Sunday Dolphins Mailbag: Jonnu, Tyreek, Ramsey, and More

Why is the team in danger of losing so many young players? Who could be a recently released player of interest? Tackling those and other Miami Dolphins questions

Part 2 of a pre-free agency All Dolphins mailbag:

From ChrisS (@Dolphinshilight):

Why haven’t we heard anything about potential restructures yet? Ramsey, Tyreek, Sieler, etc.? Should we be in full-on panic? Doesn’t seem like the deals are getting done.

Hey Chris, the Dolphins have until 4 p.m. on Wednesday to become cap-compliant and just because nothing has been announced doesn’t mean that nothing has been done. Remember that the team will not announce contract restructurings unless there’s an extension involved.

From Stuart Kahl (via email):

Hi Alain, we know he can’t block, but what do you think about signing Gesicki and using him as a receiver instead of a TE? I wouldn’t think he would cost that much now. Tua has experience with him and we know he can operate out of the slot. If he gets released and wouldn’t cost too much, I would like us to sign Hunter Renfrow. He seems to be a good route runner and from what I have read, is also a good blocker.

Hey Stuart, the signing of Jonnu Smith should eliminate the idea of Gesicki coming back, even if that ever was a consideration. I do like Renfrow as a third receiver option, but he’s under contract with the Raiders.

From Dave from Vero Beach (via email):

Hi Alain, thanks for all you and Omar do. What do the Dolphins think of Skylar Thompson? Is he capable of being QB2? One of my critiques of HC McDaniel is that he doesn't insist on getting young backup players real game time. We had plenty of games when we're ahead or blown out to the good teams to offer backup players playing time. Not just for their development but to also answer the team’s and fans' questions of them. I'd like to think with all that playing time in year 1 combined with sitting for a full year 2 has resulted in tangible improvement. In addition to younger players getting experience, it protects our best players from getting injured unnecessarily. Sometimes I think he wants to pad the stats like Tyreek getting 2000, Mostert reaching 1000, Chub, Wilkins, Phillips getting sack numbers.

Hey Dave, the Dolphins get a lot of answers for their players in practice. It’s not their job to provide answers for the fans. And I don’t know for sure how they feel about Skylar, but the fact they signed Mike White last offseason said something. Not sure about the stat-chasing comment, but I do agree with you there were times that starters stayed in the game when they didn’t need to, and that proved very costly when Chubb was injured.

From Toby Marmorino (via email):

Hi Alain it's Toby from Newark, New Jersey, Dolphins fan for 50 years. Was a longtime subscriber to Dolphin Digest, I still have a cardboard box full of them from years past. I try to get involved on your live telecast with Omar as much as possible and I also try to send you at least one or two questions each episode to help support you guys. There is something that I'm curious about and no one on TV or any podcast seems to answer: My question is what happens if a team isn't compliant to the salary cap (books in order) on the deadline date? What are the repercussions? Is there monetary fines? Loss of draft picks? Or something else. I'd appreciate it if you can talk about it. Thanks and keep up the good work.

Hey Toby, there absolutely are repercussions for not being cap-compliant and those include a $5 million fine for each infraction, as well as the possibility of contracts being voided and even the possibility of draft pick forfeiture.

From Brian Z (via email):

Do you have any interest in any players recently released by other teams? If so, who?

Hey Brian, CB Darious Williams formerly of Jacksonville certainly is intriguing to me and there are a lot of safeties who can play, though the price has to be right.

From Richard Grosso (@rjgro):

AP, the columns and podcasts continue to be great, even during the offseason. Thank you. Q... J Smith's stats and measurables look great & like a terrific pick-up. So why was he so available & inexpensive? Was it the drops and penalties?

Hey Richard, yeah, Smith had some drops and penalties in 2023, but there was nothing egregious there. The reason the Falcons let him go had to be with a combination of cap considerations and the fact they won’t be so tight-end-intensive now that Arthur Smith no longer is their head coach (and Atlanta already has Kyle Pitts).

From Dave (@angryvet59):

Not a FA question but Tua is now for the 1st time training with a QB coach. If you had to speculate, what would be the main emphasis?

Hey Dave, the benefit there probably would be consistency with technique, particularly in the face of pressure.

From Lloyd Heilbrunn (@LloydHeilbrunn):

Why did the Dolphins switch from a plan which was allegedly to build sustained success through the draft, to one where they jettisoned draft choices to trade for other teams' players while not paying their own?

