Monday Dolphins Mailbag: Jonnu, Poyer, "Advertunities", And More

Could more lineup changes be coming? What are early positions of need for next offseason? Tackling those and other Miami Dolphins issues.

Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith (9) makes a catch against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Highmark Stadium. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Part 2 of the pre-Rams game Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Chris Shields (@shieldsc_):

If the Dolphins lose on Monday with the trade deadline passed, what changes could be expected? At what point do you worry about morale of the locker room turning? Way too early biggest position of need to address in the offseason?

Hey Chris, I don’t know that you can do a whole lot in terms of changes now that the trade deadline has passed, but I could see maybe some lineup changes down the line if the playoffs no longer are feasible. But I would expect the status quo while there’s still hope. I do think the mood of the locker room could take a bad turn with a loss against the Rams because the loss at Buffalo at least showed the team being competitive. As for biggest position of need, how about backup quarterback? If not that, then I think safety is a big need and it would be nice to have a game-impacting off-the-ball linebacker, more depth at defensive tackle, a stud at guard, another wide receiver …

From Lloyd Heilbrunn (@LloydHeilbrunn):

If this team had any real accountability shouldn't Poyer be benched as Long was, or even cut?

Hey Lloyd, I absolutely cannot disagree with your point because Poyer quite frankly hasn’t played up to par. I would like to see Elijah Campbell gets a shot at safety at some point. But I also believe the Dolphins coaches are playing the guys who they feel give the team the best chance to win. As you mentioned, if the Dolphins can bench Long, who was a team captain, we shouldn’t believe they’re keeping Poyer in the lineup simply because he’s an established veteran.

From ChrisS (@Dolphinshilight):

Is Jonnu Smith a long-term fit? He looks great, finally got them using the position as a mismatch generator.

Hey Chris, yeah, in the role he’s being used, as a receiving specialist, Smith is somebody the Dolphins should keep around beyond this year. Let’s just not be surprises when there are games he doesn’t get the most snaps at the position because he’s not as good a blocker as, say, Julian Hill.

THE MIAMI DOLPHINS AND THE PLAYOFF PICTURE

From Chris…Grier fan account (@cgc5783):

How many more advertunities does the team need to get over the hump?

“Advertunities” is a pretty awesome term. Well done! Considering their 2-6 record, I’d say the Dolphins are pretty close to running out of those if they indeed are going to get over the hump in 2024.

From Jayco (@ljc7975):

Alain, in your opinion, which player has been the biggest underachiever and who has overachieved?

That’s a good question, but it also depends on your expectations coming into the season. To answer your question — and I’m leaving out explanations but rather going strictly off production — I’d say the biggest underachiever has to be Tyreek Hill, simply because this is the two-time team MVP, a guy who was a difference-maker the past two seasons but hasn’t been that guy in 2024. As for overachiever, I’m tempted to say Calais Campbell because what he’s doing at 38 years old is truly remarkable. But then again, he’s been a stud his entire career, so maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. Maybe Kader Kohou, who has rebounded very well after what was a tough 2023 season.

From Dave Lowe (@DKL_II):

Will it take 10 wins to get the 7 seed? If so, what do you see as our path to 10? Thanks for your daily work on our Fins!

Thanks Dave. In the three seasons (2021-23) since the NFL went to a 17-game regular season schedule, at least one team has been a wild card with a 9-8 record every year and the Dolphins were one of those teams in 2022. Denver currently is in seventh place in the AFC standings and they’re 5-5, so I do believe 9-8 might get it done. That means the Dolphins would have to go 7-2 down the stretch. From where I sit, the Dolphins “should” win against LV, NE and CLE based on how bad those teams are. That means the Dolphins need to finish 9-8 to go 4-2 against LAR, GB, HOU, SF and the two Jets games. Because Green Bay and Houston are on the road, it illustrates why the Rams game is so important — and also because we can’t really be talking about making a late-season run if the Dolphins lose because they’ve be on a four-game losing streak.

BREAKING DOWN THE DOLPHINS-LOS ANGELES RAMS MATCHUP

From john Dillon (@yomptons_finest):

How will the defense adjust to cover a very skilled passing attack that the Rams will present? It seems like all year guys have been running uncovered, and I'm sure McVay saw the Bills feast underneath and in the flats. Thanks, Poup. Love your stuff.

Thanks John. First off, it’s absolutely not true that guys have been “running uncovered” all year. And, make no mistake, a big part of the issue that past two games was the lack of a pass rush or getting to the quarterback — in part because Kyler Murray and Josh Allen could buy extra time. Matthew Stafford isn’t that kind of QB. So it’s not about adjustment against the Rams, it’s about getting pressure on Stafford and making him uncomfortable and hurrying some throws.

From Richard Hulme (@RichardHulme7):

With the Rams pass defense, are you expecting this game to be the one we finally see another explosive pass play?

Hey Richard, yep, I absolutely would make that prediction. The Rams pass defense is not very good, but their pass rush is. So it’ll come down to the offensive line giving Tua Tagovailoa some time to take a deep shot. But I do see a couple of deep shots in this game.

From Luis Rodriguez (@Elfrijol3232):

Hey Poup. Heard you and Perk advocating for the explosive plays on the podcast, but with our iffy D, isn’t the non-explosive drives better for the ultimate goal of winning?

Hey Luis, in the end what matters is how the drives end, but the problem is the time-consuming drives is that they require more plays, and more plays mean more chances to make a mistake (turnover, penalty). It’s why some defensive coordinators like the bend-but-don’t-break approach.