Welcome to the time of year where smoke, mirrors and mock drafts wreck our timelines. Where free agency contract restructures and the draft look to improve teams for 2016-2017. Looking ahead the Miami Dolphins have quite a few holes to fill and quite a few young pieces to build around.

As the Miami Dolphins stand today they are losing two defensive ends, two wide receivers, two linebackers, two safeties, their backup quarterback and their starting running back. Of those players leaving, six of them were regular starters in 2015 for Miami. Add that to needing upgrades on the offensive line and cornerback, the Dolphins have quite a few pieces to find this offseason.

Luckily the Miami Dolphins have an excellent capologist in Dawn Aponte and an owner who is willing to eat dead money. Rumor has it they are looking to restructure Suh to open up around $20m in cap space.

The Dolphins could also restructure Cameron Wake, Brent Grimes and Branden Albert, giving them the ability to keep three starters and open cap space to add others. They could also cut a few players that didn't live up to the hype and gain space as well.

The first step to fixing the 2016 Miami Dolphins is to look at potential free agents. Defensive end, linebacker, cornerback, safety, running back, guard and backup quarterback are all positions of need for this team. The Dolphins could re-sign free agents Lamar Miller and Olivier Vernon to fill two of those holes. However, by doing so, both will likely command a high price tag.

Looking into free agency this year, we can see quite a few free agents at positions of need. Stephen Ross and company have shown the willingness to fish for and catch the big free agents. Josh Norman, Sean Smith, Janoris Jenkins, Reggie Nelson and Eric Weddle would all be huge defensive back upgrades. Danny Trevathan, Mason Foster and Jerrell Freeman would be upgrades at inside linebacker.

Offensively, the Miami Dolphins have a few options in free agency as well. Kelechi Osemele, Brandon Brooks and Alex Boone could all be an upgrade starting at guard. Doug Martin, Chris Ivory and Matt Forte are all replacements for Lamar Miller if they decide not to re-sign him.

The draft is also full of defensive talent that most believe could be immediate starters. At defensive back you have Jalen Ramsey, Vernon Hargreaves III, and Mackensie Alexander that lead the defensive back group. Reggie Ragland, Myles Jack and the injured Jaylon Smith are the top names at linebacker.

The draft also has some very good potential at pass rusher with Joey Bosa, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Shaq Lawson leading the way at defensive end.

​Running back would be the highest position of need with top ten talent in this NFL draft offensively. Ezekiel Elliot and Derrick Henry could be drafted in the first and fill a position of need. However the Miami Dolphins know it will be a process in which they need to find at least seven starters and then depth players.

Who should the Dolphins sign? Who should the Dolphins draft? Can they restructure and sign some of their own guys? Buckle up everyone enjoy your mock drafts big boards and fantasy free agent booking.

As the offseason progresses, I will be highlighting various parts of the team and showing what they could do to upgrade the team and who they could potentially look at to do so. 

Until next time, be awesome.

​This column was written by Stephen Moree. Follow him on Twitter: @awesomephinatic

At long last, it appears that quarterback Ryan Tannehill will finally have a coach who has his back rather than looking to stab him in the back, as offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen vowed in his introductory press conference that he would be Ryan Tannehill's ally.

“It’s a lonely position in this league,” Christensen said Thursday. “It’s lonely in the locker room, it’s lonely on the street. It’s hard to find friends. It’s kind of a unique position. So I always felt like the No. 1 job I have is to be an ally, to be a safe place where a guy can talk and communicate and have a relationship where you can bounce things off and generate ideas.”

That philosophy was one that was ignored by the previous regime, as several reports have recently come out stating that both Bill Lazor and former head coach Joe Philbin showed very little confidence in the Dolphins starting quarterback, and often took the game out of his hands by not giving him the freedom to audible, something just about every other starting QB in the NFL has.

In the little time he's spent with Tannehill, the long time Indianapolis Colts coach seems impressed with the intelligence and determination to be great exhibited from him.

“I visited with him and his wife [Lauren] when I came in for the interview and had a great breakfast with them,” Christensen said. “I’ve been extremely impressed with him. He’s been extremely productive and he’s played some awful long stretches of good football and seems to have all the things you’re looking for: a guy who wants to be good, who has it in perspective. I’m really looking forward to seeing him on the field a little bit.”

Since it's been stated numerous times now that it will be in fact head coach Adam Gase doing the playcalling for the offense, it will give Christensen the opportunity to work very closely with Tannehill, who worked with future Hall of Fame QB Peyton Manning for a long time in Indianapolis, which gives him something in common with Gase, as he coached Manning in Denver, and he will have a certain amount of input when it comes to the offense itself.

“The attraction to this job is I really enjoyed those years in Indy where we were aggressive, we were no-huddle, the players had fun,” Christensen said. “I would say this is the way I’d like to play. We did it an awful lot of years in Indy and it’s kind of fun. There’s always something new. … It’s wide open and you spread them out and you pop some runs in there. I like this style of play.”

Now it should be mentioned that Philbin, Lazor, and even Mike Sherman all stated that they wanted to run an up-tempo, aggressive offense, and so far that hasn't happened, so it will be interesting to see if Gase and Christensen together can find a way to come through on this promise.

Obviously, the first step is to get Ryan Tannehill acclimated to yet another new offense, and also fix the kinks that still exist in his game. Christensen has spent a long time working with the best of the best, and if he likes what he sees from Tannehill, there is still a slight glimmer of hope.

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

It would appear that the more things change, the more they stay the same. In a press conference that was conducted Thursday with the new coordinators of the Miami Dolphins, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph stated that he plans to keep the defense in a 4-3 structure.

“Yes. This defensive structure is 4-3." Joseph said when asked if he planned to keep the current structure. "When you come into a new job you don’t want to so call change the structure of the defense, so 4-3 is what they’ve been. That’s what we’ll go forward with.”

Since becoming the defensive coordinator, Joseph has already gotten into the film room and begun evaluating the things that the team did last season, and by the way he spoke, it appears he likes what he sees as far as potential is concerned.

“It’s early." he said. "We’ve watched probably half the season from last year and most of the pieces are in house. Obviously acquiring more pieces, it’s always important for your schematics. But in-house right now, we’ve got some pieces to work with. Obviously DE Cameron Wake and (DT Ndamukong) Suh and S Reshad Jones, that’s front line NFL starters.

”It's interesting that Joseph brings up Cameron Wake, as there's currently questions as to whether or not the Dolphins will even keep the veteran pass-rusher due to his salary and injury concerns. Perhaps Joseph will lobby to keep him as it seems he's excited to work with him.

Another player that Joseph showed a lot of interest in planning his defense around is Ndamukong Suh, who was signed last season to a huge contract that made him the highest-paid player on defense in NFL history.