Hey Lloyd, the Dolphins built a nucleus through the 2020 and 2021 drafts and then decided in the 2022 offseason they could go for it big, particularly once Tyreek Hill was made availably by the Chiefs. Once they went that route, the Dolphins clearly felt they could make a run at the Super Bowl, which led to the additions of Bradley Chubb and Jalen Ramsey.

From Rico’s RoughNecks (@TheFin22):

Saw you and Omar comment on the QB list having Tua labeled outside the top 10. Sticking to the AFC, name your top 8 QBs (in order) entering the 2024 season.

Hey Rico, is that an order? OK, here we go: 1. Patrick Mahomes, 2. Josh Allen, 3. Joe Burrow, 4. Lamar Jackson, 5. Justin Herbert, 6. Aaron Rodgers, 7. C.J. Stroud, 8. Trevor Lawrence. And I’m sure everyone reading this will agree with my list from A to Z. By the way, I saw a Pro Football Network ranking of QBs after I answered this question (came back to write this) and PFN had Tua 16th in the NFL and ninth in the AFC — behind the eight QBs I had ahead of him.

From Olive Grove Jon (@Owlizee):

They say this could be Grier’s last year if things go bad. If media+ fans think that, then surely CG must feel it too? Surely he would make the necessary moves to protect his own interests such as re-sign a franchise guy like Wilkins? Does Grier have something up his sleeve?

Hey OGJ, it doesn’t matter what media and fans think when it comes to Grier’s job security, only what Steven Ross and/or Tom Garfinkel think. And, no, I don’t think any responsible GM who would sacrifice the future because they’re worried they won’t last beyond the next year. I do understand the question, but I just don’t see it.

From Brandon Quinn (via email):

I understand there are conversations we’ll never be privy to. Maybe there was some handshake agreement last off-season — no holdout, no tag. Maybe they really do care about players and feel Wilkins earned his FA rights, and that’s why they get good grades from the players association. But I can’t help but feel the transition tag and at least exploring trade options for Wilkins was a missed opportunity. $19 mil would be team-friendly if it came down to it, and if another team swoops in, we get assets in return. I feel like his situation is exactly what the transition tag was created for. Guys that would really hurt to lose, but aren’t worth insane money either. IDK. I think a SB-winning front office sees this Wilkins situation as an opportunity and not a conundrum like we’ve been treating it. Do you?

Hey Brandon, one very important correction. Applying the transition tag merely would have given the Dolphins the opportunity to match an offer sheet to Wilkins, but no compensation unless the teams worked out something out for Miami not to match. Applying the tag also would have frozen $19 million of cap space until Wilkins got a long-term deal to lower his 2024 cap number. I certainly don't dismiss the idea of some sort of handshake agreement not to tag Wilkins after he ended his "hold-in" last season.

From Jason Kirkland (@1bigdad424):

What's up, Alain? Thanks for the Dolphins coverage and especially in the offseason. Have you had the chance to break down film of Jonnu blocking? If so, how was it? IMO, if it is MG level, he won't be on the field enough to matter.

From CT (@CTRAW):

Is the new TE a better blocker than Mike G?

I have not studied Smith’s blocking, but MG level is a low bar (all due respect to Mike). Per PFF, he did not grade very well in run blocking last season but was OK with pass protection.

From Carl Bueckert (@BueckertCa94374):

Hey buddy, WHY did we re-sign this garbage PUNTER for another year?

Hey Carl, why such venom for a punter? I mean, really? I get Jake Bailey was pretty underwhelming last season, but it’s not like the Dolphins broke the bank for him. And maybe beyond the punting, it’s entirely possible he was brought back as much for his holding as anything else.

From Dan K. (via email):

How did the Dolphins get in this situation where we had so many talented, young drafted core types of players, (AVG, Baker, Hunt, Raekwon Davis, B Jones) and now they are marching out the door at the same time with little to show. Why weren't AVG, Jones, and Hunt extended earlier? Grier has always approached roster building using a combo of Drafts and FAs and UDFAs. He always seemed to be very balanced measuring contract sizes, position needs and resigning some of our own FA's. How did this huge talent purge happen? Do you think that the Chubb trade and contract size has a lot to do with this? I am not on the ledge here but could you please talk me down?

Hey Dan, it's not just the Chubb contract that's put the Dolphins in a position to lose a lot of young players, it's more a combination of the big contracts given to Terron Armstead, Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey, the pending large extension the Dolphins will be giving to Tua and the looming extensions for Jaylen Waddle, Jaelan Phillips and Jevon Holland. As for the failure to extend players, remember it always takes two to strike a deal, so let's not assume the Dolphins didn't try to extend Wilkins and Hunt, to name just two.

Saturday Dolphins Mailbag: Tua, Wilkins, Achane, and More