Saturday Dolphins Mailbag: Holland, Hill, Wildcat, and More

What were the best and worst decisions of the offseason? What's the long-term plan at right tackle? Tackling those and other Miami Dolphins issues

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) fumbles the football after a tackle from Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland (8) during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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

From CageyVet:

Why are reporters such (wimps) these days & don’t ask the tough question? Like why didn’t HC bring in legit QB competition all summer!?? (Wilson/Fields)

Hate to bring it to you, but the question absolutely was asked as to why the Dolphins felt comfortable coming back with Skylar Thompson and Mike White to compete for the backup job. And then Mike McDaniel was asked why he felt confident in Skylar Thompson’s ability to get the job done after Tua was injured. So, yeah, the questions were asked. And the answer was that the Dolphins were confident in Thompson’s ability to run the offense.

From miami2real:

What do we need to upgrade in the off-season because we need a Zach Thomas or Brock Marion on this team?

Hmm, Brock Marion? I get Zach Thomas, but Brock Marion is interesting because he was a Pro Bowl safety, but maybe not an impact player like, say, Jason Taylor. Anyway, I get the gist, and I most definitely would love to see the Dolphins add an impact linebacker like Zach Thomas because it’s a position where the team hasn’t had a difference-maker in a long, long time. Of course, finding that kind of player — doesn’t have to be a Hall of Famer, by the way — is easier said than done.

From colindolphins73:

What's wrong with Bonner? and I thought the staff thought highly of him?

Well, the staff thought enough of him to keep him on the 53-man roster, but clearly not enough to have him dress on most Sundays. What happened here is not uncommon, and basically it’s about the media falling in love with a player for whatever reason and putting unrealistic expectations on him. Also understand that coaches are going to praise players all the time when asked about them publicly because that’s how this staff operates. Remember that I’ve always warned about making too much of comments about a player from teammates or coaches. The proof always is in the playing time.

From Mark Ricci:

Lamm the answer at RT going forward or you thinking Paul or Wynn long-term?

Hey Mark, Kendall Lamm will be the starting right tackle for the rest of the 2024, health provided. He’s a solid veteran who will get the job done more often than not, and pretty much is on par with Austin Jackson. Patrick Paul might have a bigger upside, but he’s not there yet.

From Trevon:

What is Jevon Holland’s future with the team? Is this going to be his last season?

Hey Trevon, if I were to guess, I’d put it at less than 50-50 that Holland is back with the Dolphins next season. I’m seeing this go the same way as Christian Wilkins — same agents, by the way — in that Holland will be looking for more than the Dolphins are willing to pay. I think if the Dolphins were set on keeping Holland around, he’d already have a contract extension.

From ChrisS – Kohou superfan:

Who the heck is Quinton Bell? When did we get him? Expect we’ll see more of him considering how sharp he was with his snaps?

Hey Chris, Quinton Bell was with the Dolphins last season on the practice squad and actually gained some attention when he played the role of Maxx Crosby on the scout team, as revealed by the 2023 in-season edition of “Hard Knocks.” Bell got off to a great start in camp, but was almost invisible once joint practices started. His sack against the Rams was one of the few plays he’s made this season, though he’s been a core member of the special teams. Lastly, I’m not sure how much I’d expect him to play in future weeks.

From Go Fins Go!:

Should we add the Wildcat as a wrinkle to the offense given our speed at RB and WR?

I touched on this a bit in part 1 of this mailbag, and my answer was not really because the Wildcat pretty much tells the defense you’re running the ball and this offense is based on deception and misdirection as much as anything else. Not a lot of deception if everybody knows a run is coming.

From mgfern:

What is the reason Hill and Waddle are quiet even with Tua back? Do they have the right skill set/scheme combo to be effective when it seems that defenses have taken away a lot of the big plays? Appreciate you, Poup.

And I appreciate you, my friend. From where I sit, the low numbers with Hill and Waddle are the result of a combination of factors, such as defenses playing deep with their safeties, a lot of bumping at the line of scrimmage and Tyreek battling a variety of injuries all season and even before the season (knee, wrist, foot).

From Crypto and Alie

Not necessarily Raiders related but at the halfway point, best five decisions Grier made in the offseason and five worst decisions.

Wow, five each way! Man, that’s a major homework assignment there. I don’t know about five, but here we go: Best decisions have to start with signing Calais Campbell, and then we’ll go with signing Aaron Brewer as the replacement center for Connor Williams, signing Kendall Fuller, getting Malik Washington in the sixth round of the NFL draft, and adding Jonnu Smith at tight end. The five worst have to start with no getting an established backup QB, and then I would add signing Shaq Barrett only to have him retire before camp started.

Additional reading:

-- Part 1 of the pre-Raiders game mailbag

-- Comprehensive Dolphins-Raiders game preview

-- National media Dolphins-Raiders predictions

-- Dolphins Week 11 Rooting Guide