Saturday Dolphins Mailbag: Tua Topics, X's Future, Disliked Players, and More

Part 1 of the latest SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:

From Big Ern McDolphin (@dana_buice):

Hey my friend, Welcome home. Hope your vacation was amazing! The new narrative by Tua haters is that he’s fat. You’ve seen him in the flesh. What’s you take? Has he put on good solid mass? How do you see his body transformation affecting his play this season?

Hey Dana, first off, thanks. Yes, the vacation was nothing short of spectacular. Wanted to get a taste of Europe, so we did a cruise with stops in Italy, Spain and France, along with brief stays in Rome and Paris, and there is not one aspect that didn’t completely kick ass. As for your question, Tua does not look fat, but he’s clearly a bit thicker in the lower body. I can’t say, though, that I would expect that to have a major impact on his play one way or the other this season.

From Dixon Tam (@DixonTam):

I saw a recent story about a Buffalo O-lineman who said he disliked Christian Wilkins. In the history of the franchise, which player on offense and which player on defense had the nastiest demeanor on the field? Who did opponents hate the most, and why?

Hey Dixon, you’re referring to Bills tackle Dion Dawkins, who indeed made his feelings clear about Wilkins. Off the top of my mind, the two players who jump out as not being well liked by opponents would be two linebackers, Bryan Cox and Channing Crowder. And the reason is pretty simple: Neither of those players was afraid to speak his mind on the field, though they did it differently. Cox was somebody who wouldn’t back down for a millisecond and would start something if you looked at him the wrong way, whereas Crowder would talk trash with the best of them. There’s a famous incident involving a Pats offensive lineman (can’t remember the player) who completely lost it after Crowder said something to him. Oh, and by the way, Cox and Crowder are two of my all-time favorites with the Dolphins.

From Javier (@jboy1724):

We all know Fangio wants some more depth, particularly at DT. What’s the chance Miami signs a DT out there before training camp, and who are the best options?

Hey Javier, Fangio isn’t alone in wanting more depth because that goes for every single solitary DC in the NFL. But there absolutely is a need for a veteran D-lineman and colleague Omar Kelly examined some good options in a story Friday. The one guy who really stands out for me is former Bears DT Akiem Hicks.

From Hebert Gutierrez Moales (via email):

Hi Alain, I’m glad you enjoyed your vacation in beautiful Europe. After visiting those wonderful places with so much history, your vision of the world changes. I have a couple of questions and I hope you can include them in your mailbag. First the Dolphins’ one. If the Dolphins really are in “All in” mode, I think it’s impossible to carry those $13 million in cap space for next season, so, which move(s) do you think will be more possible? Hiring Dalvin Cook? Hiring a veteran LB? Extension of Williams, Hunt or Wilkins? And a music one: One of my favorites Keane songs is “Perfect Symmetry.” I think it’s magnificent and the lyrics are very deep; for that reason I really hate when it was censored in the Official Video. I understand lots of people would get angry if they hear the censored parts but they were already a successful band, so, in my opinion, they could fight to leave the song untouched. Do you think they could fight for the integrity of their art or the power of music companies is too much even for famous artists?

Hey Hebert, first off thanks as always. I did thoroughly enjoy the European vacation. The one thing about the cap space is the Dolphins can’t use all of it too soon because they have to leave some wiggle room for emergencies that might occur during the season. Of the moves you suggested, I think getting an extension for one of the offensive linemen would be a priority and they could even create cap space while doing that. But beyond that, I don’t like the depth on the defensive line and think that should be the first thing addressed. As for the music question, I’m afraid that’s outside my scope of expertise (insert jokes about football being outside my scope of expertise), though I will agree with you on what a brilliant song “Perfect Symmetry” is. It’s one of my top three by Keane (a band I also love) along with “Disconnected” and “Everybody’s Changing.”

From Phinfanalyst (@Phinfanalyst)(:

Miami's defense still seems wildly underrated. The addition of Fangio, full year of Chubb, healthy Ogbah, and continued development a Kohou/Cam Smith. Maybe even Tindall. Sprinkle in David Long/Ramsey. What's the ceiling for this squad, because I feel it could be historical. If Tua can play to Kirk Cousins level, can they win a Super Bowl?

Howdy, while I agree with you there’s reason for major optimism for the Dolphins defense, I think “historical” might be taking things too far. To be that kind of defense, you need HOF-type players sprinkled in — think Singletary in Chicago, think Ray Lewis, Ed Reed in Baltimore — and I don’t know that the Dolphins defense is quite at that level, even if things pan out. But I think all Dolphins fans gladly would settle for a top 10 defense, no? As for the Tua question, that’s a tough one because I’m not necessarily sold on Cousins being a Super Bowl QB. Then again, if the defense is as good as we hope it’ll be, maybe that’s all it would take.

From RICHARD J. LEONARD (@SLICK6971):

Hey Poup, I love you and Omar's discussions. How do you feel about not only Zach getting into the HOF, but the fact that he is going first. I’m super excited.

