Sunday Dolphins Mailbag: Depth Issues, the Tyreek-Tua Podcast, the "Negative Media," and More

Back from a family vacation in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, it's time to get busy again.

Here's Part 2 of the new SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:

From John Kerns (@yitwail):

Alain, should the Dolphins sign a center in case Williams doesn’t work out at center or everyone they try at left guard isn’t good enough?

Hey John, “should” the Dolphins do it? Absolutely, and J.C. Tretter certainly stands out as a great option here at center. Whether that’s going to happen, I’m not so sure. I do think the Dolphins would love to be able to make it work with the players currently on the roster.

From Eric (@kindsir15):

Who are you looking at on the roster to make a jump this year outside of the QB position? Follow-up, who do you think NEEDS (not QB) to be most improved on this team in order for the team to make a jump into the playoffs?

Hey Eric, I think the answer to both questions appear on the offensive line. I’m of the belief that Austin Jackson will make a big jump in his third year in this new scheme, and I think both he and Liam Eichenberg absolutely have to make that clear improvement if the offensive line is to succeed in 2022 — even after the additions of Terron Armstead and Connor Williams.

From J Trey (@JTrey65):

It seems like everything is pointing to depth being strong in most areas. Would you agree that if the O-line and LBs can stay healthy, the rest of the team's depth will keep the Fins competitive?

Hey J, I think I would have to disagree with you here because I have major concerns about the depth at cornerback. Truth is, the Dolphins just don’t have any proven depth behind X, Byron Jones and Nik Needham as the slot after Justin Coleman left for Seattle via free agency. If anything happens to Howard or Jones, that could be very problematic for the Dolphins and we need to remember that Jones had surgery on a leg early in the offseason.

From Sebastian (@finsfan47):

What are your thoughts on the Tyreek Hill podcast that featured Tua T (Uno)?

Hey Sebastian, it was pretty much what you’d expect from this type of podcast by an NFL player having a teammate as a guest. It was a love fest with some cute lines like Tua and Tyreek becoming like Rodman-MJ. It’s the kind of thing that fans will eat up. From a reporter standpoint, there wasn’t a whole lot of substance there beyond Tua saying he was ready to leave Alabama after a grueling workout shortly after he got there, but it’s not like we should expect much more — partly because that’s not the purpose of a podcast like that.

From Sobbell_Cards (@SobbellCards):

Why is sports media (specifically Miami) offensively negative 100% of the time? Are “journalists” told to only write about negative things or in a negative light? Genuine question.

Howdy, I appreciate the genuine question and I will give you a genuine answer. You obviously seem to have a problem with the media, as indicated by your offensive use of the quote marks around journalists. I’m going to suggest here that you only focus on the negative stories — or what you perceive as negative stories — because I see positive or neutral stories (like a straight-up feature on a player using his comments) all the time. So, no, sports media is NOT negative 100% of the time. That’s your perception because you got upset with a particular story whose premise you didn’t like. Lastly, I am not only the main writer for All Dolphins, I’m also the publisher, which means that there is LITERALLY no one telling me what to write or what not to write. And, based on previous experience, my fellow beat writers also determine what they write.

From Reza Hariri (@Therealrezpect1):

Do you see any signings happening before camp begins or will they wait to see who ends up on PUP?

Hey Reza, the Dolphins should have a pretty good feel right now for the health status of everybody on the roster, and the only surprises landing on PUP would be players who (disappointingly) fail the conditioning test after they get in. So I don’t think that will impact whether they decide to sign somebody before the start of camp. Having said all that, I’d put it at 50-50 that there will be a veteran addition before the start of camp.

From Ken Dasher (@kdash65):

Hey Alain, start one, bench one, cut one bass player: Mike Rutherford (Genesis), Chris Squire (Yes), Geddy Lee (Rush). Fins Q: if you could sign one current available FA to help the team in 2022, who is it?

Hey Ken, starting with the rock question (which I always love), you have to start Lee considering he’s the lead singer and then you use Rutherford off the bench because Genesis is one of my all-time favorite bands. As for the Fins question, off the top of my head, that would have to be J.C. Tretter, who would help further solidify the offensive line.

From James Sonny Burnett (@JamsBurnett11):

With Hill and Waddle drawing most of the attention, what kind of numbers do you think Wilson and Gesicki will have?

Hey James, you’re absolutely right in believing that the Dolphins likely will force the ball to Hill and Waddle, so I’m thinking the 700-yard range is a reasonable expectation for both Wilson and Gesicki. For Gesicki, though, the key number will be touchdowns because the Dolphins need to make him a bigger factor in the red zone.

From John Lewis (@MrJohnLewis):

What are the expectations of Tua for the season for him to keep his job next season? How many yards/touchdowns/interceptions/wins does he need to have for you to feel comfortable with him being the franchise QB moving forward??

Hey John, I have addressed this before and gladly will do it again: For me, it’s not so much about numbers as it is about Tua’s ability to elevate his game at crunch time and in big games, something he failed to do in the money games of the past two seasons (against Buffalo in 2020 and at Tennessee in the 2021 season). I believe Tua’s numbers will improve this season, but it won’t be the deciding factor for me, just like it wasn’t for the Rams and 49ers after they decided that Jared Goff and Jimmy Garoppolo weren’t good enough even though they posted a passer rating of over 100 for those teams.