Tackling All Dolphins Podcast Questions

For our All Dolphins Podcast of Aug. 1, we asked fans to submit questions for Publisher Alain Poupart and Omar Kelly to tackle, discuss and debate, but time constraints prevented us from getting to all of them.

Since it's always our aim to inform, educate and entertain — and because more questions will come up before our next Q&A podcast — we figured we'd address those leftover questions in writing.

Due to the volume, the answers will be shorter than in our usual mailbag, but here we go:

From Rémi Lesot (@Remi_Lesot):

We do not hear a lot about D-linemen. What R. Davis looks like? How Ogbah is used? Can you compare this year's D-line play to the one we were used to under Flores/Boyer?

This is one of the questions where we have to preface the answer by pointing out that we are limited as far as what we can reveal from practices. That said, I'd say that Raekwon Davis has looked very good. As for Ogbah, I'll just use what he said Tuesday about how he's being used: “I would say similar to Cleveland. I got drafted as an outside linebacker, so I stood up some in Cleveland."

From Mark Ricci (@mdricci):

As a journo professor, what’s the hardest part of covering a professional football team or the Dolphins in 2023? I’ll relay it to students. I’m sorry if this doesn’t directly fit the podcast design. Don’t feel obligated to answer on the air if you have more applicable questions!

Not sure it's the hardest part, but the biggest change is the increased control all franchises exert over player access, in part because of the explosion of outlets all wanting a piece of the players.

From Adrian Belo (@abello1257):

Do we sign Cook?

Not unless he brings down his asking price, at which point I would say the Dolphins wouldn't turn away from him.

From Alex Greenberg (@AlexG1348):

How’s the kicking situation looking with Sanders? Last year it seemed like he was on his last straw with the team, but it seems like he’s regained the teams trust. Any serious run by this team will need All-Pro Sanders and not last year's version.

The kicking situation looks like it's Sanders all the way. And I'll also point out that while he didn't have a good 2022 season, he didn't cost the Dolphins any games and he did deliver the clutch kick (50 yards) against the Jets to get them into the playoffs.

From the concrete ocean podcast (@Theconcreteoce1):

What’s going on with punter battle?

Every time we've seen the punters doing work, it always seems Jake Bailey clearly is better. Would be shocked if he wasn't the punter in 2023.

From Jose Guerrero (@El_Rey_Jose13):

Why hasn’t Miami addressed its lack of depth at the ILB position?

Simple answer: The Dolphins want to thoroughly evaluate what they have before looking outside, and that includes giving Channing Tindall every opportunity to succeed.

From David Lenshyn (@Steelcore1974):

How does the LB corps look & do we have a thumper?

I'll assume "LB corps" here excludes the edge defenders like Chubb and Phillips, and I'll say it's fine — assuming David Long Jr. stays healthy. There's no real thumper on the defense, though, but I'd say I'm not sure that's a must in the NFL in 2023.

From Johnniefive (@)nodissassemble):

What do you see as the weakest area of our team?

With all due respect to every player on the roster, the tight end group is rather uninspiring and doesn't include anybody who ever figures to be a major factor in any passing game.

From Nick Tanner (@nicktanner1979):

Kickers. I have heard nothing about the kickers.

Nor will you. It's Jason Sanders' job.

From Michael Uggiano (@FugiMichael):

Do you believe McDaniel will run it more this year, and who takes the short-yardage/goal line snaps?

Yes, I believe the Dolphins will run a bit more in 2023, but not substantially because the strength of this offense remains the speed of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and all the havoc they create for opposing defenses. As for who takes the short-yardage snaps, would have to think Jeff Wilson Jr. would get most of them.

From Mad doggo (@Dogadoodle72):

Overall how has the O-line looked? The Butch Barry signing scared me due to what past players had said about him.

It's still very early in the process, but the play of the offensive line overall actually has been respectable. And let's not forget that the best player (Terron Armstead) on that unit — by far — hasn't taken a single snap in team sessions yet.