“He’s obviously a dominant player in this league." said Joseph. "He’s an inside player so that’s always tough because offensively they can kind of double team him every play. So it’s tough for him watching the film. He’s requiring two or three blockers every play so sometimes it’s hard for him to kind of have an impact on the game.

"But obviously he’s a dominant guy. We can use his reputation to kind of help us on defense. But you know watching a guy, he’s big, he’s fast, he’s explosive but he’s requiring double teams every play. So for him to get off, it’s tough.”

Joseph stated that he had plans for the All-Pro defensive tackle to make more of an impact, but that he obviously couldn't share what they were. The fact that he plans to build the defense around the players he has is already a drastic improvement over just wanting players to fit a particular scheme, so there is reason to be optimistic.

Having a rookie defensive coordinator is naturally a cause for concern, but Joseph wants everyone to know that he feels he's ready, and has been for some time, even before he went to Cincinnati and got accustomed to the 4-3 defense.

"I had the chance to interview two years ago for coordinator jobs and it didn’t happen." Joseph said. "And in my mind that was probably a good thing. I was ready two years ago but leaving Houston, going to (Cincinnati), being a part of a new system, that’s always a good thing for a coach – going from a 3-4 to a 4-3 in Cincy, that’s important in your coaching background.”

Joseph appears to have a plan and is going through the process of evaluating the players at his disposal, so as the offseason progresses, we'll get a better idea of what we can expect from the defense in 2016.

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

Earlier this morning, it was reported by Alex Marvez of Fox Sports that the infamous capologist of the Miami Dolphins, Dawn Aponte, was leaving Miami to join rookie GM Bob Quinn to handle the finances of the Detroit Lions.

But not soon after that, Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post tweeted out that despite the reports coming out that Aponte was leaving the Dolphins to go to Detroit, it was in fact false and Aponte will be remaining with the Miami Dolphins.

Marvez has since backed off of his initial stance and has apologized to Dawn Aponte and the Miami Dolphins organization for his false report.

​Now here's the most fascinating part of this whole situation. Some of you might be wondering why anyone would care about the Dolphins bookkeeper, she doesn't really have any say when it comes to football decisions...but the truth is, she is actually one of the most polarizing figures in the entire front office.

Some fans love her and consider her one of the best in the business, and some fans absolutely despise her and were signing hallelujah when Marvez reported she was leaving. Those individuals have since ceased their singing and have switched to mourning.

Aponte is the team's chief contract negotiator and is essentially the right hand woman to Mike Tannenbaum, she oversees the day-to-day management of the football business and administration operations and she has a big hand in planning how to use the team's salary cap.

On top of that, she also acts as the team's representative when it comes to keeping up their relationship with the NFL and the other teams in the league.

Folks will cite the fact that the Dolphins have had enormous amounts of dead money due to the way she structures contracts, and that much is true. However, that's the price you pay when you sign players to unworthy contracts. She found a way to structure the contracts of Mike Wallace, Dannell Ellerbe and Philip Wheeler to minimize the damage cutting them would cause if it turned out they flopped. 

Which they did.

As much as Aponte does with the team, it isn't her call whether or not the team signs a player. Her job is to make it work, and to structure a contract in such a way that the player, agent, and the team are all happy. Having the third year escape hatch isn't as easy as one might think.

She is very highly respected in league circles from the top down, and she has been offered positions to work as an executive in the NFL's league office several times, only to decline them and remain in Miami. She has connections everywhere, and whether you believe it or not, she is one of the best things Miami has going for them in that front office.

You all can draw your own conclusions, but the reality of the situation is that Miami is very lucky to have Aponte in the building, and they're even luckier that she's decided to stay instead of leaving to go to Detroit.

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

It’s no secret that the Miami Dolphins have some salary cap issues as they head into the offseason. After landing the top free agent prizes each of the last two years in left tackle Branden Albert and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, and then re-signing quarterback Ryan Tannehill to a major contract extension, the Dolphins find themselves several million dollars over the projected 2016 salary cap.

The Dolphins currently have about $155 million in 2016 salary cap commitments. But the expected 2016 NFL salary cap is expected to be in the $150-152 million range, leaving the Dolphins with some work to do to pare down those numbers and create room for new players arriving via free agent signings and the draft.

And we all know the Dolphins need some help.

One area where the Dolphins could be making some adjustments is with Ndamukong Suh’s salary. Suh signed a gigantic 6-year, $114 million dollar contract last year, with $60 million guaranteed. The majority of that guaranteed money was designed to be paid in the first two years, with a $25.5 million signing bonus last year (pro-rated over 5 years for salary cap purposes) and a $23.5 million salary for the 2016 season. With his pro-rated signing bonus added in, Suh will count for $28.6 million against the 2016 cap.

That’s a lot of money for any player, let alone a defensive tackle, regardless whether he is among the top players at his position in the league. So the first place the Dolphins front office will look to whittle down their salary cap commitments is Suh’s salary. With some creative tweaking, which happens to be Dolphins cap specialist Dawn Aponte’s specialty, the team will look into restructuring Suh’s contract in a way that moves more of the salary into signing bonuses, and maneuvering his contract in a way that still pays Suh what he signed for, but potentially whittles his cap number down to the $10-12 million range.

That would free up $16-18 million. And just like that, the Dolphins would have about $15 million to play with in free agency and the draft.

Three other players that the Dolphins could approach are cornerback Brent Grimes, defensive end, Cameron Wake, and tight end Jordan Cameron, all who have highly-inflated salaries heading into 2016, and all have some age/performance/injury issues that would justify paring their 2016 salary cap numbers down, or possibly waiving them. Just restructuring those three salaries alone could potentially add another $8-10 million to the money pool.

Additional savings could also be realized with as many as eight other players having their contracts restructured, or possibly waiving the player outright. Keep in mind that waiving a player typically leaves ‘dead money’ counting against the salary cap, sometimes for several years after the fact.

But the first order of business is obviously Suh’s contract. Dolphins football czar Mike Tannenbaum realizes Suh’s contract needs looked at.

"That's certainly one of the levers we're going to take a close look at," said Tannenbaum. "We haven't made any decisions as it relates to strategic planning or salary cap, budget, things like that. We have designed, and I think Dawn [Aponte] has done a really good job when these contracts were constructed.

“By the time we get to the first day of the league year, we should have plenty of room to address the needs that we have, and certainly we'll be looking at Suh's contract."
​
This story was written by Eldon Jenson. Follow him on Twitter @EJFootball

It's gotten to the point where a lot of Dolphins fans seem to have forgotten that he even exists, but the Miami Dolphins front office has a big decision to make regarding the fate of former first round draft pick Dion Jordan.

