Thursday Dolphins Mailbag: Tua, Chop, Wilson, and More

Tackling more Miami Dolphins issues ahead of their Thanksgiving night game against Green Bay

Miami Dolphins linebacker Chop Robinson (44) reacts after attempting to recover a fumble against the New England Patriots during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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

From Jeff:

Hello Alain, for this week's game specifically, do you see OBJ, Jeff Wilson and/or Mostert getting more involved offensively? Thank you as always.

Hey Jeff, no, I don’t see a reason for the Dolphins to deviate from what worked so well the past three games. This means to me heavy work loads for De’Von Achane and Jonnu Smith, and maybe Jaylen Waddle has another big game and Tyreek Hill will get his targets as well. I don’t see any of the three guys you mentioned playing a big role, to be honest.

From Brandon Quinn:

We finally took care of business, early, against an inferior opponent. So I’m going to ask the 1 question I’ve asked repeatedly - is there a worse player in the NFL seeing significant snaps, than Julian Hill?

Bonus: Will the Jaylen Wright fan train finally slow down now? The guy is our #3 for a reason, and it shows. You’re the best, thanks.

Aww, thanks. Julian Hill is seeing significant snaps because he’s a good blocking tight end and, hate to break it to you, I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Yes, I do believe all the calls for Jaylen Wright getting more carries will slow down a bit because the results haven’t quite been there lately. But he’s still a promising prospect.

From Craig M:

What do the Dolphins have to do Thursday to end the narrative of cold games against good teams? I have NO doubt you will tackle this or have already in a column? Secondly, assuming they lose Thursday: Where does the season go? Have to win out basically?

Hey Craig, you are correct, I did address the issue of the cold weather narrative, specifically as it applies to Tua. You’re right about the issue of beating good teams, though, and this comes down to finishing and making the plays at the end — you know, like Kansas City does seemingly every week. If the Dolphins do lose at Green Bay, I would think it just might take running the table to get it done. The problem is Denver. The Dolphins will have the tiebreaker advantage if they finish in a two-way tie for the last playoff spot, but the Broncos’ next two games are at home against Cleveland and Indianapolis, and it’s tough to envision them losing either. That would mean they’d have to lose their final three games — at Chargers, at Cincinnati, vs. Kansas City — to finish no better than 9-8.

From Lloyd Heilbrunn:

It's hard to change your narratives in what's pretty much a scheduled loss. Is there a team in the NFL that would be favored going to Green Bay on a Thursday night in the winter?? It's a shame that GM malpractice on the backup QB position put them here needing to win.

Hey Lloyd, I think right now Detroit, Buffalo and maybe Kansas City all would be favored at Green Bay. But, yes, it’s a tough challenge and it’s definitely disappointing the Dolphins didn’t have a better backup plan in place at quarterback.

From Sal Cano:

How hard is the transition from CB to Safety? Dolfans issues with Poyer have been the dropped interception, PI, and TE coverage…. Needham surely could have done that with his experience in the slot, or am I missing something?

Hey Sal, I don’t recall Poyer missing out on many interceptions, but I don’t recall struggles in coverage. The Dolphins coaches, though, loves what he brings in terms of leadership and intangibles, including teammates lined up properly on the back end. As for Needham, you’re not the one fascinated with him, except he’s been on the practice squad for a reason. And rest assured it’s not some sort of personal vendetta that’s kept him on the practice squad.

From Dan Ford:

The Dolphin teams that wore the classic uniforms routinely hosted and won playoff games. What do you think about putting away the throwbacks until they win or at least host a playoff game?

Hey Dan, I’m sorry, but I can’t bring myself to caring very much about uniforms. Do know they’ll keep wearing the throwbacks regularly, though, because they want to keep fans interested not only in seeing the players wear them but more importantly seeing fans buy them.

From Larry Chapman:

How many points do we need to win with zero turnovers? Then, how many extra points are needed for 1 turnover?

Hey Larry, with Zach Sieler back in the lineup, I think the Dolphins would win with 27 points, which is what they scored in their losses against Arizona and Buffalo. And that’s even with one turnover on offense. Without a turnover, I think 24 might do it in this game.

From JPawl:

Do you feel there's going to be a dilemma once Chubb and Phillips are back? Chop is playing excellent ball. Chubb is older, with a big contract and might not be the same. Phillips is injury-prone to me, hasn't reached his potential and will probably want big $$. Your thoughts?

Hey John, these kind of things usually work themselves out, and we can start with the idea that there’s no guarantee that both Phillips and Chubb will be at peak efficiency when he returns. Given his age and his contract, I think Chubb is the most vulnerable because the Dolphins could save upward of $20 million cap space by making him a post-June 1 release next offseason. But on the flip side, there’s no such thing as having too many pass rushers.

From john barnett:

How long do you expect Walker to be out? Is Thursday a chance for a big Jeff Wilson inside zone game?

Hey John, l’d expect maybe a couple of weeks for Walker, which isn’t bad considering how things looked right after he got injured. As for Jeff Wilson, I see no reason to think he’ll even be active against the Packers because Mike McDaniel has been rolling with Achane, Mostert and Wright.

From Mark Lever:

What’s your prediction on how we play in the cold on Thanksgiving night in Green Bay? Tua stats?

As I indicated in my game preview, I actually see this Dolphins team being well equipped to play in the cold because they’re more diverse offensively. I’d project something like 265 passing yards for Tua with a couple of touchdowns. But, of course, don’t hold me to it and don’t be mad if I’m wrong.

From pug1982:

When was the last time the Dolphins beat a playoff team, on the road, in the cold?

I actually didn’t have to go back that far because it happened in the 2019 season finale when the Dolphins shocked the Patriots, 27-24, to deprive them of the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. That was the game won on a last-minute TD pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick to Mike Gesicki on a day when the kickoff temperature was 43 degrees.