Saturday Dolphins Mailbag: Tua, Gesicki, Skylar, Running Game, Igbinoghene, and More

Skylar Thompson's short- and long-term outlook, Tua getting a "fair shake" and Mike Gesicki's trade value are among the issues on the minds of Miami Dolphins fans

Katie Stratman - USA Today Sports

From Chris Bustin (@ChrisBustin13):

Hey, Alain. I’m thankful for Tua that his imaging results were clean. Let’s say the team becomes satisfied with Tua’s play on the field, including bad weather games. However, Tua also shows that he'll likely miss playing time every season. Would the team take this package deal?

Hey Chris, it’s a good hypothetical question and maybe it would depend on whether Tua can go injury-free the rest of the season once he returns from the concussion. One other important thing to remember, though, is that Tua is under contract through the 2023 season and the Dolphins can make it 2024 simply by exercising the fifth-year option next spring. The point there is the Dolphins won’t need to make a long-term decision involving a huge contract for a while and if Tua continues to check the boxes with his play, there’ll be no need to find a successor.

From Wade Tripp (@WadeTripp1):

What needs to happen to get the run game going?

Hey Wade, let me first say that I refuse to get overly concerned about the running game when the Dolphins currently are tied for 10th in total offense. That said, I think it’s about eliminating mistakes that help blow up certain running plays. I also think we should be encouraged by what we saw from Raheem Mostert in the Cincinnati game.

From Chris Jones (@cejatc):

Should Dolphins fans be worried about this game?

Hey Chris, it depends on how you define “worried.” If by that you mean, is it a losable game? I’m sorry to say, it absolutely is a losable game. I was pretty adamant in the offseason that the Jets were headed in the right direction and no longer would be a breeze to handle, and nothing that’s happened has changed my mind. I’m not predicting here and now the Dolphins are losing, but it’s not like last year when they could play a far less than perfect game and still beat the Jets because they were vastly superior. That gap has closed significantly.

From Dave… (@dctwittwoo):

What’s Gesicki’s trade value, 4th rounder?

Hey Dave, the smart aleck in me will start off by saying that Gesicki is worth whatever a team is willing to give up for him. More realistically, I would hope it would be at the very least a fourth-rounder, but that also would depend on how desperate a team gets for a pass-catching tight end. The best-case scenario, in terms of the Dolphins being able to maximize any trade value, is for a true playoff contender that relies heavily on its tight end to develop a need right around the trade deadline.

From jon green (@ripplerat):

Why don't the Phins cut Igbo?

Hey Jon, it’s a fair question because Igbinoghene is inactive as often as he’s active and being limited to special teams, and the (at last seemingly) obvious answer is the salary cap. Cutting Igbinoghene, per overthecap.com, would create $6.1 million of deal money for the Dolphins and cost them more than $3 million of cap space.

From Mike Mangaras (@finfan_mike):

Hey Alain, buddy ol pal, in your opinion, will Tua ever get a fair shake from media and league, or is it just what it is, a guy that everyone just loves to scrutinize no matter what he does?

Hey Mike, old chum of mine, exactly how much scrutiny was Tua getting after the Baltimore game? Seems to me it was a whole of praise, including from your “buddy ol pal.” Also, “fair shake from the league”? Really? What exactly is that about? Seems to me that Tua supporters wanted unquestioned backing and endorsements heading into 2022 despite his uneven first two seasons and that's where all this feeling of unfairness comes from. During the first month of the season, I heard and read a lot more praise about Tua than any kind of scrutiny.

From Dave (@angryvet59):

As the run game seems to be running more smoothly (pun intended), do they stick with Mostert or go with the hot hand in a game? Thanks for all the great work Alain!

Hey Dave, thanks as always. McDaniel’s M.O. pretty clearly is to go with whoever has the hot hand, and that’s been Mostert in recent games.

From Preston Feiler (@phfeiler):

Is there a plan in place if Waddle & Hill can't go or are limited? Could we see Easy E active this week?

Hey Preston, rest assured there will be a plan in place to address any and all contingencies. That said, it sure looks at this point as though Erik Ezukanma would be a last resort.

From Dolphins Brass (@firessalt2000):

Is Sauce going to shadow Tyreek, or will they double him all game long?

Hey there, I think that’s a question more suited for a Jets writer, no? From my vantage point, there’s no way they’re going to have Sauce shadow Tyreek all game, if for no other reason that no cornerback in the NFL can shadow Tyreek. The dude is just too fast. There might be some single coverage at times, but I would expect very little.

From Daniel Demers (@demers77):

Do you think Skylar will get a shot in a near future?

Hey Daniel, no, I do not think Skylar will get a shot anytime soon unless it’s because of injuries. And there are two reasons for that, the first being that I expect Teddy Bridgewater to do well and also because while Skylar has a potentially bright future ahead of him, what he did in the preseason shouldn’t be taken so seriously as a gauge for future success.

From NemesisTom35 (@Ntom35):

Do you see the run game improving each game? What % are zone runs? Thanks and keep up the great work!

Thanks Tom, yes, I do see the run game improving gradually as the season progresses, though there might be weeks where there will be a step back. And for the percentage of zone runs, I’d have to do research on that because I currently couldn’t tell you.

From kris binz (@CABinns14):

Is there any indication that Channing Tindall is getting closer to getting on the field? I’m thrilled with Kohou but the guy we invested a high pick on should be contributing more.

Hey Kris, comparing Tindall to Kohou isn’t totally fair because Kohou plays a position where there have been injuries and he took advantage of his opportunities. With Tindall, he’s got a lot of proven veterans ahead of him and I don’t expect him to get a lot of playing time on defense anytime soon.

From Olive Grove Jon (@Owllizee):

Alain. I love Tua and hope he comes back soon but you’d have to be a fool not to be concerned with his injury history. Should this continue, do the Fins turn to Skylar or take another QB in the 2023 draft or subsequent drafts?

Hey OGJ, here’s the thing with Tua that I mentioned earlier, if the Dolphins are satisfied with his performance — and they certainly have to be so far this season — there’s zero need for them to do anything drastic next offseason because they have Tua under contract for next season and the next after that if they simply exercise his fifth-year option. So they have the luxury of time here. Based on what we saw in the first month of 2022, a Tua-Skylar combination for next season certainly is a reasonable prediction.

From AB (@Brtlnx):

What do you think is holding back our run game? Talent, coaching, personnel? With Tua out for a while, it would be nice to lean on an effective ground attack. It doesn’t appear that Eichenberg has improved much this season. Do you expect the coaching staff to continue the experiment at LG or try him at tackle again?

Hey there, it seems your question is phrased around the idea that the passing game will take a major step back with Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback and I don’t believe that’s going to be the case. If it is, then the Dolphins certainly could focus more on it on early downs. Nothing is really holding it back so far this season as much as the fact the Dolphins have focused on the passing game, which makes sense considering the two most dynamic playmakers are the wide receivers. As for Eichenberg, I don’t expect the Dolphins to move him away from the left guard spot.