Once considered one of the top pass-rushers coming out of the 2013 NFL draft, Jordan has had a long fall from grace and was suspended for the entire 2015 season because of a diluted sample, after being suspended four games back in 2014 for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances, and he was then suspended another four games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy because he was a repeat offender.

Jordan will not be eligible to be reinstated to the NFL until late April, which means the front office will have to prepare their offseason completely in the dark regarding the status of their former third overall pick, as the NFL rules strictly prohibit the organization from having any contact with suspended players.

As of right now, the Dolphins are in a position where they are going to be needing pass-rushers, as defensive ends Olivier Vernon and Derrick Shelby are both set to hit free agency, Quinton Coples is unlikely to be retained, and veteran Cameron Wake could become a cap casualty as his salary has him set to count for $9.8 million against the cap and his health is in question after he suffered a season-ending achilles injury.

With all this uncertainty lingering, the Dolphins front office hasn't made a very strong stance on what they plan to do with the former Oregon standout.

“We’re going to run a meritocracy," Mike Tannenbaum, the team's vice president of football operations said on Tuesday after practice at the Senior Bowl. "Once he’s reinstated, it is another opportunity for us to improve the team, but ultimately the best players will play.”

Jordan has only spent a short amount of time actually playing in his two NFL seasons, and in the time that he was, he was used primarily as a situational pass-rusher and a hybrid linebacker, sometimes finding himself playing in coverage which he excelled at as an outside linebacker in his Oregon days.

During his limited playing time, he's managed to only accumulate 46 tackles and 3 sacks over the course of his 26 games played, and he's already been paid over $14 million dollars in guaranteed money after the Dolphins swapped picks with the Oakland Raiders, trading the 12th and 42nd picks for their 3rd overall pick.

At the time, it seemed like a bargain for the Dolphins, as Jordan was drawing comparisons to Jason Taylor as a pass-rusher. But hindsight is always twenty-twenty.

Jordan is still owed $675,000 in guaranteed money, and he'll earn another $2,535,313 if he happens to play in 2016. Cutting him would only save the Dolphins $3,210,313 in cap space and would force them to add $2,992,064 to their dead money count.

If Jordan fails to get reinstated into the league or is suspended again, the Dolphins won't have to spend a dime on him.

“Everyone needs to prove something. We talked about building a competitive environment with guys who want to be a Miami Dolphin, guys who want to be here, guys who love the game and want to compete," GM Chris Grier said when asked about Jordan's future. "What happens, whether he gets re-instated or not, from that point we’ll make our decision once we see him and get him in the building.”

There's no questioning that Jordan has all the tools to be an elite defensive weapon. It was that potential that prompted the Dolphins to trade up to draft him back in 2013. What has come into question is his passion for the game of football, and if he doesn't show signs that he actually cares about what he's doing, he will no doubt soon find himself off the Dolphins squad, and possibly out of the league.

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

​On this week's episode of PhinManiacs Live, we begin going into the Dolphins roster and debating whether or not a certain player should be kept, restructured or cut.

Then later we have special guest Bill Zimmerman, the Executive Producer of Mad Dog Radio and Mad Dog Unleashed at Sirius XM and Editor/Featured Writer for the FanSided's BearGogglesOn.com to discuss the impact of Adam Gase from the perspective of someone who watches the Bears very closely.

All this and more on this week's PhinManiacs Live.

You can listen to the show via our YouTube channel below or you can download it for on the go listening via our SoundCloud.

The Miami Dolphins will host cheerleader auditions in Bogota, Colombia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Mexico City, Mexico and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Dolphins also will continue to host auditions in South Florida. The team will canvas Latin America in search of adding enthusiastic, charismatic and talented women to represent one of the most prestigious brands in the NFL. 

“Miami is the gateway to Latin America and the Miami Dolphins are a global brand. We are excited to combine the beauty we have in South Florida with the ladies we meet in Latin America in hopes of forming a truly international squad,” Miami Dolphins Senior Director of Entertainment & Brand Impact Dorie Grogan said.

One of the most visible entertainment groups in all of professional sports, the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders have traveled to more than 30 countries on five continents over the past decade and continue to be an iconic and international face of NFL Cheerleaders.

​The cheerleaders are on the sidelines for all home games and are extremely active in the community; visiting schools and hospitals, as well as charity and corporate events.

​Ladies at least 18 years old by May 1, 2016 and high school graduates by June 1, 2016 with a valid passport for travel are welcome to register for auditions. The following are the dates and locations for auditions:

Date                        Venue                                                                                                              Location

March 3                   JW Marriott Copacabana                                                                            Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

March 6                   Sheraton Buenos Aires Hotel y Centro de Convenciones                   Buenos Aires, Argentina

March 12                 Location to be announced                                                                          Mexico City, Mexico

April 2                       Four Points by Sheraton                                                                              Bogota, Colombia

April 23                     Doctors Hospital Training Facility                                                              South Florida

A select few ladies will make it to Final Auditions, scheduled for May 1 at Nova Southeastern University.

For further information or to register for auditions, please visit DolphinsCheerleaders.com

The Miami Dolphins released a statement today, highlighting that new head coach Adam Gase has rounded out his first ever coaching staff, and it features seven coaches that were previously in Miami while Joe Philbin was the head coach.

Darren Rizzi, who was the assistant head coach while Dan Campbell was in charge, will be retained as the special teams coordinator, which was his previous position. Rizzi has now been a member of the staffs of Tony Sparano and Joe Philbin, and now he's going to be with Adam Gase.

Lou Anarumo, who interviewed with the Jacksonville Jaguars for their opening at defensive coordinator, became the interim defensive coordinator for the Dolphins after Kevin Coyle was fired. He returns to the Dolphins to take back his job as the defensive backs coach under new DC Vance Joseph.

Also getting a chance to work under Joseph is defensive line coach Terrell Williams, who took over for Kacy Rodgers last season when he went to the Jets to become their defensive coordinator. There should be cause for concern with Williams, as the defensive line regressed from the previous year. Although, the line had begun it's regression back in 2014, so that may not be a fair assessment.

Ben Johnson, who was previously the assistant QB coach under Zac Taylor, will shift over to become the assistant wide receivers coach under newcomer Shawn Jefferson, who was hired this offseason to become the main WR coach.

Marwan Maalouf also returns as assistant special teams coach, his fourth season in that role under Darren Rizzi.

Charlie Bullen, who has been working with the Dolphins as the assistant defensive line coach the past four seasons, will be moving on to be the assistant coach for the linebacker corps.

The Dolphins also promoted strength and conditioning coach Dave Puloka to the head position, after spending the previous eight seasons as an assistant.

Ken O'Keefe, who spent the past five years as the wide receivers coach for the Dolphins, will be moving into the front office as the senior football research analyst. Blue Adams, who has been working as the assistant DB coach, will be working under him as a football research analyst.