Hey Richard, first off, thanks very much on the compliment regarding our podcast (which you can find on YouTube under All Dolphins Podcast) or everywhere you get audio podcasts on the Fans First Sports Network under Miami Dolphins Insider. As for Zach, I love that he got in because he’s an all-time favorite of mine — as a player and a dude. As for him going first, that might be a problem for me since the Dolphins have a scrimmage at Hard Rock Stadium at 11 a.m. on induction day and the ceremonies start at noon. So it’s likely I won’t be able to catch his speech live.

From Crash Jensen (@Sngly):

By adding Chosen, Berrios & the pass-catching ability of Achane, should Miami even try to run the ball more this year? Wouldn’t that take away from their obvious strength? Would they be just running the ball to run the ball, like during the Jimmy Johnson/Karim Abdul-Jabbar era?

Hey Crash, first off, Jimmy Johnson wanted to run the ball after taking over as Dolphins head coach because he didn’t want the team to be so Marino-centric and running the ball had served him well in Dallas. And, no, the Dolphins shouldn’t abandon the run because their forte is the passing game. You have to keep defenses off balance, one, and you have to be able to run the ball to protect leads in the fourth quarter. That said, the passing game still needs to be the dominant force on offense; it just can’t be the only thing you do well.

From Chris (@1eyedjk233):

How big of an upgrade is Cook over Mostert/Wilson? O-line starting 5 prediction?

Hey Chris, Dalvin Cook would become the best running back on the roster the second he signed, but I’m not sure he would be a huge upgrade because I like Mostert a lot and Wilson has his moments. As for the O-line, I’ll stick at this time with the obvious of Armstead, Eichenberg, Williams, Hunt and Jackson.

From Matthew (@theMatthewPryor):

Alain, I'm a new-ish fan (from the UK, where we have our own version of football). This is the first season I'll be fully committing to watching the games and paying attention to the team. What's the main things I should know and be on the lookout for?

Hey Matthew, welcome to the NFL! This is a tough question to answer because there’s a lot to take in, but I hope you appreciate in watching the Dolphins just how ridiculously fast they are. As a newcomer to the sport, I also would encourage you to watch the big guys go at it at the line of scrimmage right as the ball is snapped — particularly since you certainly won’t see that kind of contact in the English version of football.

From Kris R. (via email):

Good morning Alain! Been reading for years but first time writing in. Thanks for all your content, it’s my favorite read of all! Question: Is this the last year we see X in a Dolphins uniform? Seems that given the depth we have at corner, the emergence of Darth Kader, and the drafting of Cam Smith, that we could do without him. We are already projected to be over the cap next year and have more pressing areas in my opinion. Does that make sense contract-wise, and what could we get if we trade him?

Hey Kris, first off, thanks very much. You make a very good point in regards to X and another factor in his situation is his contract. He’s got a cap number in excess of $22 million each of the next three seasons, per overthecap.com, and the Dolphins could save more than $18 million of cap space if they were to release him with a post-June 1 designation next offseason. He’s one of those players who has to play well in 2023 or he could end up being a cap casualty next offseason. As for what the Dolphins could get for him, that obviously depends on his ability to rebound after a sub-par 2022 season (yes, even though he made the Pro Bowl). But given his age and contract, doubt you'd get much more than a second- or third-round pick for him (look at what the Dolphins had to give up for Jalen Ramsey).

From rob hellebrand (@dolfanrob1):

Do you happen to know if Armando will be the person who argues the case for Mark Clayton and Bob Kuechenberg, or is the process different for the older folks?

Hey Rob, the process indeed is different when it comes to seniors candidates, so Armando Salguero will not be the one presenting the case for either Clayton or Kuechenberg.

From John O’Connell (@cdawgs44):

O went into great depth about the 2024 pending cap issues. What do you need to see this year to put it all on the credit card again next year to run it back? And what would make you tear it down?

Hey John, everything is going to depend on how well the team performs, and I think it has to be start with at the very least another playoff appearance and maybe even a playoff win. Regardless of what happens, the Dolphins will have some tough decisions to make because they’ve got too many players with cap numbers in excess of $20 million, but there’s no need for a full tear-down until 2025.

From Dave (@angryvet59):

Welcome back Alain ! If the Dolphins don't sign Dalvin Cook (looking unlikely IMO), do they pursue one of the other big name FA backs or go with current RB room?

Hey Dave, I don’t think the Dolphins are looking to add an RB for the sake of adding an RB, it’s just that Dalvin Cook is an upper-echelon player at the position who represents a clear upgrade over what they have. I’m not there’s anybody else on the market (including Zeke Elliott or Leonard Fournette) who measures up like that, though an argument could be made that Fournette would bring the physicality that’s currently lacking at RB. But my best guess is it's going to be Cook or nobody.

From Craig M (@Dolfan2334):

Not really a Dolphins question, so to speak, but did you get a sense of how big the NFL is in your European travels? Like anything?

Hey Craig, I can’t say I noticed anything at all. Not that I really was looking around, but I don’t recall seeing one NFL jersey or T-shirt during our entire vacation.

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Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Dolphins news and analysis year-round. Also, you can follow me on Twitter at @PoupartNFL, and that's where you can ask questions for the regular All Dolphins mailbags. You also can ask questions via email at fnalldolphins@yahoo.com.