 The Miami Dolphins opened the Brian Flores era this past Thursday night at Hard Rock Stadium versus the Atlanta Falcons, securing a close 34-27 victory. Preseason games, nonetheless, revolve around consistency and taking a closer look at specific key players who are seeking a spot on the fifty-three man roster when the regular season kicks into gear September 8. Here are five key objectives to look for when the Dolphins take the field Friday night at Raymond James Stadium to battle Bruce Arians’ Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 1. More Josh Rosen? Concluding day one of joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tuesday morning, head coach Brian Flores told reporters he expects Ryan Fitzpatrick to open under center Friday night. Fitzpatrick worked the first two series against Atlanta, finishing 2-for-5 with 20 yards passing. Rosen is expected to work for most of the time, allowing Miami’s coaches to further evaluate Rosen’s progression, but the ultimate question remains as to whether Rosen will see more time with the first, second or third team offense. 2. Offensive Line Stop if you have heard this before: the Dolphins offensive line has a lot of improving to do. Well, that is still the case. Miami’s offensive line was shattered against Atlanta this past Thursday night and it was mainly Atlanta’s backups performing the majority of the work. Yes, it was the opening preseason contest, meaning Laremy Tunsil was absent from the left tackle spot. Rosen faced heavy pressure on a consistent basis, escaping the pocket a few times. This is an issue that has haunted the Dolphins since the Joe Philbin days and if this problem does not get cleaned up in a hurry, expect a disastrous season. 3. Preston Williams Williams, an undrafted receiver out of Colorado State, shined Thursday night versus the Falcons, totaling 97 receiving yards on four receptions, a team-high. Williams’ 97 yards came at the hands of Rosen, so the two have presented great communication thus far. Williams is shooting for a starting role in this offense, so each exhibition contest is crucial for Williams. Look to see how Williams adjusts Friday night against Tampa Bay, and if he gets an opportunity to work with Fitzpatrick. 4. No Kenyan Drake Dealing with a foot issue, Drake is expected to sit out the remaining three exhibition games. Drake was spotted Wednesday morning in a walking boot, and with the regular season opening in less than a month, that spells trouble. Drake’s absence will result in extra playing time for Kalen Ballage, a 2018 fourth-round draft choice and Mark Walton, who is listed as the third string running back on the depth chart. Both have shown full capability handling the running game thus far. 5. Containing Mike Evans Evans, a former Texas Tech standout, is slated to play approximately 3-4 offensive series Friday night, so it will be interesting to see how Miami’s secondary not named Xavien Howard can slow down Evans, who presents great speed when getting off the line of scrimmage. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori
 When Josh Rosen was acquired with a trade during the NFL draft in April, most fans of the Miami Dolphins figured they finally had their quarterback of the future in place for years to come.
Or did they? With the preseason in full swing and the Dolphins spending the week in Tampa for practice scrimmages with the cross-state NFC rival Buccaneers, Ryan Fitzpatrick remains firmly entrenched atop the quarterback depth chart. Experience, which the veteran fourteen years with seven other NFL teams has plenty of, certainly plays a big part of it. But Rosen, the 10th overall pick of the 2018 draft, has the pedigree and skills to step right in and start, right? Or does he? Rosen suffered through an abysmal rookie season for the Arizona Cardinals last year, including a Week 7 game in which two (of three) interceptions were returned for touchdowns. Rosen also lost two fumbles and was sacked six times in that 45–10 loss to the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football. The next day his offensive coordinator was fired. The Cardinals improved from that point, but not enough to save the coaching staffs jobs. Not exactly a winning formula for introducing a rookie QB to the NFL, right? Understandably, the Dolphins are bringing Rosen along slowly, a luxury they can afford because they have Fitzpatrick to fill in the gap until Rosen is ready. While the coaches insist that there is an open quarterback competition and the best player will start, it’s becoming more apparent as each week goes by that the two quarterbacks’ relationship is more teacher/student than as competitors. “I think he has to do a better job getting guys in and out of the huddle,” says head coach Brian Flores. “His communication, body language; there were some plays there he didn't like, and we just have to move onto the next play. That's the case for him and all the quarterbacks … that's something that's part of the evaluation as well.” Body language is something coaches are emphasizing to the quarterback room this year. After every play, good or bad, all eyes, from coaches, players, and TV cameras and fans alike, drift back to the