It should be noted that even though several members of the previous Dolphins coaching staff is staying with the organization in some capacity, it isn't for no reason. Many of these coaches are highly regarded in league circles, particularly Rizzi and Anarumo.

Adam Gase released an official statement earlier today after the announcement was officially made by the Miami Dolphins organization.

"I am exited about this group of talented and experienced coaches," said Gase. "I have high regard for their collective experience, knowledge and passion for the game. We will tirelessly work together to build schemes around our players' strengths and are looking forward to getting to work and preparing for the upcoming offseason program."

There are still a few assistants that need to be brought on, including on the defensive line as Jim Washburn will not be joining the Dolphins coaching staff as previously thought. So far the staff seems to show a lot of promise, but, the best thing we can do is wait and see.

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

Funny thing about the Pro Bowl. As time has passed, the accolade that is being a "Pro Bowl player" has lost its weight. In today's day and age, being a Pro Bowl player doesn't necessarily mean you're the best player, it simply means you're the most popular player.

Dolphins safety Reshad Jones knew this all along, and was punished for not being popular enough as he was snubbed from the Pro Bowl while center Mike Pouncey got the nod.

But now, Pouncey won't be going alone, as players began to drop off of the Pro Bowl roster due to the playoffs or because they simply didn't want to participate. Now, Pouncey will be joined by four other teammates who made it as alternates: left tackle Branden Albert, wide receiver Jarvis Landry, cornerback Brent Grimes, and of course Reshad Jones.

Initially, Jones said he wouldn't play if he was chosen to do so as an alternate, but after some time to cool off, he changed his mind and said he would. Now he'll get that chance to go to Honolulu and play in the game that at one point was a celebration of the best of the best.

​In the case of Grimes, Pouncey and Albert, the argument can easily be made that none of those players deserve to be going, and the only other player truly worthy of a nod - Ndamukong Suh - has remained overlooked.

Players are not obligated to attend the Pro Bowl. If you recall last season, before his "emergence" in 2015, Andy Dalton was given the privilege of going to the Pro Bowl even though Ryan Tannehill's numbers were better all across the board except for one stat: wins.

Brent Grimes - while still the best corner in Miami's secondary - was nowhere near the player who made the previous two Pro Bowls, although that can be attributed at least in part to the overall failure of the defense and the need to compensate by removing safety help.

For Grimes, this is the fourth Pro Bowl of his career, and he's been voted to be on the roster each year he's been a member of the Miami Dolphins.

Branden Albert has been selected to be in his second career Pro Bowl, his first one was during his time with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013.

Both Jarvis Landry and Reshad Jones are making the first Pro Bowls of their careers, and there's no doubt that as years pass, they both will make many more in their careers.

Whether you believe they're deserving of the honor or not, it does mean a little something that five Dolphins players are heading to Honolulu even though the team went 6-10. Maybe there's more talent on the team than people realize, but it's going to be up to Adam Gase and his coaching staff to get the most out of it, hopefully with schemes fitting the players themselves.

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

Under normal circumstances, the title would say that the walkabout was hosted in Sun Life Stadium rather than near it, but due to the renovations currently being done to the stadium, a change of plans was required.

Luckily, the change of venue didn't stop the Dan Marino Foundation from putting together and organizing the incredibly impressive event that was the sixth annual Autism Walkabout and Expo in the Lot 17 parking lot next to the stadium.

"As far as I'm concerned, this is a great event, I enjoy doing it." said Hall of Famer and former Dolphins QB Dan Marino. "It's the help of a lot of people, volunteers, everybody that's involved, I wanna thank them."

One of those people who were involved was former Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland, who Marino credited for originally giving him the idea six years ago, and Ireland - along with his family - have been in attendance every year the walkabout has taken place, even after his departure from the Miami Dolphins front office.

"As a family that has been affected with kids with special needs and autism, it means the world to us," said Ireland, who has two autistic daughters. "We're extremely passionate about helping other families that are affected with autism or disabilities. It's a great honor to be asked back here."

Once the opening ceremonies were completed, with all of the sponsors getting a shout out and several people who were touched by the event - including some prominent Florida politicians - getting a chance to speak, Marino cut the cermonial tape and the walkabout officially begun.

Children, teens and adults from different corporations, schools and all walks of life lined up as far as the eye could see and walked around the parking lot as bands played and food trucks lined up to feed the hungry participants. There were rides to be enjoyed, obstacle courses and even a truck for the kids who didn't feel like expending too much energy and just wanted to play some videogames.

But of course, the goal of the event was to raise money and to teach those who were participating about autism and what it;s all about, which is why there were several booths set up that showed ways autism could be dealt with. One of those booths was called The Behavior Station, whose goal was to disseminate the science of behavior analysis and has been a part of the walk for two years.

"The Behavior Station is a resource that's primarily online and we also like to participate in the community like at the Dan Marino walk," said Tiffany Kilby, who is a board certified behavior analyst as well as the Founder of the Behavior Station. "It (behavior analysis) is currently the only scientifically validated intervention for people with autism. So since I have family members with autism, it really hits close to my heart, and so that's how this all started."

And the Behavior Station was just one of several different vendors that was out there teaching about autism and how to deal with it. Along with them, the various activities, the bands supplying the music and the veritable army of Dolphins alumni and current players signing autographs, the event managed to raise over $500,000 dollars for the cause, and it all stays in South Florida.

Half a million. Not a bad day's work.

Autism is a very real issue in today's society, and it's up to people like us to follow the lead of a man who was not only a leader on the field, but also off it in Dan Marino. We can walk, we can donate money, but we need to take a much more active role if we are to make a difference in not only South Florida, but the world as well.

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

Do you remember the movie Groundhogs Day? For those of you that haven’t seen it, the plot goes Bill Murray wakes up and it is the same day on repeat. When I heard who the defensive coordinator was I felt like Bill Murray. The head coach is a QB guru from the NFC North with zero HC experience, and the defensive coordinator is a DBs coach from Cincinnati with zero DC experience.

​I truly am not being critical just making observations. Hopefully the Dolphins end up like Bill Murray and we wake up tomorrow to a new bright different day, sorry that was a spoiler. 

The good news about the Joseph hire is he comes from the same defensive scheme. This means the defense doesn’t have to learn a completely new style of defense. The coaches can develop talent instead of having to overhaul and implement new language, plays and schemes. 

The bad news about the Joseph hire is he comes from the same defensive scheme. The Dolphins were in the bottom half of every category on defense. Another issue is Joseph had a much more talented team in Cincy to work with.  Draft position isn’t everything but the Bengals had 5 first round picks in the secondary to work with.

