a big enough step back that they miss the playoffs.

From Ron (@skee0523):

Will the Dolphins bring in another RB? A bigger RB to get those tough yards on 3rd down?

Hey Ron, I kinda halfway feel they already have that kind of player on the roster with Chris Brooks. I really liked what I saw of him last season all the way from OTAs to training camp and even his brief spots in the regular season. I get the fascination with bringing in Derrick Henry, but tell me exactly what role he would have and how would he mesh with Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane, two guys who absolutely need to get touches?

From Jack Dixon (@jccdixon33):

Any idea if new DC knows who we are keeping, signing or acquiring? He seemed happy … good sign?

Hey Jack, Anthony Weaver should be happy, he just signed a nice contract to become a defensive coordinator for the second time in his career. I would think Weaver has been kept abreast of what players he might be working with in 2024.

From Mason (@Orli88704562):

Hi Alain, thanks for taking our questions. 1. What is your impression of new DC for the Dolphins? 2. Who are the players that might be available to the Dolphins from the Ravens?. Coaches like to have players that have played in their system.

Hey Mason, my first impression of Weaver overall was a very good one. Seemed like somebody with an easy smile but also can get serious and tough when needed. As for Ravens players, they had three big ones who will be free agents March 13 unless re-signed: Justin Madubuike, Patrick Queen and Geno Stone. I don’t know if the Dolphins will be able to afford any of them, though.

From James Vernon (@vernonmintern):

Why do you hate Tua? Only joking Who do you think the Dolphins will bring in as back up? White again? Another QB, draft a low rounds QB project or go with Skylar T as number 2

Hey James, White is under contract for 2024 with a cap number of $5.2M with the Dolphins able to save $3.5 million of cap space by releasing him. But the question then would be whether the Dolphins trust Skylar Thompson to be the backup (which they clearly didn’t last year). And if not Thompson, who? If Tua can play 17 games again in 2024, it won’t matter who, but can they really count on that? It’s another tricky decision for the Dolphins, but I could see them for cap purposes going with Thompson as the No. 2 and adding a young QB to be the No. 3.

Would the Dolphins Really Consider a QB in First Round?