Sunday Dolphins Mailbag: Hill, Waddle and the Draft Chart; Tua Topics; Another Big Deal?; More

Tackling various issues on the minds of Miami Dolphins fans, including free agency, the 2022 NFL draft and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa

From Richard Grosso (@rjgro):

Q: When the big talents who have stayed or agreed to come here ... proof that they believe Tua can get us there, or simply pro athletes making financial & lifestyle decisions?

Hey, my friend Richard, financial and lifestyle decisions always play a big role in where a free agent (or player on the move) will want to go and for those who let a quarterback become a factor, I’m going to have to tell you it would be because of somebody who already has accomplished something big (like Tom Brady or even Josh Allen) rather than somebody who MIGHT become special like Tua.

From TheRealRashad (@wasup_rt):

Of all the media downing Tua, how much can we actually judge of his past with Watson hanging over his head, then finishing the season before with less talent at receiver?

Hey Rashad, while the circumstances around Tua for his first two seasons in the NFL were less than ideal, we absolutely can judge what we saw on Sundays when it comes to the physical skills he demonstrated. The concerns with Tua primarily center around whether he’s physically gifted enough to become an elite NFL QB and those are not things that would be affected by Watson trade talk or what you deem a lack of help at wide receiver.

From Tony Figueroa (@tonyfigcis):

With so few picks, do you expect Dolphins to invest heavily in undrafted free agents or will they focus on veterans becoming available after further cuts? Thank you.

Hey Tony, excellent question, and I would expect it would be some combination of both, perhaps more slanted toward UDFAs. The Dolphins actually signed very few rookie free agents the past two years because they had a lot of draft picks, but that’s obviously not the case this year.

From Rich McQuillen (@rkmcquillen):

How does the "point value" of this trade compare to last year's trade of 2 #1's to trade up for Waddle?

Hey Rich, this a tough comparison to make because the Hill trade involved a veteran player and not just draft picks. So what I’ll do is give you the point assigned to each pick back on the old Jimmy Johnson chart and you can decide for yourself. Also understand that as a general rule, for every year a pick is delayed, the value goes down a round (for example, a 2023 first-round pick for chart value purposes is like a 2022 second-round pick). So, having said that, the Dolphins gave up 1149 draft points in acquiring Hill for the 29th overall pick (640 points) plus pick 50 (400) and pick (121), as well as a 2023 fourth-round pick (I used the top of the fifth round) and a 2023 sixth-round selection. Put another way, 1149 points is just about the value for the 2022 13th overall selection, and there’s nobody in the universe who wouldn't make the trade of getting Hill for the 13th pick. As for the Waddle trade, the Dolphins got the sixth pick (1600 points) and a fifth-rounder last year (30.6 points) for the 12th pick in 2021 (1200 points), this year’s 15th overall pick (remember, it drops a round in value because of the one-year delay, so it becomes 430 points) and a fourth-round pick last year (49 points). Based on all those numbers, the Dolphins got Waddle for 49.6 points, which equates to a late-fourth-round pick in the upcoming draft.

From Dave (@angryvet59):

With the signing of Armstead AND Hill, how's that affect X's contract ? Cut several or seek a trade partner for him (mistake IMO)?

Hey Dave, yeah, I’m with you. Trading X would be a damn shame after all the all-in moves they have made, but I’m not sure his situation will be affecting that much by the acquisitions of Armstead and Hill because (as you know), there’s always a way to make it work with the cap if you want to make it work. This will come down ultimately to whether the Dolphins and X’s agent can find a happy middle ground for a reworked contract.

From mr. mojo rising’ (@dennisgriffin7):

Does the scoreboard at Hard Rock go past 99?

Ha, good one, Dennis! Is that points or speed?

From Keith (@Keith74366411):

Hmm, Packers interested in Parker. Could Dolphins actually make a trade with Parker and couple more players for Packers first-round pick?

Hey Keith, short of Xavien Howard, not sure what Dolphins player would warrant a first-round pick in return. Even if you package Parker, who is probably on the stronger side of 50-50 to get traded, with a couple of other players, that would be hard to pull off, especially since the Dolphins can’t dangle a second-round pick as an enticer (you know, Parker and a 2 for a 1).

From James Sonny Burnett (@JamesBurnett):

Are we done with major player acquisitions this year?

Hey James, what, Armstead and Hill not enough? LOL. Yeah, I think that probably will be it for “major” acquisitions, but I’ve also learned never to say never.

From Bushido Brown (@BushidoBrown73):

Where are all the people who were asking why Grier wasn't fired when that loser Flores was???? IMO they look even more foolish now than they did then. Grier did/does his job better by far than Flores and many of those people asking that dumb azz question.

Hey Bushido, while Grier absolutely deserves kudos for the acquisitions made this offseason, don’t pooh-pooh the job that Flores did the past two seasons when I would suggest he got the most out of his roster to produce a winning record each time.

From Chris Davis (@KyLouFinFan):

I’ll just repeat my Q. Who is your pick for training camp cut nobody saw coming? (Except obviously you, of course). Thanks.

Hey Chris, man, that’s a tough question to answer in late March before I even get a chance to see minicamp practices and OTAs. Check back with me in mid-June and I'll give you an answer then. If you absolutely have to have one, one logical place is anybody coming off a major injury under the premise they don't make it back physically, whether it be Alec Ingold or Raheem Mostert.