Usually it is easier to coach first round picks, most of the time first round picks are better athletes, or have fewer flaws. First round picks also have a more opportunity to learn and get more chances when they do screw up.

The Dolphins have zero first round picks in the secondary; in fact besides Suh, Coples and Dion Jordan the Dolphins have zero first round picks on defense. Again first round picks do not guarantee anything go ask Coples and Jordan. I am just making an observation. 

Joseph comes from the Marvin Lewis defensive tree of coaching just like Kevin Coyle. Joseph’s DBs play similar schemes which include rotating safeties. His corners first responsibility is not getting beat deep, which means a lot of times the corner gives the WR cushion. Just like in Coyle’s system both safeties are used to blitz as well as play centerfield deep safety.  

On this week's episode of PhinManiacs Live, the crew discusses the newest members of the Dolphins coaching staff, as well as bringing up some prospects that might have a bigger impact than others.

Also on the block for this week are the recent reports surrounding quarterback Ryan Tannehill, and as usual, there will more than likely be some heated discussion regarding the Dolphins starting QB.

All this and more on PhinManiacs LIVE.

You can listen to the show below or you can download the show from our SoundCloud.

Analysts:

Luis Sung - @FLSportDebater
Chad Ronnebaum - @Gofins4SB
Ian Wharton - @NFLFilmStudy
Max Himmelrich - @thedeependmiami
Keith Beebe - @kmb8488

In 2015, the Miami Dolphins had problems with their line play on both sides of the trenches. This week they made a move to address both of those issues, hiring the father/son duo of Jim and Jeremiah Washburn as assistants.

Jim Washburn will work as a senior defensive assistant working with the defensive line, while Jeremiah will assist in coaching the offensive unit, a noted sore spot in the Dolphins offensive woes this season. 

The elder Washburn has 40 years of coaching experience, having begun his career as a graduate assistant at Southern Methodist University in 1976. He’s coached defensive lines in the NFL since 1999, spending 12 years with the Tennessee Titans under Jeff Fisher, then two years with the Philadelphia Eagles before moving to the Detroit Lions for the past three years. 

Although listed as the defensive line coach for Detroit last season, Washburn sat out most of the season with health issues. Miami was reportedly interested in hiring Washburn last year, but the move was blocked by the Lions.

Jim Washburn doesn’t come to Miami without criticism. In Philadelphia, his old school aggressive style wore thin with players, and head coach Andy Reid let him go late in the 2012 season, where one player claims it was the low point of his career to play for Washburn. 

However, that old school aggressiveness may well be what the Dolphins need, as the defensive line, considered by many to be one of the best in the NFL heading into the 2015 season, finished as one of the worst run defenses in the league. Washburn will hold the title of senior defensive assistant, and Miami will look to the man who spent two years coaching Ndamukong Suh in Detroit to help improve line play heading into 2016.

Jeremiah Washburn began his career as a scout for the Carolina Panthers, then served in the same role for the Baltimore Ravens organization, where he spent six seasons before being hired as an assistant offensive line coach for the Lions in 2009. He has spent the past three seasons as the offensive line coach, and the former college center has received high praise from Lions coach Jim Caldwell for his intelligence and coaching abilities. 

But on closer inspection this hiring doesn’t come without serious questions. Washburn was fired from Detroit in October during a front office shake-up. At the time, his offensive line unit was ranked as the worst in the league by Pro Football Focus (32nd pass blocking, 27th run blocking, with the 6th most penalties as a group). Dolphins fans will have to hope that Washburn learns well under new offensive line coach Chris Foerster.

This story was written by Eldon Jenson. Follow him on Twitter @EJFootball

On Saturday, January 23rd, 2016 from 8am to noon the south Florida autism community will join Dan Marino and the Marino Family at Sun Life Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins for the 6th Annual Dan Marino Foundation WalkAbout Autism & Expo, brought to you by Walgreens, presented by Badia Spices.

Last year this marquee event gathered over 20,000 supporters who participated to help raised autism acceptance and much-needed funds in support of local programs for children and young adults living with autism. 

Now in its six year, the DMF WalkAbout Autism & Expo has raised more than $2.6 million through the generous support of participants, donors, school, corporate and non-profit teams and corporate sponsors. Those corporate sponsors include, Walgreens, Badia Spices, the Miami Dolphins, Sun Life Stadium, Centerplate, Publix Super Markets, South Florida Ford, Greenspoon Marder Law, Chase, Panera Bread, Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza, Nova Southeastern University and Everglades Holiday Park to name a few. As well as our media partners Comcast, Clear Channel Outdoor, iHeartMedia, and Lifestyle Magazine. All proceeds raised stay in the South Florida Community.

The DMF WalkAbout Autism & Expo kicks-off with a family friendly festival-infused atmosphere, followed by a walk led by members of the autism community who gather to promote awareness for this worthy cause. After the walk participants will experience the resource Expo with more than thirty exhibitors and vendors, musical entertainment from local school bands, as well as DJ 1Tre. 

Our participants will have the opportunity to meet Miami Dolphins players, Alumni, and Cheerleaders. Kids will enjoy the children’s corner which will be well equipped with Dolphins Football Fun Skills Course, fun rides, games and give-a-ways from Walgreens. The Publix Hospitality Village will offer delicious food and beverage sampling compliments of Badia Spices, PepsiCo, CenterPlate and The Produce Connection.

“We are really looking forward to the 6th year of The Dan Marino Foundation’s WalkAbout Autism,” said, Dan Marino, Chairman of The Dan Marino Foundation. “This event brings together the autism community for a day of celebration. And the funds raised from the event are important to advancing the Foundation’s work, supporting innovative programs that provide pathways to independence for children, teens and young adults with Autism, emphasizing their differing abilities, not disabilities.”

All proceeds raised through this event stay in our local community and benefit The Dan Marino Foundation, Marino Campus as well as, participating Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties Schools, and non-profit autism service providers. Last year our Top Three Fundraising School Teams included Cypress Bay High School, Baudhuin Pre-School PTO, and Blue Lake K-8.

For more information, please visit dmfwalkaboutautism.org.

No doubt you'll be seeing more and more of these articles coming from various different media outlets, but seeing as this is the slow time of the offseason, I have no shame in posting this.

Obviously, the Miami Dolphins have needs in all three phases of the game. They need help on offense, defense and special teams, but as always, there are some needs ranked higher than others. Here are the three that - in my mind - rank above all the others.
​​

I've said numerous times over the past few months that the biggest need on the Miami Dolphins roster is the linebacker position. It's a mess from the starters to the backups, and there are really only two - maybe three - who we can look at now and say they're worth keeping around.