From Sal Cano (@ChicagoDolfan84):

What is it specifically about putting on the pads that changes things for a player like Ahmed or Agude?

With the pads comes the physical aspect of the game. It's one thing to shine with very limited contact, but another when guys actually start hitting each other. And it continues to ramp up with every step of the season. And there have been many players through the years who shine before pads come on but then disappear.

From Tyler (@CardGuyTM):

It is obviously detrimental to lose a top 25 player in the NFL, but with Fangio's cloud cover scheme, is that more beneficial to this year's corners as far as not getting exposed as much compared to last year's corners stepping up?

Bingo! Excellent point. Right on the money. The Dolphins put a tremendous amount of pressure on their cornerbacks in their previous scheme, and it's not remotely close to being the same with Fangio's scheme.

From Dolfin Din Hudsin (@Pap_Hudson):

Where's Jeff Wilson been? Saw he wasn't at practice the other day. Has been out there?

Wilson was back at practice Tuesday, though he didn't do any work in team sessions.

From Cold Day in the Sun (@cjb8511):

Should Kader be on the outside, or in the slot with Jalen out?

Omar and I agree that Kader Kohou's physical make-up and his skill set make him much better suited for the slot.

From The Crunch Time Podcast (@asportspod):

How's the TE position looking and how much better does Igbo look?

The tight end position looks like it's going to be in the background, deep background actually, with the main responsibility for all of those players being blocking. As for Igbinoghene, so far so good in camp. He seems, as I suspected and predicted, that he's going to benefit from the team going to more zone coverage.

From Mark Lever (@MarkFinsfan):

Can you give us a realistic timeline for Jalen Ramsey’s return. We were told December, now's he saying a month earlier? Also, how will our defense hold up with him not there; do you think it’ll be sustainable? You guys are my favorite thanks for teaming up and all your hard work.

While I have nothing but respect for Ramsey's confidence with those words and his obvious desire to come back sooner rather than later, he's not the first guy to say he's going to beat a timeline. The bottom line is we just don't know, though he's going to give himself every change to come back early if he attacks his rehab with diligence. As for the Dolphins defense holding up in his absence, there absolutely is reason to think it can be done, first because of the smaller reliance on man coverage and also because the defense still has plenty of talent at all levels.

From Curt farber (@FarberCurt):

Shouldn’t the QB always be the best player on the field? Game wise and practice.

Nope. You could say the quarterback always should be the most impactful simply because of the position, but that's not the same as being the best player.

From Mitchell Babka (@mlb_babka):

With the complete lack of production from the TE unit, would you look into signing newly released OJ Howard?

No. Ask yourself why it is that Howard got released by his fourth team a week into training camp.

From Tom Miller (@tamiller1973):

Igbo recently had some thoughtful comments during his media availability about personal lessons learned. It was thoughtful and showed his personality. In your experience, do DBs with swagger and attitude tend to be more successful than others that might be more likable?

There is zero question whatsoever that cornerback is a position where confidence is a must, cockiness is almost a plus and swagger also is a bonus. It doesn't always have to be obvious or over the top, but attitude absolutely is a key at cornerback.

From Raymond Hudson (@RaymondAHudson):

After six days of camp, which position are you least worried about and which position are you most worried about?

The least worrisome position should be wide receiver, followed by edge defenders. The most worrisome probably is defensive line in terms of depth.

From Luke Fader (@lukefader);

What do you think the Dolphins' plan is for backup NT? Do you think they will carry one on the 53-man roster or are they planning to switch to a 4-3 defense if Raekwon Davis misses any play time?

I'm still of the opinion the Dolphins indeed will carry a backup nose tackle on the 53-player roster but that player currently isn't on the roster. As I look at the front seven players, it seems to me that Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb fit best as 3-4 OLBs, Emmanuel Ogbah fits best as a 4-3 DE, and Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler both are flexible enough to succeed as 3-4 DEs or 4-3 DTs.