quarterback. “At the quarterback positon, they're all looking at you,” says Flores. “I think that's something that they have to be conscious of. I talked to all of the quarterbacks about that, as well as the leaders on the team. They're looking to you as a leader. I think that's an important piece of this that people don't talk about very much, but I think it's very important." Rosen gets it, and insists that no one is more critical of himself, making sure to not let the highs be too high, nor the lows be too low, regardless of what happens on the field. “I think as a quarterback,” says Rosen, “in addition to the execution part of it, I think a lot of it is about leading, and about trying to keep a steady ship and keep that forward momentum, regardless of what's going on around you. Because a lot of people are looking to you to kind of be that rock. I think that's what Coach Flores was referring to. He wants me to kind of be steadier, and just execute, and be a positive force.” And that’s where the mentorship of Fitzpatrick comes into play. As a veteran journeyman, he’s certainly no stranger to being replaced by up and coming youngsters, and he knows he’s here to steady the ship until if and when Rosen is ready. And in spite of being in competition for the same job, Rosen and Fitzpatrick are getting along great in the quarterback room and on the field, something Rosen is quick to appreciate. “He's been unbelievably helpful,” says Rosen of Fitzpatrick. “He's probably one of the best mentors I've had in the sport, and he's been an unbelievable teammate - very selfless in helping me so much. It's pretty impressive how he can just sort of walk up to the line and see it and just know what front, what coverage - everything they're trying to do. I'm just trying to get to that level. It's going to be a long road, a lot of film, a lot of studying, and I'm just indebted to Fitz for how selfless he's being. “He is being selfless and whatnot, but he's still competing his ass off. He's balling and when/if/and whenever this or whatever shakes out this year, he's going to absolutely fight his balls off.” This story was written by Eldon Jenson. Follow him on Twitter @EJFootball.  The Miami Dolphins walked away from Hard Rock Stadium Thursday night in victorious fashion to open the preseason slate, scoring a late fourth quarter touchdown to knock off the Atlanta Falcons, 34-27. The quarterback comparison between Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen was the ultimate storyline.
Fitzpatrick worked the first two series in the first quarter, finishing 2-for-5 with 20 passing yards. On Miami’s opening offensive drive, which led to a Jason Sanders 48-yard field goal, the former Harvard product led a 10-play, 49-yard drive, eating away 5:06 off the clock. On 3rd-and-2 from the Miami 29, Fitzpatrick escaped an Atlanta blitz and picked up a first down after a six-yard run. Fitzpatrick’s longest pass was a 14-yard strike to DeVante Parker, who ran a great comeback route on 2nd-and-4. Fitzpatrick’s second series was rough, as the Dolphins worked a three-and-out, gaining just two yards. Rosen entered the contest with 13:13 remaining in the second quarter. Rosen, who was acquired during the second-round of the 2019 draft and a former 2018 first-round choice, finished 13-for-20, 191 yards, 1 interception and a total QBR of 75.2. Throughout, there were good moments and “what are you doing Josh Rosen” moments. Rosen’s first pass attempt was intended for Kalen Ballage and incomplete, but a roughing the passer call on Atlanta wiped the incompletion away. There was an unexpected star of the night, as Preston Williams, an undrafted wide receiver out of Colorado State, led the team with 97 yards on four receptions. Rosen targeted Williams on a couple of wobbly throws, but somehow, Williams managed to secure the catch. Rosen’s first series resulted in a one-yard Kalen Ballage rushing touchdown, giving the Dolphins a 10-6 advantage midway through the second quarter. Rosen’s second series was one to forget. Facing a 1st-and-20 from their own 16, Rosen threw an interception in double coverage. Rosen’s offensive line was a major concern Thursday, as the former UCLA product received little to no protection on a consistent basis. On the third series, Rosen tossed two incompletions while facing heavy pressure, and took a sack on 3rd-and-10. Rosen worked a final series before the end of the first half, hooking up with Williams on a deep 36-yard completion, in which Williams snagged with one hand and Brice Butler for 17 yards. On 1st-and-10 from Atlanta’s 24, Rosen found Williams for an 18 yard completion, too. Electing to kick a field goal, Sanders was true from 23, cutting the Falcons’ lead to 19-13 at the intermission. Rosen’s second half was actually quite impressive. Rosen connected with Allen Hurns, a former Miami Hurricane and Williams for a 27-yard gain, resulting in a Mark Walton rushing touchdown. Rosen’s final pass of the night, opening the final quarter, was to Hurns, but the Miami native fumbled the football. All in all, Fitzpatrick is expected to get the nod under center this upcoming Friday night against his former squad, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Josh