Sunday Dolphins Mailbag: Tua, Cam Smith, Grier, and More

Does the offense need to add a bruising running back? Which free agent O-lineman should be the priority to re-sign? Tackling those and other Miami Dolphins questions

From Dolphins Blogger (@DolphinsBlogger):

Do the Dolphins have a Josh Allen problem? Tua is 1-6 against him and team is 2-11? Isn’t that the biggest hole for the team?

I’m somebody who hates overemphasizing W-L record for QBs, but that said, the Dolphins absolutely have a Josh Allen problem. They simply haven’t found a way to stop him since he got into the league in 2018.

From 305 TILL I DIE (@305UntilIDie):

McDaniel has been catching flak for not making good enough offensive adjustments during games. Do you think that the limitations at the QB position limit what kind of adjustments McDaniel can do mid-game?

Mike McDaniel has done a brilliant job since arriving at maximizing what Tua does best, and there’s no reason he can’t come up with something in the second half in terms of adjustments even with the limitations, especially since I think a lot of the complaints have dealt with the running game.

From Miami mark (@MarkWardlaw97):

Which OL free agents are the top priorities in your opinion, and how realistic is it to afford them while also trying to retain key free agents elsewhere?

Hey Mark, let’s start by saying that Robert Hunt, Connor Williams, Kendall Lamm and Isaiah Wynn all will be free agents. Because of the position and ability of the player, I think Connor Williams would be at the top of the list, though his December torn ACL needs to be evaluated. Hunt then would be next in line, though don’t dismiss Lamm because he’s a very solid veteran and he won’t be as expensive.

From Brett B. (@bretzky813):

Is Cam gonna be a legit starter for us or is he Igbo 2.0?

Hey Brett, based on what I saw for most of training camp, I’m of the belief that Cam Smith is going to become a good NFL cornerback. I’m not sure I ever got that kind of vibe from Noah Igbinoghene. But Smith has to step up in Year 2.

From Casey (@casey326davis):

I would love to see Louis Riddick become our GM…. Do you think he would or should take over?? Love that guy and his takes.

Hey Casey, I’ve seen Riddick’s name mentioned as a future GM before, so there’s clearly something there, though I don’t see the Dolphins making a move in that spot unless things really go south. And I do having nothing but respect for him as an analyst as well.

From Kenneth Davidson (@KeDav88):

I know most of us would like us actually use our 1st round pick this year and draft a guy. But who would you give Chris Grier a pass to trade for where it would make sense a team would move a player? (I.e. Patrick Surtain Den, Jaycee Horn Car , etc) I don’t want to trade Tyreek Hill, BUT being in cap hell, and with so many injuries, how else could we get younger and more skill on the team without overpaying in free agency? This draft is loaded at WR too. If we drafted a talented quarterback (Joe Milton III), how much do you think would that affect the locker room and the team’s support of Tua if he struggles next season?

Hey Kenneth, all good questions. I’ll start with Tyreek and say that trading him to gain assets is not likely, if not downright impossible, because of the contract the Dolphins gave him. If the Dolphins have a conviction on a quarterback, helping the team always should be more important than worrying about the potential impact on your starter.

From Stan B (via email):

Alain, enjoy your content. Could you please help me (and a multitude of others) understand how Grier keeps his job? He's the common denominator in the morass of mediocrity that this team has wallowed in for the past several years. Ross "listens to people.” Perhaps its people like Kraft and Pegula that tell him what a great job Grier is doing and he should hold on to him. The S. Fla media needs to collectively call out what it is and hopefully force Grier out as GM. He may be a nice guy, but...

Hey Stan, Grier has been with the Dolphins for a long time and Stephen Ross obviously has a lot of respect for him. An argument also can be made that the Dolphins have four consecutive winning seasons and back-to-back playoff appearances, a measure of success not seen since the early 2000s. So I don’t think a change is happening immediately, but if the current all-in movement doesn’t produce major results, then all bets are off.

