Dolphins Saturday Mailbag: Tua, Jonah, Duck, and More

Part 1 of a Miami Dolphins On SI pre-minicamp weekend mailbag:

From Matt Thau:

Is it an indictment on Mike McD that he’s had Smith and Bevell all four years and still feels that he is the best person to call plays? His coaches should be very familiar with his scheme by now. Weaver has autonomy over defense. I wonder if focusing on the entire team would help him as a leader.

Hey Matt, I hear what you’re saying and there’s some merit to the idea that maybe Mike McDaniel would be better served as an overseer, but I don’t know that I’d go as far as calling it an indictment that he’s resisted doing that so far. And he shot down the idea of giving up play-calling duties whenever he’s been asked, so I’m not sure I’d expect a change anytime soon.

From SciGuy17:

Between Duck, Johnson, Bonner, which CB do you see as having best chance to get meaningful snaps? Duck had them last season, but Bonner and Johnson had enough potential to hang around all year. I like Johnson's size.

That’s a great question. Based on my practice observations (last summer and the two viewings this spring), I can’t help but feel that Johnson has the highest upside. But Duck is the one the coaches trusted to not only make the 53-man roster last year but also get meaningful snaps. So I’d give Duck a slight edge over Johnson right now.

From Tejeda:

Do you think the offense became more predictable last year?

Yes, it did feel a lot of times like the Dolphins were being very basic and almost eliminated the downfield passing game, and that was even after Tua Tagovailoa returned from his concussion.

From David Campbell:

Greetings Alain! I've probably been a fan longer than you've been covering Miami but you have more extensive knowledge of particulars. My question is I can't really remember any high-priced free agent/traded for player has ever been a true difference-maker for the team. Paul Warfield for sure; Tyreek, yeah, but an ulcer maker but no one else really stands out. Has Grier maybe learned a lesson about signing a talented but mercurial player like Ramsey? The Podcast are must see!!

First off, thanks Dave for the kind words on the podcasts (All Dolphins Podcast, Dolphins Collective). As for veterans making a difference after arriving as free agents or in trades, I’ll point to Hall of Famers Nick Buoniconti and Larry Little, both acquired via trade. But that obviously was a long, long time ago. As for your question related to Chris Grier and Jalen Ramsey, yeah, one would hope the Dolphins maybe will be careful to look into how a player seamlessly can fit in beyond simply the ability.

From Jeff:

Hello Alain, reading through your breakdown of the ESPN article and their commentary, I fully appreciate the argument that Miami doesn't have much leverage in the Ramsey situation. We have a player that doesn't want to be here and I think the more that we see the big picture (Seiler contract negotiations), then we can better understand how this went down. We know Ramsey has been frustrated with the culture in Miami since day one. This was mentioned by Omar on the (Dolphins Collective) podcast, referencing a team huddle speech after practice. I fully expect a 2026 pick in the 3-5 rounds range for Ramsey. He is a top 5 corner in the NFL and he has rare skills, even if he is only playing for ~2 more seasons. Miami probably tried to renegotiate terms to lower the cap and spread things around. The cap issue in 2026 in Miami is no joking matter. The issue of the culture collapse in 2024 is also rightfully infuriating. So here's my view: Grier has 2 very easy choices to make. Trade him without paying a large portion of the contract for a respectable pick to a team that understands the value (think the NFL equivalent of a minor league prospects trade with a draft pick added) or Ramsey can sit on the couch for a year and just not play. There is NOTHING that says the Dolphins must trade Ramsey. Would they like to? Yep. Would he like to play for a contender? Yep. There is a lot of salt being thrown in Miami's direction when we all know other teams can free up cap space. If Miami covers part of the contract in 2025, that is further leverage to justify a better pick for a top player.  What do you think about this method? I am sure it's been done before. All Grier needs to do is sit on his hands and wait until the trade deadline if it comes to that.

Hey Jeff, I get what you’re saying, but it’s not that simple. The reason the Dolphins would trade Ramsey is not related to his contract but rather because of a disconnect between player and coach or management. Trading him is addition by subtraction. He can’t be simply released because of cap considerations and his $21 million still guaranteed in 2025 makes him difficult to trade because, no, he’s probably no longer a top five cornerback in the NFL. I wrote a column Friday indicating the Dolphins shouldn’t rush into making a bad Ramsey trade, but they also can’t just make stay away from the team once training camp arrives if Ramsey wants to be there.

From Tony LaMarc:

Hi Alain, let’s say you needed to take a very important trip and I showed up to drive you. You look at my car, which appears slightly above average, and ask me if I’ve ever driven the route before. “Yes, I have,” I say. “Five times, in fact.”  “And did your car make it there?” you ask. “Once,” I reply. “It broke down the other four times along the way — sometimes more than once on the same trip.” Would you let me drive you?

Hey Tony, if I had invested a ton of money in that car and there wasn’t a full-proof more dependable option around at the moment, I think I maybe would want to see that car working. But maybe I wouldn’t have spent all that money on that car in the first place after four years when there was, you know, an option to keep it around for one more year.

From Craig M:

Alain, is there a team in the NFL that is questioned so much about what they do at backup QB than Miami? I get the need for a good backup(s) in Miami. I’d suggest that if backup is so important, maybe you don’t have QB1 right. Thoughts?

Hey Craig, no, there isn’t a team where the backup QB is discussed as much, but there also isn’t a team that’s got the kind of durability concerns with their starter that the Dolphins have. The topic of whether the Dolphins have QB1 right has been addressed ad nauseum, so no need to get into it right now.

From Lloyd Heilbrunn:

Do the Dolphins have the worst cornerback room in the league? And if they sign your choice of 2 of the veterans available, would they still have bottom 5 or bottom 10?

Hey Lloyd, if you remove Jalen Ramsey from the equation, the Dolphins probably would move toward the bottom of the league at cornerback because there’s just too much unproven talent there. If they lose Ramsey and sign, say, Rasul Douglas and Asante Samuel Jr. (assuming his neck checks out), then I think they probably get out of the bottom 10.

From Islandboi:

Good morning Alain!….. any update on Jonah’s contract-would hate for him to be sidelined during training camp, need this O-Line clicking by game 1?

Nothing new to report not only on Jonah Savaiinaea, but also on any of the second-round picks besides Jayden Higgins and Carson Schwesinger, who signed those fully guaranteed contracts a month ago. I’m still optimistic that something will give before the start of training camp, but can’t guarantee anything, either, because we’re in unchartered territory.

From Sal:

When we miss the playoffs this season, does the current regime get another year since it is cost-prohibitive to move on from the QB they’ve chosen to extend? If not, how difficult will it be to get a quality coach/GM since he’d be force-fed a QB for at least a season? Thanks.

Hey Sal, that’s an interesting question and I’ve said all along that a non-playoff season wouldn’t necessarily equate to a regime change because it would depend on the circumstances. On the issue of Tua, and his $54 million guaranteed for 2026, let’s remember the Denver Broncos carried more than that against their cap last season and still found a way to get into the playoffs. So maybe a new head coach who wanted to make a change at QB wouldn’t be kept from doing it — under your hypothetical, of course.

From Shaun Braley:

Will Sieler get a new contract this season? Bro has earned it.

Hey Shaun, as a team captain and the 2024 Dolphins MVP, I would think and hope that the organization sees Sieler as a foundational piece and would treat him as such. Having said that, I’ll continue to maintain that they shouldn’t simply give him whatever he wants in terms of contract. This is a long way of saying that I do expect a contract extension since Sieler has no guaranteed salary left after this season.

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