Rosen will get plenty of reps and Jake Rudock will likely see the field midway through the final period. I was simply impressed with Preston Williams Thursday night. Williams’ playmaking ability showed the Miami coaching staff he is here to stay. If Williams is able to flash next Friday night, August 22 Vs. Jacksonville and August 29 against New Orleans, Williams will earn a starting role with the wide receiver unit. As for Miami’s offensive line struggles, it must get cleaned up as soon as possible. Plenty of times Fitzpatrick and Rosen had to scoot away from pressure because a hard hit was incoming. I am not concerned with the center and left tackle spots, because when the regular season opens in one month, Daniel Kilgore will hold center duties and Laremy Tunsil will be at left tackle. Tunsil did not play on Thursday. Since Ryan Fitzpatrick was limited to just two offensive series, Fitzpatrick should finish the entire first quarter against Tampa Bay next Friday night. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori 
Can you smell that? The smell of appetizers and cold beer is about to overtake someone’s home including my own.
Ahhh, smoke pork butt! It’s time to draft your fantasy teams fellas! Most people are expecting the Miami Dolphins to be a little barren of talent this year at the skill positions, but the Dolphins are not short of sneaky picks. How great is it when you can draft a guy from your favorite team to fill roster spots on your fantasy team? There are some definite opportunities with this year’s group. My rankings are based on half point PPR format since that is the league I play in. First let’s talk Kenyan Drake, the ultimate boom or bust pick currently going into this year. Most fans expect him to make the next step, but I’ve been a critic of this thought process. My first concern is we’ve only seen it a few times and why in the heck couldn’t he steal the show from Granddaddy Gore? I argue with my fellow writers all the time about this. Was Adam Gase just that stubborn and ghastly as a coach? Or, is Kenyan Drake a third down runner with pass catching ability in situational football? That’s all he’s ever really been going back to Alabama. Maybe Nick Saban was actually right on his ability. My take with Drake is he has always been a third down running back. If you want to draft him this year, do so as a fallen value in the 70-80 pick range. If you really think he’s a franchise guy, you can pick him as high as the 65-70. He’s an inconsistent player playing behind an even more inconsistent offensive line, so flex appeal is his best fit for any team he finds himself on. Draft him as a RB2 and you might very well not make the playoffs. Drake is no better than the 25th best runner this year as he also faces competition behind him. Secondly, staying on the RB theme make sure that if you invest in Drake, you also invest in Kalen Ballage. Having Ballage is the upside you may need to win your league let along mitigate risk in picking Drake. He may very well get his opportunity to take over the starting job at the bye week if the team is looking for a spark coming out of the time off.
You’re starting to see Ballage pop up on “2nd Year Backs To Watch” lists all over the fantasy landscape and you can include me in that group. At 6’2” and 231 lbs., running a 4.46 at the scouting combine and 4.35 at his pro day. Ballage is built to be that every down back the Dolphins have been desperate to find, and they may have very well found him. Draft Kalen Ballage as the 35th to 40th Runner off the board. Consider him higher than a handcuff somewhere in the Austin Ekelar, Royce Freeman, Duke Johnson range and he shouldn’t disappoint. It could very well be the Ballage-Walton show to close out the season. Well thanks for reading, the rest is a complete wasteland…or is it? Kenny Stills is walking into this years Fantasy Season undervalued once again. At 27 years old, Stills is in his prime and with previous QB/Coach woes there is no doubt in my mind he can be at minimum a WR3 capable of filling bye weeks or operating as a flex most weeks. Draft him knowing that there could be legitimate upside because there is little competition and a new staff and QB who can throw the deep ball. Landry was so effective here because Tannehill couldn’t complete anything past 10 yards. That no longer applies with either of the QBs Miami now has on the roster. There will be lines that break down and force Fitzmagic/Rosen to get creative and an astute Stills can be a difference maker. Draft Stills as the 50th or so Wide Receiver off the board ahead of guys like Emmanuel Sanders, Donte Moncrief, and DeSean Jackson. He’s the number one guy on a rebuilding team that will be playing from behind a ton. He should absolutely finish higher than where he’s being drafted. And with the last pick of every fantasy football draft, every team not in my league, should take a flier on Preston Williams. He may already be the best wide receiver on the roster. I know it was preseason but how impressive for this young guy to come out and make those catches. He played the ball exceptionally well and that size! You may say I’m overreacting, but his story isn’t new.
