Philbin will be put to the Test
If you have been following Miami Dolphins news this offseason you probably would have noticed that the Dolphins organization has had one of the busier free-agent periods compared to the rest of the league. The Dolphins shed a lot of players and contracts to start the new 2015 football season, and one of the common denominators in the players that were released or traded was that they were veterans. Not only does that mean that this team on average got significantly younger over the last couple of weeks, but it also means that this organization is expecting significant growth from their youngsters.
The Phins have a lot of young players on the roster that have limited NFL experience but have flashed potential. So with all these recent player cuts and trades, the organization is giving these players a subliminal message that they will be given a chance to prove their worth, and whether or not they can hack it on this team and in this league. This exodus of veterans from last year’s roster, also shows that Miami does have some faith in these youngsters because if they didn’t then they would not have let go so much production from the team.
Whether if you like Coach Philbin or not, you have to give him some credit for developing some of the younger and now more productive players on the team, such as Ryan Tannehill, Lamar Miller, Jarvis Landry, Olivier Vernon, Jelani Jenkins, Reshad Jones, Derrick Shelby, Ja’Wuan James, and Koa Misi. All of these players have blossomed into solid football players under Philbin’s watch. The question is can he do it with the plethora of other youngsters he now has on the roster.
There are a bunch of players on this roster with 3 years or less experience that will get their chance to play this season and prove that they can be everyday contributors to this team. The list includes Damien Williams, Arthur Lynch, Dion Sims, Billy Turner, Dion Jordan, Anthony Johnson, Chris McCain, Jordan Tripp, Walt Aikens, Jamar Taylor, Will Davis, Terrance Fede, and Michael Thomas. Those are just 13 of the more obvious names on the roster, and this does not include anyone that is drafted or added to the squad that went undrafted. So it is safe to say that there may roughly be around 20 young players on this roster that will receive a chance this upcoming season to reach or come close to achieving their inherent potential.
However it is a two-way street, the coaches need to put these players in the best possible position to help these players succeed. And the players need to realize that they are being given a priceless opportunity, and they need to have the extra determination and work ethic to make the most out of it. Each season a team receives production from unexpected players, and the Dolphins will not be any different next season. Which players of the above-mentioned group do the Miami Dolphins news and the pay per head review sites fans believe is in position to have a breakout season, or at least just be a productive starter for the team?
Damien Williams, Dion Sims, Anthony Johnson and Chris McCain seem like they are in position to have the greatest impact for the 2015 season. Sims being the most obvious, with the Clay departure the opportunity is his to lose or not take advantage of. I like his chances though. Damien Williams showed flashes last year, he can run in or outside of the tackle box, can catch and runs w/power and ability to break tackles. There has been no RB addition this off season, suggesting that this staff has confidence in Williams’ second season, and/or they will be adding a RB via the draft. Anthony Johnson has a chance to be regular part of the D-line rotation. AJ will, should learn a ton from Suh, and he may well be a undrafted gem in his second season. Chris McCain is a athletic freak, and has all the tools to have a productive career, which 2015 may be his coming out party. The question with McCain is not so much what he does, it is what will the staff do? Will or do they have the brass to play/start undrafted McCain over their #3 overall pick-Jordan? If they have the plan to do so, maybe they should look to move Jordan to get their third round pick back.
Honarable mention: Turner (he should have the chance to start at one guard position, either our O-lineman are not what we intended when drafted or this staff struggles to get them to adjusted to the NFL, stay tuned), Tripp (I may be optimistic or hopeful that someone steps up and grabs the middle linebacker position for the next several years, this is the year to step in though, as Suh will help keep the middle backer clean).
Yeah I am definitely excited by the potential of all the youth we have on the roster. If a few of these guys can make the next step next year, then this team can be in very good shape