Saturday Dolphins Mailbag: Tua, Waddle, Trade Deadline, and More

The best way for the defense to control Josh Allen and a suggestion for short-yardage situations are among the Miami Dolphins topics we tackle

Tennessee Titans cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. (39) attempts to bring down Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium. / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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

From John Flora (@Capt_Cavephin):

Why haven't we seen more 6 O-line sets in short yardage? With the RB speed Miami has, this seems like it would open multiple chances on short situations.

Hey John, I’m completely with you there, as I’ve often wondered myself when the Dolphins don’t just bring in Kendall Lamm or Patrick Paul as an extra lineman on, say, third-and-1 or fourth-and-1. And I’m not saying to do it every time, but why not give it a shot?

From Rico’s RoughNecks (@TheFin22):

In your opinion, who has been the better Dolphin so far? Jarvis Landry (4 szns) 400 receptions 4,038 yds 23 TDs or Waddle (3.5 szns) 277 receptions 3,699 yds 18 TDs?

Hey Rico, this is a tough one because they’re so different in style and also one is a slot receiver (Landry) while the other operates more often outside. Having said all that, I think Landry might be the better receiver while Waddle is the more impactful because of his far superior speed. Not sure that makes sense, but that’s my take.

From Brent George (@BrentGe76230118):

Buyers? Sellers? Run with the lineup we have?

Hey Brent, I can’t imagine any scenario where the Dolphins would be buyers given their record or the financial commitments they already have for 2025. I could see them trading some assets if they wind up losing at Buffalo and fall to 2-6.

From Jorge boyd (@raga1922):

Hi Alain, what is the best way to neutralize Josh Allen? What do the Dolphins have to do to make it happen?

Hey Jorge, this is no easy task. The best way to neutralize any quarterback is to get pressure without having to blitz, but that’s not exactly something the Dolphins are doing well this season. So this will be more about coverage and hoping Allen’s accuracy is off — and if the Dolphins have a shot at a pick, they absolutely have to convert.

From Chris Bustin (@ChrisBustin13):

Hey, Alain. As a couch-sitting chip eater, I have two observations: 1. I don't get paid $50 million per year. 2. I still have the same number of playoff wins as Tua does. Your thoughts? Thanks!

Hey Chris, I think you spoke for all those fans who didn’t appreciate Tua’s comments, and I can’t say I blame you.

From Big Ern McDolphin (@dana_buice):

Does the success of this season impact Tua more than any other player coach or staff member?
With every game they lose, the Dolphins gain more spots in the draft giving them a better spot to draft his replacement. Also it adds more fuel to the fire to move off of Tua. I’m not suggesting they would immediately cut Tua but with a high draft pick it would not be out of the question to spend a high draft pick on a qb and let him sit for a year. If Tua were to go on the open market I’m not sure how much interest he would generate as a free agent starter . Is it most imperative for him to turn this season around?

Hey Dana, no, I don't think there's more impact on Tua than anybody else. The Dolphins made a financial commitment with their contract that pretty guarantees he'll be their QB — health permitting — for the next three seasons (including 2024). I also really don’t see a scenario where the Dolphins would draft a quarterback in the first round in 2025 if Tua remains healthy the rest of this season. That’s just not how Miami operates. It’s absolutely important for him to turn this season around from a team standpoint, but I’m not sure it affects his status very much for 2025 or even 2026.

From Brandon Quinn (via email):

Pathetic. We need to be in a complete rebuild mode. I can only name a few guys I even want to keep — Jackson, Achane, Wright, Waddle, Sieler, Brooks and maybe Phillips. And I don’t consider any of those guys cornerstones. I don’t want to pay Holland what he’ll ask for, and Phillips is unreliable. My question is - where do we go from here? Firing Grier, McDaniel and Crossman is non-negotiable in my book. But beyond that, what can we do? We need to trade any asset worth even a mid-round pick, right? I honestly believe trading Hill and Ramsey, maybe Armstead, cap hits be damned, will be addition by subtraction. Side note - Have the Dolphins ever called an audible under McDaniel? Is it a function of his offense, or QBs not reading defenses? It’s just so odd. Only team I haven’t heard a “kill/kill” from, or the like, in years. Can you do all us fans a favor please? Can you tell Tua at the next press briefing that us chip-eaters don’t get paid $212 MILLION to catch shotgun snaps, so we don’t care how easy or hard it may be for him. We only care that he does it. Maybe throw in the fact that without us, he’s sitting home watching Billy Graham and playing the uke.

Man, Brandon, I get the frustration and there’s a lot to unpack here. I would tell you that I would not expect a fire sale or a houseclearning after the season. And you are recorded as the latest fan not happy about Tua’s comments.

From Jeff (via email):

Hello Alain, I was reading through Dante's wonderful article about the OL performance, listening to the discussion on the podcast and I had a thought regarding how crowded the offense seems to be at certain positions. If I was GM I would actually consider trading Achane, but I'm honestly not sure the RB has the value it used to. Would he fetch a 1st round pick somewhere? What do you think if Miami's RB room in 2025 featured: Wright, Wilson, and Chris Brooks? Rewinding time a bit here, but I just think we can afford to lose 2-3 RBs and we need picks in rounds 1-3 in 2025-26.

Hey Jeff, two problems with your suggestion. The first is that Achane would not fetch a first-round pick in a trade. That just doesn’t happen with running backs. Secondly, Chris Brooks now is on the Green Bay Packers active roster, so he’s not available anymore.

From Craig M (@Dolfan2334):

Hi Alain. What exactly is it going to take for Stephen Ross to wake up and fire Chris Grier? The gap has widened between the Dolphins & Bills (as we will see Sunday). Shouldn’t that be a big enough indictment to realize that Grier hasn’t delivered & that the rebuild failed?

Hey Craig, it would take a massive and continuing collapse for a move to be made, from where I sit. But it sure is closer to happening now than it was at the start of the season.

From Ed Hafner (@RHcoach):

Hi Alain, love your writing and podcasts - enough of my kissing up - do you think that Tua back playing helps cover up some of McDaniel’s bad play calling? With all the talent on this team I believe that it’s our coaching that is not up to par.

Hey Ed, first off, please don’t stop the compliments on my account LOL. Second, no, I don’t believe Tua masks any play-calling deficiencies. Whatever issues there are remain with or without Tua in the lineup, it’s just that the execution is really bad with the backup QBs. But I do get what you’re saying. Lastly, I’m not sure the Dolphins are quite as talented as they’re portrayed to be.