Dolphins Sunday Mailbag: Tua, Defense, Interior O-line, and More

Who has been the standout of training camp? How much concern should there be about the backup QB situation? Tackling those and other Miami Dolphins issues

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) throws the football during a joint practice with the Atlanta Falcons at Baptist Health Training Complex. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Part 3 of the Dolphins preseason opener weekend mailbag:

From RW (@RickyLWatson):

What is the status of the Bayron Matos "project"? And I say "project" because of the inexperience.

Hey Ricky, Matos’ status is that he’s learning on an everyday basis, including what he got from his eight snaps against Atlanta on Friday night. Matos will be on the practice squad the whole season because he doesn’t count against the 16-player limit because he’s part (as a Dominican native) of the International Player Pathway Program, much like the Dolphins with former Brazilian player Durval Queiroz Neto.

From Brooklyn Rob (@robv1015):

With the added cap space, does Miami make a move in a trade for an IOL?

Hey Rob, I think the Dolphins’ stance here clearly is that they think they can make it work with what they have, the latest evidence coming when they simply re-signed Chasen Hines three days after they waived when they needed to replace Kion Smith. I’m not saying they would turn down an opportunity to make a trade, but I don’t think we necessarily should be expecting one.

From Jayco (@ljc7975):

McDaniel said the backup QB battle is “neck and neck.” Reports out of camp paint the play of both players as mediocre. Should we be concerned about this position?

Hey Jayco, we can be concerned about practically every backup position if we’re going to be honest about it. But it is very true that neither Mike White nor Skylar Thompson has been impressive in camp and neither was good Friday night, though White was operating with three wide receivers (McGowan, Snead, Harley) who weren’t even on the team before July and Thompson’s arm was hit on his follow-through on the pick. I’m not sure either was put in a position to succeed. And, again, things look a whole different and are much easier on the quarterback when Tyreek, Waddle, Mostert, Achane and company actually are on the field.

From RICHARD J. LEONARD (@SLICK6971):

Are you allowed to talk about the defensive alignments?

Hey Richard, the Dolphins’ media reporting policy prohibits describing “formations, motions or non-conventional plays,” and by formations that’s talking about offense and defense. So we technically are not allowed to talk about alignments, though preseason games certainly can offer some clues.

From Jason Hewitt (@Hewie44):

Does it appear that the defense is adapting to the new scheme? Are there a lot of blown assignments at this point?

Hey Jason, no, I have not noticed many blown assignments, either in practice or in the preseason opener. Having said that, that doesn’t mean there haven’t been any MAs (missed assignments), and there was one pass play that comes to mind when a receiver (Julian Hill maybe) was left uncovered 20 yards down the middle of the field.

From Phinsbam30 (@phinsbam30):

Are there any quality backup centers on the market or one to trade for? Does Tua look more mobile with the weight loss?

The most notable free agent still available is Mason Cole, who started all 17 games for the Pittsburgh Steelers last year but didn’t get a bit as an unrestricted free agent this year. As for anybody available for trade, I haven’t heard of any and it’s not like teams would be in a rush to dump a quality backup. And with Tua and the mobility, there's a clear difference from last year. It's impossible not to notice. He's likely to make or extend more plays with his legs this season, but the trick will be staying smart about it.

From Jeremy Harris (@harryND10):

Who is a sleeper that may turn some heads? Is anyone standing out in camp?

Hey Jeremy, if we’re talking sleepers, we have to go with unknown players, so maybe rookie free agents and here I would mention tight end Hayden Rucci on offense for his blocking and any of the three cornerbacks on defense, starting with Jason Maitre but also including Isaiah Johnson and Storm Duck. As for who’s standing out, it’s Tyreek Hill. Nobody can cover him.

From Harry (@Pitt123412Macey):

OL appears biggest issue..... assuming (big if) current OL roster stays/gets healthy, do we have 8-9 quality men to get job done? Who are they?

Assuming everybody is healthy at the start of the regular season, my best guess for a group of nine would be Terron Armstead, Isaiah Wynn, Aaron Brewer, Liam Eichenberg, Austin Jackson, Robert Jones, Kendall Lamm, Patrick Paul and maybe Jack Driscoll. I do believe they can get the job done.

From Peter McDowell (@Cdnphinatic):

Should we have brought in competition for our punter Bailey?

Hey Peter, the answer here is no if the Dolphins deep down always believed Bailey was going to be their guy. It’s not like there’s a ton of punting done in practices, so the only reason to bring in a second punter would be if there wasn’t conviction about the incumbent. And considering the Dolphins re-signed Bailey as a free agent this offseason, they clearly want him as their guy. Also understand that beyond the punting, his holding for Jason Sanders maybe has something to do with his job security as well.

From Frozen Fin Fan (@grassquatch):

Hypothetical. You're the GM. You have 15 million bucks, and 3 roster spots to play with. What do you do to improve our O-line as much as possible?

The problem with this exercise is that fans always seem to think that O-linemen are always available, particularly in August. It simply doesn’t work that way. The first step here would be calling calling the GMs of teams that might have a surplus of offensive linemen, understanding there’s rarely such a thing. Then you scour the free agent market and you realize there’s not an instant solution available because if anybody was such a no-brainer, he wouldn’t be available in mid-August.