The message has been the same through all camps this year. That man can ball. I never bought into the idea he was a project. He was very productive; it was really about the grey matter between his ears that caused him to fall out of the draft and the combine. Everything I’m reading is that he really has done everything he can to turn his life around. And great job Grier for giving a young man a chance to prove he deserves another shot at life. Other… I love the versatility and skills sets in Jakeem Grant and Albert Wilson. I just don’t see them finding much consistency although there will undoubtedly be a four catch, 130 yard, one touchdown stat line. Don’t draft any of these guys and expect consistent production. Undraftable positions is Tight End and Team Defense. We just don’t have the guys built for the defensive system yet. Mike Gesicki can’t block hence bringing in Dwayne Allen. I’m not even sure he can beat out the feisty Nick O’Leary yet. Playing IDP? Minkah Fitzpatrick may be a viable option but you’ll need to see that develop. He’s a swiss army knife that will play near the line of scrimmage quite a bit. If he puts a couple weeks back to back with ten plus point, pull the trigger. This story was written by Steven Paulsen. Follow him on Twitter: @SarcasticPhin 
Prior to the opening of the preseason schedule Thursday night, the Miami Dolphins and former Ole Miss product Robert Nkemdiche came to terms on a one-year, $1.16 million dollar deal, per ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Miami placed Nkemdiche on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform List (PUP), as Nkemdiche is recovering from a knee injury suffered in 2018 while playing for the Arizona Cardinals. Miami is taking another risk on a former bust first-round selection, as Nkemdiche has dealt with numerous off-the-field issues. During his collegiate football days in 2015, Nkemdiche was charged with possession of marijuana, after breaking a window and falling approximately fifteen feet from his hotel. On June 6, Nkemdiche was arrested for speeding and driving with a suspended license. Arizona released Nkemdiche on July 27, after new head coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters Nkemdiche was “not in shape” when reporting to the team’s training facility. In three seasons with the Cardinals, Nkemdiche totaled 44 tackles (ten for loss), ten quarterback hits and 4.5 sacks. As Nkemdiche works his way towards the active roster, the Georgia native will reunite with quarterback Josh Rosen and college teammate Laremy Tunsil. “He’s a talented young defensive tackle." head coach Brian Flores said. "I think any time you can add somebody with this type of talent you got to at least explore it. We did that, we did a lot of research homework on Rob. We felt comfortable making the move, (General Manager) Chris (Grier), (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon (Shore), myself, we had a lot of conversations about it and we brought him in and we signed him. "We’re looking forward to working with him and, again, helping him reach his potential. But that’s going to be up to Rob. I’ve told him that. He and I have had some … I’ve had very direct conversations with him. He knows where I stand as far as him coming in, working hard, doing things our way, getting himself back into shape, rehabbing, and then hopefully we get to see, or he gets to realize, his potential. I enjoy taking on that type of challenge and helping guys reach their potential.” This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori  The stats don’t show much, just a short line showing two tackles and one assist in a limited preseason game. But Christian Wilkins, the ever-exuberant defensive tackle and first round pick for the Miami Dolphins in the NFL draft knew going into the game that the stats wouldn’t matter as much as getting some playing time under his considerable belt.
