Saturday Dolphins Mailbag: Wagner, Williams, the Tackle Position (of course), and More

Third and final part of the latest SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:

From BlaUb (@BlaUb888):

Hi Alan! thanks for all the informative articles. My request; Many franchises restructure contracts to gain more cap space. Can you explain to me why the Dolphins don't do something like that? Thank you for the answer and best regards from Germany!

First off, thanks, I will tell you that the Dolphins absolutely have done this in the past, though it’s not something they publicize, so sometimes it happens behind the scenes. Eventually, that information does get out, so it’s entirely possible they’ve done that with a free agency or two this offseason and we just don’t know about it yet.

From Mcdrip’s twin (@TheGreatPhinsby):

Alain, a lot of fans are mad (like usual) about our moves so far? I think Grier’s a genius being he paid like 30 mill for the same kinda players J’ville payed over 200 mill for.

Howdy, we won’t know for sure for a year or two how the free agent classes pan out, but the Dolphins absolutely have taken a different approach.

From Bob Mattis (@Bob_Mattis):

Hey Alain. Would be Bobby Wagner fit in our system assuming we have enough $$ for him?

Hey Bob, Bobby Wagner is an immense talent who could fit in any system. I’ve got to imagine, though, there’s going to be an awful lot of competition for his services.

From Bob Curvelo (@curvelo13):

What's your take on Connor Williams, and do you think they're gonna still go after another FA OL?

Hey Bob, I do believe they’ll go after another free agent offensive lineman, yes. As for Williams, solid player. Bad penalty problems in 2021 that got him benched, but those weren’t there in his first three years and you just have to hope it was an aberration.

From Barron Brown (@barronbrown):

Do we still have a FA OT bullet in the chamber? Or is McD surprisingly OK with what we have on the OL now?

Hey Barron, wouldn’t be surprised if the Dolphins added an OT in free agency, but I’m not sure it’s the screaming need that so many fans think it is, particularly because of my hunch that Robert Hunt could find himself back at right tackle with the new outside zone scheme.

From Dave (@angryvet59):

I would think finding a RT to protect Tua's blindside would be a priority in free agency but nothing yet. Draft ? The later FA pick ups are usually later for a reason.

Or, as I mentioned to Barron, perhaps the thinking is that maybe the Dolphins already have their guy in Robert Hunt, who actually showed promise at right tackle toward the end of his rookie season before being moved inside to guard. Just a hunch there, though it does make sense to me — more so than going with yet another rookie there.

From DolphinRobert TUA FAN! (@DolphinsRobert):

We drafted 3 O-lineman 2 years ago in the draft and they played relatively well under a different Oline coach and last year they sucked with a new coach. We need veteran leadership, but are you ready to give up on the 4 young linemen with new coaches?

Hey Robert, that’s a great question and I kind of touched on that when I wrote a column a month ago suggesting the Dolphins likely won’t and should not invest the 29th overall pick on yet another offensive lineman. I personally don’t believe the Dolphins should just dump all the young offensive linemen they’ve drafted recently, but I did advocate for one or two veteran additions in free agency. I do think that 2022 needs to be the last shot for some of the underperforming O-linemen recently drafted, such as Austin Jackson, Michael Deiter, Solomon Kindley, while I think Liam Eichenberg and Robert Hunt are keepers.

From JPB230659 (@jpb230659):

Salut Alain! Will unpredictability be the motto both on defense AND offense? Thanks a lot for the amazing work!

Salut and thanks! Unpredictability absolutely should be the motto on both sides of the ball, but unfortunately the reason for that is the Dolphins just don’t have enough front-line players to where they can just basically be like, “OK, you know what we’re going to do, but you’re still not going to be able to stop us.” On the flip side, the defense thrived on deception the past two years (though it helped to have X and Byron Jones being able to cover on the back end) and there’s zero reason to think that changes. And offensively, Mike McDaniel brings a reputation for his creative schemes in the running game that help maximize the talent on hand. So, yes, absolutely, unpredictability and deception should be on the menu on offense and defense.

From Rick Fritschy (@retromodern2):

When is Grier fired? Miami will never win a SB with him as GM in charge. Another prime FA period not used well. He simply hasn’t and isn’t good enough. He’s hurting Miami more and more. Yet he’s still plodding along over drafting missing on key FA assets overpaying for average.

Hey Rick, Chris Grier has been with the Dolphins for about two decades now in various capacities and Stephen Ross obviously is very loyal to him. One important point to raise regarding your question involves the term “GM in charge” because it’s not been totally clear how many of the moves made by the Dolphins since 2016 (when Grier officially became GM) were purely his call, how many were collaborative and how many either were made or severely influenced by others (Mike Tannenbaum, Adam Gase, Brian Flores, Ross). The basic answer to your question, though, is I don’t see any move being made there unless there’s a change in ownership or the team goes south at one point.