Saturday Dolphins Mailbag: QB Questions, Why Hill Won't Be Another Wallace, Projecting a Starting O-Line, and More

Part 2 of the latest SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:

From David (@dkar84):

Do you expect Mike Gesiki to be traded? It seems like Miami is now full of weapons on offense.

Hey David, that’s a very good question and I’m thinking it’s a 50-50 proposition at this point. On the one hand, Gesicki might be a luxury at this point after the acquisition of Tyreek Hill to team with Jaylen Waddle and trading him could fetch a fairly high draft pick along with clearing cap space, but on the other hand the Dolphins sure seem to be all in for the 2022 season and trading Gesicki would seem to go against that.

From OlliesSilver (@OlliesSilver21):

Will the Dolphins regret not grabbing a franchise QB like Matt Ryan or Tom Brady now that the team is absolutely stacked?

Howdy, the quarterback question is one that’s going to continue to be a focus for this team until Tua Tagovailoa reaches elite status or the Dolphins make a move to get that kind of quarterback. It was why the Dolphins investigated the possibility of trading for Deshaun Watson in 2021 despite his off-the-field issues. The one thing to remember is that the Mike McDaniel offense, which should closely resemble those of Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan, helped Jared Goff and Jimmy Garoppolo produce impressive stats and the Rams and 49ers even got to the Super Bowl with those quarterbacks, who certainly are not considered elite. So it may be that having an elite QB is not necessity but rather a luxury at this point.

From Sal (@TrendKillemAll):

Given the outstanding additions this offseason at so many positions, what would you say is now our biggest weakness, and why is it QB?

Hey Sal, funny way to make your point. As mentioned in the previous answer, though, it sure looks as though the Dolphins could thrive offensively despite not having an elite QB on the roster (because Tua isn’t that kind of guy yet). As for whether that’s the biggest weakness on the team, I’m not sure we still wouldn’t have to go with the offensive line at this time.

From Reza Hariri (@Therealrezpect1):

Now that we don’t have any draft picks, do you see us signing a C & ILB plus CB depth? What happens with X and his contract ?

Hey Reza, I could see the Dolphins signing a center more than either of the other two positions mentioned because at some point cap considerations are going to preclude the Dolphins from just signing everybody out there. As for X, that’s a great question, and I’m on record as saying that given how aggressive the Dolphins have been in putting a team ready to win big in 2022, it would be a shame to wind up trading Howard. I see lt that happening only as a last resort.

From Hugo Castle (@CastleHugo):

Can we still keep X? With all the $$ spent....

Hey Hugo, that’s the big question. And, yes, there’s a way to get it done and if it doesn’t happen, it’ll be because the Dolphins and Howard (and his agent) can’t agree on a fair value.

From Jorge Boyd (@raga1922):

Hi Alain with the new additions to the OL, whom do you think will be the 5 starters and in what positions on opening day?

Hey Jorge, interesting question because the only two guys I see set at one spot are Terron Armstead at left tackle and Connor Williams at left guard. I’ll still go with Michael Deiter at center, and Austin Jackson, Robert Hunt and Liam Eichenberg will battle for the other two jobs. At this point, I’d be inclined to go with Eichenberg at right guard and Hunt at right tackle.

From me (@EJ1066505):

No question, but would enjoy more details on the gty $ on Hill, hard to believe that much is guaranteed, 60 mil or so would have made more sense. … Do you think Parker will be released, Gesicki or X traded?

Yes me, $72 million guaranteed is an awful lot of money. Per Pro Football Talk, $52.535 million of HIll’s contract was fully guaranteed at signing. As for the second part of the question, no, I don’t believe Parker will be released because he’s an asset with value, but I do believe he’ll end up being traded. As for Gesicki and Howard, I’d put them at less than 50-50 because the Dolphins appear to be going for broke in 2022, though circumstances may force their hand when it comes to X.

From JPB230659 (@jpb230659):

Salut Alain and thanks for everything you write. Any chance that Tyreek becomes the next Mike Wallace?

Salut, if by “becomes the next Mike Wallace,” you mean fail to live up to a big contract, I’m sure that’s a possibility, but Hill is a more dynamic player than Wallace and can produce big plays in a lot more different ways. That said, I’ll still maintain that Wallace would have had a huge first season for the Dolphins after signing his monster contract had Ryan Tannehill been able to hit him more often on the many time he got open deep.

From Ken Dasher (@kdash65):

Prog rock Q 1st. Are there any current groups that you respect from a musical standpoint that approaches the 70s/80s bands? The only 1 for me is Switchfoot. Also, who is first on the cut list if you're GM? We need to clear some cap!

Hey Ken, saddens me that I have to punt (football pun) on the first question because I just don’t listen to a lot of new music these days (though I’ll have to check out Switchfoot). As for the question of who should be first on the cut list (after Jesse Davis and Allen Hurns obviously), I think Cethan Carter is somebody who jumps out because the Dolphins can clear about $2.5 million of cap space (per overthecap.com), he wasn’t a major contributor in 2021 and the Dolphins already have four other tight ends on the roster.

From Angel Martinez (Gelandres30):

Expectations of how many passes vs runs per game? How do the route concepts change? Is it all deep now? Does DVP sticks around or do they go with P. Williams?

Based on what we know of the offense Mike McDaniel will be bringing to the Dolphins, one would expect a pretty good balance of run vs. pass, something actually close to 50-50 and even then a lot of the passes will be short throws. And, absolutely not, I would not expect a whole lot of deep passing because it just flat out does not play into Tua’s strength, which is short- and medium-range accuracy. As for the final question, it might be neither. Look at it this way, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Cedrick Wilson Jr. and Trent Sheffield pretty much are locks to make the roster, which leaves one spot at wide receiver, maybe two. Williams, Parker and Lynn Bowden Jr. are the three most recognizable names among the rest of the players at the position, but we’re still in March.