Aside from Jelani Jenkins and Koa Misi, no one else - with the possible exception of Neville Hewitt - are really worth getting a look as a starter. Mike Hull and Zach Vigil, while still young, have issues in their game and may need significant time to improve.

Kelvin Sheppard, who started at middle linebacker for the Dolphins this season, got 105 tackles in 2015. Box score watchers would look at that number and think he did an amazing job. But let's not forget that Philip Wheeler had tons of tackles at linebacker while he was a Dolphin, and he was absolutely awful in coverage.

Truth be told, I think I would've preferred Wheeler, at least he had some speed going for him.

There are a lot of teams in the NFL that would've hesitated to have Sheppard playing backup, and for the Dolphins he was a starter. That is a huge problem. The fact that there was no one who could unseat Sheppard as the starter is an even bigger problem.

As of right now, the weakest unit on the Dolphins is their linebacker corps. Yes, even weaker than the offensive line, because at least with Pouncey and Albert there, the offensive line does have some players that can get the job done. There is no such player in the core of the defense.

The linebacker corps is the core of the defense, they directly influence all aspects of the defense. Depending on their given assignments, linebackers can cover, blitz, spy the QB, keep running backs contained, and so you need players in the linebacker corps who can do at least the majority of these things.

Right now, no one other than possibly Jenkins is capable of this. If Miami wants their defense to function again, they must address the linebacker position, and they need to make sure there's no question that the man/men they get can get the job done.

For the record, I recommend Myles Jack out of UCLA.

Clearly there's some problems in the Miami Dolphins secondary. Brent Grimes is getting older, his counterpart is getting louder, and yet he's still the best corner the team has by far. Miami has been struggling to find someone reliable to put next to Brent Grimes in the secondary ever since he arrived in 2013.

The Dolphins tried with Dimitri Patterson, they tried with Nolan Carroll, they tried with Cortland Finnegan, and this past year they tried with Jamar Taylor and Brice McCain.

None of them have been able to lock down the second corner spot.

​So now it begs the question: who will the Dolphins attempt to put next to Grimes this next season? Or a better question still: will they keep Grimes at all?

The Dolphins will need to tighten their belts as Ndamukong Suh and Ryan Tannehill are set to take up a large chunk of the 2016 salary cap, and Grimes - who is aging and appeared to lose a step this past season - is set to count for $9.5 million against the cap.

If Miami decides to cut Grimes before June 1st, they'll save $6.5 million and gain $3 million in dead money. If Miami cuts Grimes after June 1st, they'll save $8 million and have only $1.5 million in dead money. Currently, according to Overthecap, the Dolphins currently have $4,156,259 in dead money.

It's better economically and strategically speaking if the Dolphins keep Grimes for one more season, even though Dolphins fans want him out because of how Miko keeps drawing attention to the Dolphins for all the wrong reasons. Right now, there is no one on the team who is good enough to start at corner other than Grimes, and there are only so many draft picks available.

Unless Miami can find a starting caliber corner in the second round, I feel that their best bet would be to retain Grimes for one more year, find an elite linebacker with their first-round pick in 2016, and then address the CB spot in 2017, when they can safely move on from Grimes with only $1.5 million in dead money and $7 million in cap savings.

Hopefully by that time, either/both Bobby McCain and Tony Lippett will have developed to the point where they can be solid corners, and then their 2017 draft pick will be a stud corner who will have solid depth behind him and an elite linebacker to finally round out the defense.

Year after year, the offensive line is the unit that Miami has to fix. Protect Ryan Tannehill, find a way to give him time to throw. Whether you think it's the line itself or Tannehill's lack of ability to improvise in the pocket, it's basically unanimous among fans and analysts alike that the offensive line is just not cutting it and it needs to be better.

Left tackle is still set to go if Miami decides to keep Branden Albert, center is locked down with Mike Pouncey and Ja'Wuan James - while not spectacular - is a solid option starting at right tackle.

The only issues are the guard spots, which have been struggling mightily for years now. Richie Incognito was a pretty good player at left guard, but the BullyGate scandal chased him out, and since then they've been trying to find a viable replacement...usually in the form of Dallas Thomas.

Starting in the 2016 season, the confusion surrounding the guard position needs to end. Miami needs to find a guard who can firmly lock down the guard position on either the right or the left. The man who'll be doing the drafting for the Dolphins - Mike Tannenbaum - has had success in drafting offensive linemen, so there is some hope in that regard.

I could continue to state the obvious, but I feel it would be a waste of everyone's valuable time. We've all heard this exact same story over the past two offseasons, and it still unfortunately has relevance. Next offseason, the offensive line needs to not be a need unless it's because it needs depth. Fix the starting lineup, then get depth.

This column was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

Dolphins head coach Adam Gase continues to fill in the slots on his staff, as Clyde Christensen will leave the Indianapolis Colts to become the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins after 14 seasons with the Colts.

Christensen, 59, was formerly the QB coach for the Colts from 2012 to 2015. He worked with Andrew Luck from his rookie season on, and he managed to help make an offense run that had Matt Hasselbeck, Charlie Whitehurst and even Josh Freeman, who had been cut by the Dolphins after the preseason.

He was also formerly the offensive coordinator from the Colts from 2010 to 2011.

In 2010, Christensen led a unit which totaled over 5,000 net yards for the 13th consecutive season and over 400 points for the 10th time in 12 seasons.

in 2011,  he oversaw an offense that gained 1,594 rushing yards, which was the most by any Colts unit since 2007, and they averaged 4.17 yards a carry, which was the most for any Colts team dating back to 2004.

Christensen was also tasked with working on three different starting quarterbacks in Kerry Collins, Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky as a season-ending neck injury to Peyton Manning forced their hand, and he helped Painter and Orlovsky turn in career-high performances.

Before that, he was the wide receivers coach for the Colts from 2002 to 2009, and in 2007 he was also named the assistant head coach on top of his wide receiver coaching duties.

He was able to help develop two future Hall of Famers in Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne during that time. Harrison and Wayne currently rank first and second all-time in Colts history in several different receiving categories, including receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns and 100-yard receiving games.

In the case of Harrison, he broke franchise records for receptions (143 in 2002), most games with at least 10 receptions (six in 2002), receiving yards (1,722 in 2002), 100-yard receiving games (10 in 2002) and touchdown receptions (15 in 2004). All while under Christensen's watch.

It's clear that Christensen has lots of NFL coaching experience, and on two separate occasions now, he's had to deal with not having a true starting quarterback and having to work with a committee of them.

At this point, it's unknown what Christensen's role will be with the Dolphins, as Adam Gase has stated that he will be calling the plays for the Dolphins for at least the first season, but he also said he would be willing to hand over that duty if he finds the right guy.