Prior to the game, Wilkins said, “I feel like as long as I need to do what I need to do for this team, I don’t get out of myself, don’t get out of this scheme, as long as it matters what I do for this team and the coaches trust me, my teammates trust me and that I know I did my best, it doesn’t matter what other may think. But I know eyes are going to be on me as well and there’s going to be some attention for me.” And it didn’t take long to get comfortable. “I wasn’t really (nervous) until the national anthem,” he said. “That was when I first started to feel a little – not nervous but a little anxious, like this is really it, it’s go time. After that first play, I was good. I flushed all that and just started playing football.” And his boss was paying attention. “I saw he made a couple plays,” says head coach Brian Flores. “He brought great energy. Those interior guys it’s hard to tell, it really is; he could have been on two blockers the entire game. It’s hard to tell. I’ll let you know tomorrow.” Wilkins is a 6’-3” 315 pound bundle of energy, making a lasting impression from his very first professional appearance as he nearly body slammed NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on the stage after his name was called 13th overall at the NFL draft. His enthusiasm and energy is contagious and never-ending, and a welcome addition to the locker room. But make no mistake, Wilkins is serious about his craft and wants to improve. “I’ve never been more excited to watch a game tape ever I don’t think,” he said after the game. “But I’m really looking forward to it. I’m probably going to watch this tonight before I go to bed so I can see what I did wrong, see what I can improve and just get better. I’m just excited to learn from this game.” After solid if unspectacular debut, Wilkins is looking forward to the nest round. “It was pretty good,” he says of his first game as a pro, even if only a short preseason appearance. “I was really excited before the game, my first NFL opportunity. It’s official, I’ve got a game in the books and it feels awesome. I’m just excited now to go watch the tape and learn from this.” This story was written by Eldon Jenson. Follow him on Twitter @EJFootball.  Miami Dolphins wide Receiver Preston Williams didn’t take a normal path to stardom.
After exploding for four catches and 97 yards in the Dolphins preseason win over the visiting Atlanta Falcons, the undrafted rookie caught the eye of not just Dolphins fans, but the national media as well. His leaping one-handed catch for a 36-yard gain in the closing minutes of the first half is making highlight reels across the country. And funny thing, it wasn’t a surprise to Williams. “When we were warming up, I practiced it,” said Williams of his grab up the left sideline. “And the opportunity presented itself, so it happened the same way I practiced it.” “When coach gave me the opportunity, I was just tried to make the most of it,” he continued. “I didn’t have any expectations really coming into this game." Williams, a 6’-4” 210 pounder, was a star in high school, winning the long jump championship while earning all-state honors in football for two years. After playing two years at Tennessee, he transferred to Colorado State, sitting out the 2017 season. It was during that lull from football that trouble found Williams, as he was arrested and pled guilty for an altercation with his girlfriend. He then exploded onto the national scene in his 2018 season, finishing as one of the top receivers with 96 catches for 1345 yards and 14 touchdowns. Foregoing his senior season, Williams declared for the 2019 NFL draft, but his pro day workouts were horrendous, leaving scouts disappointed. That, coupled with the character flags, were enough to leave him undrafted. After signing with Miami it didn’t take long for coaches to noticed this kid’s unbridled talent. “I think he’s worked extremely hard really since he got here,” says head coach Brian Flores. “He’s big, he’s fast, he’s got good hands, he’s tough, and he’s really worked every day to get better. We tell him to block in the run game, he blocks in the run game; play more downhill on your end cuts, he does that. He works hard after practice, he works hard in meetings. “And it showed up tonight.” One thing that jumped out to many fans watching the game was the humbleness and hustle Williams showed after making plays, jumping up and immediately heading back to the line of scrimmage to get the next play call and line up quickly. That show of maturity will go a long way in dispelling character issues, as hard work endears players to the coaching staff quickly. “I think this is a talented young receiver,” said Flores. “(Of course), there’s a lot of talented people in this league. To get to a number one status, he’s got a long way to go, but does he have that potential? I would say he does. And it’s up to him to do the things he has to do to reach that potential. We’ll help him.” For now, Williams is content to just keep learning the pro game and focusing on getting better every day. “I got a lot of great guys around me, a lot of vets,” said Williams. “I learn from a lot of them. I’m actually glad they’re here. It’s my first year, I can learn from everybody; everybody has a different past. I’m here taking from everybody, learning. “When my number was called, I just wanted to answer.” This story was written by Eldon Jenson. Follow him on Twitter @EJFootball.  Nick Buoniconti, who played for the Boston Patriots and the Miami Dolphins, and a leader of the Perfect Season’s defense in 1972, has passed away at the age of 78, confirmed by the Miami Dolphins organization Wednesday morning.
