Sunday Dolphins Mailbag: Wright, Ferguson, Pass Defense, and More

Tackling more Miami Dolphins topics ahead of their Week 9 game against the Buffalo Bills

Miami Dolphins running back Jaylen Wright (25) tries to outrun Indianapolis Colts safety Julian Blackmon (32) during the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

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

From AKASHA (@BeHereNowBuddha):

Would you say Minkah Fitzpatrick & Tunsil are Grier’s best draft picks from the rebuild?

Well, since the rebuild started with the 2019 season, neither Fitzpatrick nor Tunsil would apply because they were drafted in 2018 and 2016, respectively. The best draft pick since the rebuild probably was De’Von Achane in the third round in 2023 or maybe Andrew Van Ginkel in the fifth round in 2019. If we’re talking during Grier’s GM tenure, which started in 2016, I think I’d go with Xavien Howard in the second round in 2016 as his best pick.

From vegas rosin (@VegasRosin):

My question is why do we still not know why Blake Ferguson went to IR?

First, Ferguson isn’t on IR, he’s on the Reserve/Non-Football Illness list. And we don’t know exactly what’s going on because the Dolphins don’t have to reveal the nature of the issue and the team’s M.O. has been to not divulge information it doesn’t have to. For example, there was no clarity on what kept OBJ out for the start of the regular season until way after the fact. I can tell you that Ferguson was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 13, but I do not know whether that’s part of the issue right now.

From Jake McVay (@JakeMc945):

Hey Alain, the fan base is hoping for an upset, I love the Dolphins, but I honestly see a 30-point blowout, with Allen sitting out the 4th quarter. How can they stay competitive in this game, really? I see another unhappy Sunday and a selloff of players Monday.

Hey Jake, a 30-point blowout absolutely would be disheartening, but I don’t see it happening. The offense was pretty good overall last week against Arizona and that was in Tua’s first game back, so it should be even better and help the team stay in the game.

From Roger Dodger (@RogerDolfan):

I know Houston was missing a few its top WR but did the Jets look a lot better in Thursday night game or was that just my wild imagination?

Hey Roger, yes, the Jets looked better, but it wasn’t very high bar to clear.

THE PASS DEFENSE AND RUNNING GAME

From The Thrill (@PhinPhil):

Is the defense going to sh*t down their legs again? Why is it we can't cover WRs tightly like everyone else at least tries to do.

The Dolphins actually had been very good in coverage all season until last week. Even after the tough outing against Arizona, they're fifth in the NFL in pass defense — and this is without any semblance of a pass rush. So, yeah, the Dolphins actually can cover.

From Mark Lever (@MarkFinsfan):

It seems that we have the most success against Buffalo running the ball. Is this a game that you could see Jaylen Wright breaking out?

Hey Mark, I wouldn’t count on it, not because of Wright but because it’s Achane who is now the workhorse at running back and Raheem Mostert also is going to get his touches. It just don’t know how many carries Wright will get.

From Pajake Japat (@D1nonlyJP):

Anything you could say to give me hope Dolphins have a chance against Buffalo?

The offense was good against Arizona except for the snapping issues and could have success against Buffalo if it can avoid turnovers.

TUA TAGOVAILOA TOPICS

From gaznay (@gaznay):

Are Tua's midweek remarks about fans eating chips on the sofa an indication he is feeling the pressure? He was pretty good in the comeback, but his comments were strange. Accidents happen but multiple snap errors in pro teams should not. The queries were valid.

That’s a good question. Truth is it was the second consecutive week where Tua got a little snippy because it happened also when he was asked concussion questions when he returned. I don’t know if it’s an issue of feeling pressure, but I would say it’s not a very good look.

From Don (via email);

Big fan, go back to the Dolphin Digest days. The Tua contract has a feature that none of the other big QB contracts signed this year have, that I’m aware of, with the fact that $54M for 2026 does not guarantee until March 2025 if he’s still on the roster. The Dolphins very conspicuously gave themselves an out, presumably due to the injury history. The discussions I hear on the podcast always seem to be that the Dolphins are committed to Tua for multiple years, but they really are not. There is not one other NFL team in my opinion that would allow $54M to guarantee for 2026 before a snap is played in 2025, with his injury history, but these are the Dolphins though. The fact they included it in the contract gives them leverage, and if there is a new GM calling the shots before March next year I think it’s likely that some change is made or Tua is cut. Would be interested to hear your thoughts at some point on the podcast. Quick comment also, from Tua this year: Show me the money, the offensive line in front of him doesn’t matter, the defense didn’t get us the ball back (after the offense failed to run clock against AZ), and now fans and potato chips.  Not a leader, and I’ll bet some of his teammates are noticing. Anyway, thanks for what you do!  Love the show.

Hey Don, I’ll address this here and tell you the one issue you forgot is that by Tua’s contract is fully guaranteed for 2025, so do we really expect the Dolphins to move on next March to avoid the guarantee of 2026 when doing so would result in a massive cap hit next season? The answer from where I sit is no. That’s why, as Spotrac suggested, the real first offseason where the Dolphins realistically could move on is 2027, not 2026 and certainly not next offseason.

From Thomas Hudson (via email):

Hi Alain, as always, thank you for the work you do. I guess as far as questions go, mine to you would be this: Do you think part of the problem the Dolphins have had the last couple seasons has simply been too much inexperience on the parts of Grier, McDaniel, and Tua? And is there hope that they will actually learn from their mistakes? I have tried to stay pretty positive about it, but if McDaniel and Tua can't figure out how to work OBJ and Washington into the offense, if the team keeps looking like the more unprepared team every week, or Tua lowers his head and tries to run over another safety, I might start doubting that optimism.

Hey Thomas, as politely and succinctly as I can put this, nope. Grier has been GM since 2016 (really with personnel authority since 2019), Tua has been in the NFL since 2020 and McDaniel has been a head coach since 2022 after being a coordinator. That is not applicable. And where was the inexperience an issue when the Dolphins made the playoffs the past two seasons. Sorry, not on board with this. Is there hope that things can turn around? Sure. There's always hope. But the Dolphins are quickly running out of time to make something of this 2024 season.