Wednesday Dolphins Mailbag: Bridgewater, Pass Rush, Special Teams, and More

Part 2 of the post-Jets game SI Fan Nation All Dolphins mailbag:

From FlGuy (@WilliamCebula):

I know I shouldn't assume but assuming Bridgewater starts this weekend, do you feel comfortable with only 1 full practice?

Hey William, that is a very easy question for me to answer, and that’s a yes. Remember that Bridgewater had a full week of practice with the first-team offense before the Jets game and then you add his experience, and it's a no-brainer the way I see it.

From steve , (@jujusimba7777):

Hi Alain, I mentioned it before and I know you may not agree, but Baker and Roberts are not good enough! There needs to be a upgrade (it’s been needed for 2/3 years). What’s up with pass rush? Surely it’s not just due to Howard and Jones being out. Any trades on the horizon?

Hey Steve, multiple questions, so rapid-fire answers: Baker and Roberts are better than you think, but they’re not elite. Then again, elite interior linebackers are few and far between. No, the pass rush issues are not strictly related to Jones and Howard dealing with injuries. The Dolphins flat-out are not winning enough individual battles at the line of scrimmage. They’re also not blitzing as much as they did last season. I would not suggest to be on the lookout for in-season trades because they’re actually pretty infrequent. But Gesicki clearly is somebody the Dolphins could trade if they got the right offer.

From Jason Mitchell (@Mr_Ivorian):

Hey Alain, I’m still pretty positive about this season/future for Miami but the 4th quarter against the Jets hurt and looked bad, but without your 2 QBs, 2 starting CB and your LT, losing wasn’t a shock. Am I taking the right approach or should I be freaking out? Thanks as always.

Hey Jason, I would never advise anyone to freak out … even if the Dolphins were 0-5 and getting outscored by 21 points every time out. LOL. To answer your question, no, you should not freak out. This is still a good team and one I think will make the playoffs assuming the injury issues don’t keep getting worse.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR EVEN MORE COVERAGE ON THE MIAMI DOLPHINS, CHECK OUT SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S MIAMI DOLPHINS PAGE ON SI.COM

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

From Jphillips2920 (@jphillips2920):

What's the word on Tino Ellis?

Hey there, he’s a cornerback from Maryland. He didn’t make the team coming out of training camp. He was signed to the practice squad. He’s never played in an NFL regular season game. All that is a reminder to never assume unreasonable expectations when it comes to players being signed off the streets in the middle of the season.

From Dave (@angryvet59):

Special teams has been bad this year. Sanders has struggled. See any major changes there anytime?

Hey Dave, I hear what you’re saying, but, no, I don’t see major changes anytime soon. The Dolphins have signed guys specifically with special teams in mind the past couple of years, but the results haven’t been good so far this season. I don’t think Jason Sanders has been bad, he just hasn’t been able to duplicate his amazing 2020 season.

From Chris Bustin (@ChrisBustin13):

Hey, Alain. When thinking about our collapse against the Jets, I keep thinking of Dennis Green’s classic comment: “They are who we thought they were.” Were the Dolphins a phony 3-0 team (who I thought they were), or was this game just an anomaly? Thanks!

Hey Chris, how about the reality sits somewhere in the middle? I think there was some overreaction after the win against Buffalo, which is a game the Dolphins actually should have lost if we’re being honest with ourselves. But what happened against the Jets in the fourth quarter was kind of an avalanche that lasted less than half a quarter. And we’re talking about a situation where the Dolphins were using their third QB off the bench, without their star CB and without their Pro Bowl left tackle. So I wouldn’t overreact to this loss, either.

From Jackie Lofton (@jackiewlofton):

Any sense that Miami might look at other teams (Carolina) to address the OL?

Hey Jackie, yeah, no, I would not count on this happening. The two O-linemen the Panthers have who could interest other teams are the two tackles, but one is a rookie first-round pick who they’re not trading and the other is Taylor Moton, who signed a big contract in 2021 that makes him untradable at this time.

From Bronin (@yovaniJr_):

Why is Liam Eichenberg still at LG when he’s been a revolving door and the line’s worst lineman every week?

Hey there, I get the question because, yes, Eichenberg has not gotten to a good start to the 2022 season. While team officials always will tell you they’ll play the best players, one big factor here is that the Dolphins gave up a 2022 third-round pick to the Giants for the chance to move up in the second round last year to take Eichenberg and they’ll give him every chance to succeed. Now, if there was anybody else on the roster who represented a clear upgrade, I don’t think the Dolphins would keep the status quo to prove a point, but if it's close they’ll stick with the guy for whom they made the move. And It’s not just them; most teams operate that way no matter what they say.

From Chris Brooks (@seabrooxx):

Besides blocking his own teammate ... did you see any improvement from Noah Iggy?

Hey Chris, I’m sorry to say I didn’t see anything that would give me great hope that a breakthrough is happening anytime soon. There wasn’t anything egregious, but Igbinoghene plays like he’s doing an awful lot of thinking out there instead of being instinctive, which is not good.

From Jj (@jjjara1317):

Hi Alain, why is this defense so bad? It was supposed to be good this year. And do you think Boyer is a good coach?

Hey there, the problem with the defense is that it’s built on having two stud cornerbacks to lock down coverage outside and free up other defenders to crowd the line of scrimmage and create havoc. Well, the defense haven’t had one of those two players (Byron Jones) all season and the other (Xavien Howard) has been hurt the past two weeks. That’s been a big problem. And, to be fair, while the defense hasn’t been great this year, it did the job in key situations at times this season — particularly against the Bills in Week 3. And, yes, I do think Josh Boyer is a good coach.