“I really enjoy it,” Gase said in his introductory press conference. “I really enjoy that aspect of putting the game plan together with the offensive staff. So going into this season, that’s how we are going to start, with me calling them. And then as soon as we can shake through putting a staff together, talking to guys here, if I end up finding the right offensive coordinator that eventually I feel like I could turn the play calling over, then that’s the direction we’ll head.”

Whether or not Gase feels Christensen is that right offensive coordinator or not remains to be seen, but what we do know is that Christensen has experience and has been successful. Now he'll get a chance to show that he wasn't simply riding the coattails of Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck.

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

New Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase hit the ground running this week, adding five new coaches to his staff by Tuesday evening, while releasing Dan Campbell from his contract.

Campbell will join Sean Payton in New Orleans.

Gase, arguably the most sought-after coach this offseason, was interviewed for the coaching vacancies in Philadelphia, Cleveland, and New York before choosing to come to Miami and coach the Dolphins. It’s important to note that while Gase was a hot name, desired by many as an innovative offensive mind, he chose Miami over other offers. At the outset, this is a win-win situation for the Dolphins.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross had Gase pinpointed as his choice for head coach from the start, and told Greg Likens from Finsiders, “(Gase is) very passionate, great energy, high intelligence (and) his peers have great respect for him.”

Ross continued, “I think in Adam Gase we have found that person that will lead us to many, many Super Bowls in the future,” adding the caveat, “I am not predicting this year. It will take time and so there is no big prediction here.”

Just who are these other five new guys that Gase is adding to his staff?

Let’s start with Vance Joseph, the Dolphins new defensive coordinator. Joseph comes to Miami from the Cincinnati Bengals, where he has spent the past two years coaching defensive backs for the Bengals. Prior to Cincinnati, he had seven years of experience coaching defensive backfields in San Francisco and Houston. Gase and Joseph worked together in San Francisco.

The high-energy Joseph was a hot name as an up-and-coming coach last season, as the Denver Broncos wanted to hire him as their defensive coordinator, but were blocked from doing so by the Bengals. He was also Hue Jackson’s choice for defensive coordinator if Jackson were to land a head coaching job as expected. So for Adam Gase to convince Joseph to come to Miami is no small feat. 

Joseph will bring Matt Burke with him to coach the linebackers, a position he’s held for the past seven years with the Bengals and Detroit Lions, where he served under Jim Schwartz. While with the Lions, their defense ranked sixth against the run in 2013, and Burke is credited with the development of linebackers Stephen Tulloch and DeAndre Levy, the two top tacklers for the team.

Burke was a safety at Dartmouth in 1996 on a team that went undefeated in winning an Ivy League championship.

Chris Foerster has been hired as the Dolphins new offensive line coach. Foerster is by far the most experienced hire so far, having spent last season with San Francisco, and the previous five seasons coaching in Washington.

Foerster was a front runner to land the offensive line coaching job for the Indianapolis Colts, but the Colts still had one of their two line coaches under contract, and Foerster opted to join Miami instead. He brings more than 34 years of offensive line coaching experience, including coaching in the NFL since 1993.

Foerster is actually returning to Miami after having been the offensive coordinator for the Dolphins in 2004. Fans will remember this as a disastrous season, when running back Ricky Williams quit, leaving the team without a viable running game. Coach Dave Wannstedt resigned in the middle of the season and the Dolphins finished 4-12 that season, and the entire staff was fired the next year to make room for yet another disastrous regime under Nick Saban. So while Foerster’s former stint with Miami wasn’t sparkling by any means, he does bring a well-deserved reputation as one of the better offensive line coaches in the league.

One of the least recognizable names on Gase’s list of new hires is tight ends coach Shane Day. Day got his start with the San Francisco 49ers in 2007 under Mike Martz, where he served as the quality control coach. He oversaw the quarterbacks in 2007, running backs in 2008, and offensive line in 2009. Martz then took Day with him to Chicago where he served as the quarterbacks coach for two years.

Day then took a job with the University of Connecticut as their quarterbacks coach for two years, including a successful stint calling plays for part of the 2013 season. He then spent the past two seasons in Washington working as an assistant offensive line coach.

Finally, we have the new wide receivers coach, Shawn Jefferson, whom many will remember as a great receiver for the San Diego Chargers. Diehard Dolphins fans will remember Jefferson as the victim of a vicious hit by Miami linebacker Zach Thomas in Thomas’s first game. Jefferson, then playing for the New England Patriots, was knocked out cold, and left the field on a stretcher and spent the night in the hospital.

He recovered from the resulting concussion and neck injuries, and returned to finish a 13-year playing career in the NFL.

Jefferson has spent the past three seasons as wide receivers coach for the Tennessee Titans. He spent the previous eight years as the receivers coach for the Detroit Lions, working with All Pro Calvin Johnson during his tenure there.

Although lacking in name recognition to the average fan, Matthew Cannata from thephinsider.com reports that Joseph, Jefferson, and Foerster all had options to take positions elsewhere, but chose to join Adam Gase in Miami.

All in all, not a bad start for the new Miami Dolphins head coach, with many more hirings to come in the next few days.

Now about those Super Bowls, Mr. Ross…

This story was written by Eldon Jenson. Follow him on Twitter @EJFootball

After a few days of confusion as to whether or not he would sign with Miami or follow Hue Jackson wherever he goes, it's finally official that Cincinnati Bengals secondary coach Vance Joseph will come to Miami and join head coach Adam Gase's coaching staff as the defensive coordinator.

Joseph, 43, has never been a defensive coordinator in the NFL, though he has been a secondary coach for several college teams, as well as for the San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, and finally the Cincinnati Bengals.

Former Dolphins defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle was the Bengals secondary coach before coming to Miami to take over as the DC.

​Naturally, Dolphins will make that comparison to Coyle, but what can't be overlooked is the fact that Joseph has been coveted around the league and is a highly-respected defensive mind. In fact, the Denver Broncos wanted to interview Joseph to be their defensive coordinator last season. The Bengals blocked that interview.

"My boss and owner sees him as a star," said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis on NFL Insiders before the beginning of the 2015 season, "And a guy that, as I told Vance, he could be sitting in my chair very quickly."

Lewis then added, laughing: "It could be next year."

It turns out, Lewis was speaking prophecy. 

Joseph will bring some familiraity with him to the Dolphins defense, as he too runs a 4-3 and will allow the Dolphins star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to remain where he's most comfortable, although he does have eight years of experience with a 3-4 defense, so he could bring some new looks to the Dolphins defense. Now Joseph's challenge will be to try and get the best out of the players around Suh so the defense can rise back to its former glory.

Also added to the Dolphins coaching staff is Bengals linebacker coach Matt Burke, who was brought up and groomed through the tutelage of Jim Schwartz. Before joining the Bengals in 2014, Burke worked under Schwartz while he was the defensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans, and then he followed Schwartz when he became the head coach of the Detroit Lions. 

