The Miami Dolphins have had a busy off-season so far, and with free-agents still on the market.
The Draft only 43 days away, Pay per head sites like Ace Per Head can bet that the Dolphins are far from finished with trying to upgrade the talent on their team. I would say that there are still 4 more positions that definitely need to be upgraded; Guard, Right Tackle, Linebacker and Running Back.
The Guard and Right Tackle positions are obvious since, the offensive line was a complete disaster and it will not be acceptable to phins fans if Tannehill is sacked another 58 times this year. The offensive line is deemed as one of the least glamorous, and noticed positions in football, however for the Dolphins this will be the key to if they will be successful next year on offense. Tannehill was often picking mud and grass from his helmet, and the running backs were getting hit before the line of scrimmage. Obviously Tannehill needs to have some better pocket presence and get rid of the ball faster, and the running backs need to do less dancing and more straight ahead downhill running, but if the phins can get improved play from their offensive line, I truly believe that will put more points on the board. The Dolphins have a very talented group of pass catchers, and don’t forget Brandon Gibson and Armon Binns should both be able to come back from their knee injuries, which will give Tannehill some added weapons on Offense. Also I know most of phins nation was disappointed with our two running backs; Miller and Thomas, but with some better play from the offensive line they would definitely have increased production. So Guard and Right Tackle should and will be addressed in the Draft, and the remaining part of free-agency.
The Dolphins had expressed interest in Knowshon Moreno, and have agreed to a one year deal with him. Personally I’m not sure if Moreno is the answer, but I do like the 1 year show me contract. Lamar Miller showed flashes, but was not consistent enough, and Thomas showed toughness in a few games, but again is not consistent. It is clear that Thomas would be the first back to be shown the door, since he has been in the league 3 years, and he was not drafted by this regime. Hickey is a strong believer in being able to find running backs in the draft, and he was involved in finding Doug Martin for the Tampa Bucs, so football gambling fans can bet on him drafting at least one running back in this upcoming draft.
Lastly the Dolphins need to find a play making linebacker. Last season the Dolphins spent big money to bring in Wheeler and Ellerbe, and got rid of Burnett and Dansby. This pretty much back-fired because the Wheeler/Ellerbe duo combined for 2.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 0 forced fumbles, whereas Burnett and Dansby combined for 9 sacks, 5 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles and 2 touchdowns. The problem is that the Dolphins have invested too much money in both of these players, so it appears we may be stuck with them for another year. However, this doesn’t mean they shouldn’t still address this position. One possibility is moving last years first round pick, Dion Jordan to outside linebacker. He actually showed some flashes last season, however, for whatever the reason the coaching staff barely played him. The coaching staff has also reiterated that they view Jordan more as a defensive end, but if there continues to be a lack of game breaking plays at the Linebacker position the coaching staff may want to give Jordan some reps at the position. Also there has been talk about moving Ellerbe to outside Linebacker. So again it seems like the team acknowledges that they need more production from this position, but seems to be waiting to address it in the draft. Also don’t forget that Hickey was involved in drafting star linebacker Lavonte David, who had 145 tackles, 10 passes defended, 5 interceptions, 7 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. (Another mid round hidden gem draft pick)
