Sunday Dolphins Mailbag: Ross, Wright, Wynn, and More

Can the running game get going? What time will the Cleveland game be played? Tackling those and other Miami Doplhins issues

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross (left) talks with general manager Chris Grier before a game in November 2022. / JIM RASSOL / USA TODAY NETWORK

Third and final part of the pre-Texans Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From egillanded:

Not a Texans question….Any sense if the Browns game is getting flexed out of Sunday Night?

I addressed this in a recent story and the reader’s digest version is I’d probably put it at 50-50 because the Dolphins still have national appeal and the slate of games available for the Sunday night spot is very limited.

From FES:

Why didn’t OBJ work in Miami?

This is pretty simple and I think it boils down to Beckham simply not being an impact player anymore and the Dolphins have more desirable options in the passing game. There’s nothing terribly mysterious about it, but at some point Beckham seemingly decided he’d be better off somewhere else and the Dolphins had zero issues accommodating him because they weren’t losing much by letting him go.

From Chris Shields:

Is this the week the Phins get the run game going?

Hey Chris, having Raheem Mostert back in the lineup probably will help, but I don’t necessarily see a big jump. And the truth is it’s not needed if the passing game continues to be as efficient as it’s been in recent weeks. Like Mike McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa have said, a short passing game is not that different from the running game if the ball comes out quickly. Really, what’s the difference between a pitch to Mostert or De’Von Achane or a quick screen to Jonnu Smith?

From Chris Bustin:

Hey, Alain. Do you have sense if Steve Ross will make any changes if we miss the playoffs? Missing the playoffs would be going in the opposite direction of being relevant. Thanks!

Hey Chris, I’ve been pretty consistent in saying that merely missing the playoffs wouldn’t necessarily bring about any changes. Now, if the Dolphins lose their final four games (which I don’t expect), we’ll revisit this conversation. But as it stands now, I would expect Mike McDaniel and Chris Grier being back in 2025.

From Mark Lever:

Jaylen Wright had a lot of potential coming out of college. When do you think we see his breakout game? Could it be this Sunday? Also, who are we rooting for in the Colts versus Denver game?

Hey Mark, I would think it’s highly unlikely we see Wright putting up big numbers and it’s also highly unlikely he’s going to get many opportunities. This offense features De’Von Achane as the lead back and I would expect Raheem Mostert to also get some carries if he’s right physically. I don’t know that I’d expect much from Wright the rest of the season. As for the Colts-Broncos game, that’s a tough one, and I addressed it in the Week 15 rooting guide. There’s benefits to each side losing, to be honest.

From Chris H:

Is Mostert's lack production and fall from grace based on the rise of Achane, has age/injury caught up, or has he fallen from grace with McDaniel?

Hey Chris, the answer is a combination of all those factors, though the McDaniel issue probably is over now that we’re several weeks removed from the two costly fumbles at Indy and Buffalo. I think the primary issue is that McDaniel clearly is enamored with Achane and Mostert has played injured for most of the season, which hasn’t helped him convince MMcD to give him more opportunities.

From Dolfanforever72:

Hi Alain, any chance Isaiah Wynn gets in the lineup this week? I know the Dolphins keep saying it’s Rob Jones’ spot at LG but seems that the team ran better when Wynn was in there last season. Thanks.

I think that’s too simplistic a view, and I also would argue that Jones isn’t a problem when it comes to run blocking. Let’s also be realistic regarding what Wynn would look like considering he hasn’t played since Week 7 of the 2023 season. But, no, I don’t expect a change in the lineup there.

From Stephen Ryan:

Will Raheem Mostert get carries? Seems to be the only back that runs with attitude.

Hey Stephen, not sure I buy that notion because Jeff Wilson Jr. most definitely runs with attitude. That said, yes, I expect Mostert to get some carries against Houston, providing he’s physically up for it.

From Omar Davila:

Alain, why didn't we just keep Josh Boyer? He was the only reason we almost beat the Bills in that playoff game...makes no sense.

Hey Omar, Mike McDaniel really wanted to land Vic Fangio as his defensive coordinator when he took the job, but that was put on hold for a year. It actually was a surprise that Boyer was retained when McDaniel took over as head coach in 2022.

From Al Hertz:

Please explain the different impacts of Shaq Barrett on our salary cap? Spotrac shows him impacting our salary cap this yr 1M and 2025 4.4M. Why are we charged if he retired before playing and does he have to pay it back? With his unretiring, what are the options and impact?

Hey Al, here’s the thing, Barrett may have wanted to unretire, but the Dolphins declined (as was their right) to remove him from the Reserve/Retired list, which means technically he’s still retired. That also means that the one-year contract he signed with the Dolphins in the offseason moves to next season because he never fulfilled his part of the deal. The $1 million for this year would have to deal with his signing bonus.