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

​On this week's episode of PhinManiacs Live, we discuss what the Miami Dolphins future could potentially be like with head coach Adam Gase leading the way.

At 8:30, we'll have former Miami Dolphins tight end Randy McMichael joining us to give his opinion on the hire, as well as answering other questions.

If you wish to call in, do so by calling 1-954-376-5704, or you can tweet the show via our Twitter account: @PhinManiacs

Join us tonight!

The Miami Dolphins have a long offseason ahead of them, and it appears that new head coach Adam Gase has already begun evaluating the roster and making decisions, as veteran offensive tackle Jason Fox was officially cut on Tuesday.

It was stated in his introductory press conference that Adam Gase would have control over the final 53-man roster, and it seems that Gase was unimpressed with Fox's play as the primary backup tackle.

At least Gase clearly knows how to watch film.

Over the past two seasons, Fox played in 24 games, starting 13 of them. He started 11 of them at right tackle and 2 at left tackle. In his six year career, Fox has played 37 career games with 16 of them being starts. He was a fourth-round pick of the Detroit Lions back in 2010.

Fox had one year left on his contract, and cutting him saves the Dolphins $1.38 million dollars in cap space, and adds $138,000 to the team's dead money.

Needless to say, this is only the first move of many more that will be soon to come as Gase removes players who would cost too much against the 2016 cap and players who simply didn't live up to their contracts. As time goes on, we will see many more moves be made.

​This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater

With Adam Gase being the first head coach being hired in the 2016 NFL head coaching search, it gives him a head start on everything from hiring a good staff, to evaluating his own roster, to adjusting to life as the head man, and even to just moving and living in a new area. 

When Gase starts to evaluate this Miami Dolphins roster, he will soon come to find out that there are some major holes on this roster, assuming he doesn't already know them. After his evaluation, he will certainly come to find out that he and Tannebaum and Co. will need to address the offensive line among many other issues this offseason in order to be successful this year

The first issue that needs to be fixed though, is the offensive line. While they have three solid guys to work with, with Branden Albert at left tackle, Mike Pouncy at center, and Ja'Wuan James at right tackle, what they don't have are capable starting guards and a couple of solid backups to come in and take over if/when injuries do happen.

That was evident this year when all three of those aforementioned players were hit with injury at some point during the year and guys like Jason Fox and rookie Jamil Douglas had to take over and play. 

While it was good to get rookie Douglas' feet wet with some playing time, it was quite clear that he still needs a year of development to be even considered an option for a starting guard. It is even more clear that Dallas Thomas and Billy Turner need to be replaced as starters.

Granted they would be serviceable backups, they proved this year that they aren't capable of being every down starters in the NFL. ProFootballFocus proves this notion as both Thomas and Turner were ranked in the bottom 10 ranked offensive guards for the 2015 season.

So here are some options through the draft and free agency that the Dolphins might look at to fill these holes in their roster. First we'll look at some impending free agents, and then we'll look to the draft.
​

Alex Boone is projected to be the top available offensive guard in this year's free agent class. He will be looking to get a fresh start somewhere else after enduring two pretty terrible years with the 49ers the past couple of years. At 28-years-old, Boone still has plenty of good football to be played still.

​This year he was ranked the 35th best offensive guard with a +2.1 rating, which is right in the middle of the pack. Where his strength lies is in his pass blocking, which is the area that they need to improve the most. So Boone would make a solid option. ​

​The Dolphins really considered signing Mathis this past offseason but decided not. According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, the Dolphins decided not to sign him because, "The Dolphins, you see, projected both those two players [Thomas and Turner] to step up this season and blossom. And both had their good moments, that is true. But neither was good with any sort of consistency."

Mathis would project to come on and sign at a potentially lower contract considering his age (34), but his production would most likely be worth the money paid to him, even it was for the one-year $4 million deal that he was given last year. He was ranked the seventh best guard in the league in 2015 at a +26.2 rating, with run blocking being his best attribute and his pass blocking being serviceable. Signing Mathis would help stabilize the left side of the line and leave the them only one spot left to fill.

Cody Whitehair is being projected to go in the second round as of right now, and would be a good option for the Dolphins considering his versatility. In college, he played left and right tackle and left guard. He also is experienced with 38 starts in his last three seasons.

​He is projected to fit the zone-blocking scheme that the Dolphins ran last year, assuming that is what Gase sticks with. Either way, Whitehair would be a solid option in the second round, especially considering drafting guards in the top-10 is generally frowned upon.

While the Dolphins don't need a tackle, what they do need is talent on the offensive line in general and Stanley would certainly provide that. Stanley could be played at guard for the next two to three years while the Dolphins still have Branden Albert, and then Stanley could take over once he leaves or if/when he gets injured. 

There is no doubting Stanley has talent, as had he come out last year, he most likely would've been the first tackle taken. This year Laremy Tunsil will probably get that honor but the Dolphins would be absolutely ecstatic if Stanley fell to them at eight overall and should run to the podium with their pick should he be there. 

The offseason is still very young and Gase hasn't even put together his coaching staff yet, but what is clear is that the Dolphins have to improve their offensive line in order to be more successful.

This column was written by Seth Fisher. Follow him on Twitter: @sethAfisher

Owner Stephen Ross said in the press conference introducing new head coach Adam Gase that he loved Dan Campbell and would love to have him as a part of the organization going forward.

Unfortunately, being passed over for the head coaching job left Campbell feeling particularly disgruntled, and now according to a report by the Palm Beach Post, Campbell is officially no longer a member of the Miami Dolphins.

​It was said that it would be Adam Gase's decision as to whether or not Campbell would remain with the team, but the former tight ends coach took the decision out of Gase's hands and left by his own choice.

Before becoming the interim head coach for the Miami Dolphins, Campbell became a coaching intern for the Dolphins in 2010 after playing in the league for ten years. Then one year later, he became the tight ends coach and did a fine job in that position.

Unfortunately, Campbell's tough guy attitude as the interim head coach didn't translate onto the field for very long, as after great wins against the Tennessee Titans and the Houston Texans, the team seemed to fall apart and became incredibly undisciplined, even going as far as to break a franchise record in number of times penalized.

There's no doubt that Campbell will get an opportunity to coach elsewhere in some capacity. According to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, there at least three teams (the ones named are the Vikings, Cowboys and Chargers) interested in acquiring his services.

Campbell's time with Miami came to an unfortunate end under even more unfortunate circumstances, and even though he didn't create a miracle turnaround, there's no doubt that Dolphins fans wish Campbell all the best in the future. Perhaps one day, he will be a head coach again.

This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @FLSportDebater