From Toby (via email):

Hi Alain, it's Toby again with another comment/question. Everyone seems to have the same opinion that our offense is a system that is set up to make the quarterback succeed. I believe it's the opposite and I'll explain why. This system that we run doesn't allow a quarterback to play the position the way a quarterback should, in this system you almost need a robot playing the position because he has to get the ball out and under 2.3 seconds while hitting that first read or second read. The quarterback is not allowed to drop back read a defense and find an open receiver or pattern to develop and then throw the ball. If the first read is not there, then everything is in chaos. Once a defensive team figures it out, then it's almost impossible for the quarterback to make something happen. Not to mention that when the quarterback steps up behind center with all the motions that are going on, there's not enough time to adjust protections and actually get a read on what the defense is going to do. Tua is basically thrown into the role of being a robot quarterback, instead of actually being able to play the position like it was designed to be played. I know this was a long-winded answer like Coach McDaniel, LOL, but I would like to know your thoughts on what I just said.

Hey Toby, I’m going to have to disagree there. The system was set up to take advantage of what Tua does best and maximize his skill set. It does not preclude him from making plays off schedule, but that clearly is not what Tua does best.

From Daniel K. (via email):

Thanks for the great Dolphins coverage this year. The year ended with a thud after such a promising start. I am a big J.J. McCarthy fan (Mich QB). He reminds me of Daniel Jones on the Giants. He's very athletic as well as a good thrower of the ball. Your thoughts on QB? Have a great offseason.

Hey Daniel, based on what I’ve seen of McCarthy, he looks like a better prospect than Jones based on his throwing ability.

From Santi (via email):

Hi Alain. Thank you for all you do. After another disappointment ending to the season. Is Tua the future? I don't think we can be contenders with him. When you look at the QB of the rest of the top teams, Tua ain't it. Even the Texans are ahead. You can win with him, but not because of him, he is not a force multiplier. Second question is the genius coach still a genius? You take that Denver outlier out, and the offense was average. I know there were a lot of injuries, but they were on defense.

Hey Santi, when you ask whether Tua is the future, I think he will be given every opportunity by the Dolphins and the question is whether he can take that next step. With McDaniel, his offensive scheme and designs really are very good, but you can’t be called a genius if you’re a head coach and your team didn’t win a playoff game in your first two seasons.

From Brian Z (via email)_:

Looking to the future, the speed we have will get us to the playoffs. However, if the January games are outdoors, I feel we need a bruising, between the tackles runner to get us those first downs, and increase our time of possession. Do you agree? If so, who would you choose to acquire in the offseason between Barkley, Cook, Elliott or Jacobs? Or would you go off this board and choose a different free agent RB? Might you offer up a trade? Or would you go the draft route? Explain your choice with salary, age and potential for success in mind.

Hey Brian, being able to run in late-season games and the playoffs isn’t strictly about the running back but also the offensive line. Also, the Dolphins did have a physical back last season with Jeff Wilson Jr., they just rarely used him. And then I really liked what I saw from rookie Chris Brooks and I think he's got a nice future. So I’m not sure I see a big-name acquisition there.

From Jeff (via email):

Hello Alain, as a West Coast Dolphins fan I can't help but squint and feel like I am watching Philip Rivers when I see the last couple of games. If we know that's the ceiling for Tua, meaning no playoff mode gene, and 2024 is no change from 2022 and 2023 seasons, how do we realistically keep the core that is good and rebuild the right way? Do we just look for a FA QB that can make those deep throws to Hill and focus elsewhere? P.S. I swear the fan base just loves to go a bit of the edge too quickly and it's so disheartening. I saw people calling it quits within the first 4 minutes of the game starting when KC scored. Way too many people.

Hey Jeff, that’s the big question facing the Dolphins, what Tua’s ceiling exactly is, and they’ll need to figure that out at some point. I wouldn’t expect a change to be made, to be honest, because I think an offsason extension is coming. As for your P.S., yes, it’s disappointing to see fans give up so quickly, but even more disappointing that they were proven right to do so.

From CageyVet (@QuayHOVA):

Why are the Dolphins trying to force us to get behind Tua no matter how egregious he plays in big spots ?

Not exactly sure how the Dolphins are trying to force Tua on anybody. He’s their quarterback and if they believe in him, then they’ll keep him around no matter what some fans might think.

The Big Tua Dilemma ... And Why the Dolphins Should Keep Their QB Options Open