“Today, with a heavy heart and profound sorrow, my family and the entire Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and Buoniconti Fund community mourn the loss of a man who was truly larger than life, my father, NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti,” Marc Buoniconti, Nick's son, said in a statement. Buoniconti played for the Dolphins from 1969-1974, along with 1976. Buoniconti was the ultimate leader of Miami’s famous “No-Name Defense” and in 1973, he set a team record with 162 tackles. Buoniconti died late Tuesday night and a cause is unknown as of right now. Born and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts, Buoniconti played collegiate football at Notre Dame. Buoniconti was a two-time Super Bowl Champion, two-time Pro Bowler and was elected into the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll in 1991. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori  Prior to the opening of day two of training camp in Davie, the Miami Dolphins signed Allen Hurns, a former Jacksonville Jaguar and Dallas Cowboy wideout, to a one-year, $3 million dollar deal, according to league sources.
Hurns, who played high school football at Miami Carol City and collegiate football at the University of Miami, was released earlier this week by the Dallas Cowboys, six months after suffering a gruesome ankle injury during Dallas’ 24-22 NFC Wild Card victory versus Seattle. Hurns joins a speedy wide receiver unit, paced by DeVante Parker, Albert Wilson and Jakeem Grant, who endured season-ending injuries in 2018 and are on the road to full recovery, and Kenny Stills. During Hurns’ four seasons in Jacksonville, the Miami native totaled 2,669 yards on 189 receptions, punching in 21 touchdowns. In his lone season as a Cowboy, Hurns started seven of sixteen games, scoring two touchdowns. Hurns, wearing a #86 jersey, joined the team early Friday morning, stretching and performing numerous drills with the wide receivers. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori  Having a solid offensive line in the National Football League is extremely crucial for a running back to create explosive plays. As the Miami Dolphins prepare to open training camp doors this upcoming Thursday, all eyes will be on Kenyan Drake, who will enter his fourth season at the professional level.
A former Alabama product, Drake rushed for 535 yards on 120 carries in 2018, consistently flipping and flopping with veteran Frank Gore, who signed with the Buffalo Bills on March 13, signing a one-year, $2 million dollar deal. Currently, the Dolphins hold seven running backs on the active roster: Mark Walton, a former University of Miami back, Kalen Ballage, entering his second year with Miami, Kenneth Farrow, Myles Gaskin, a 2019 seventh-round selection, Chandler Cox, also a 2019 seventh-round choice, Patrick Laird, and Drake. Losing Gore ultimately shrinks depth at the running back position, but Drake is well-prepared to soon take over everyday running back duties. “He’s athletic, he’s explosive, he’s fast. He’s a good route runner." Head coach Brian Flores said during a June 5 press conference. "He does a lot of good things.” The football world became very familiar with Drake this past December, after Drake received a lateral pass from WR DeVante Parker and raced 52 yards for a game-winning touchdown versus the New England Patriots with time expiring, in a contest that was later known as “The Miami Miracle.” Drake also shined under the bright lights in 2017 versus the Patriots, totaling 114 rushing yards on 25 carries. The NFL experts see it every so often, whereas the Miami coaching staff sees the potential of Drake on a day-to-day basis. The Dolphins, as a whole in 2018, scored seven touchdowns on the ground, four at the hands of Drake. Now working with a new head coach and offensive coordinator, in Chad O’Shea, Drake hopes to form into the Dolphins’ next Mercury Morris. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori  Take a deep breath in through your nose. Can you smell it? The freshly mowed grass, the newly drawn field lines, the helmets and pads of men tackling and colliding with each other. Football season is here, so you better buckle up, clear your calendar until January, schedule your fantasy football drafts, and get ready for some Miami Dolphins football! Who can forget that the last we saw the Miami Dolphins playing a meaningful football game, they were a few games out of the AFC Wild Card playoff spot (again). The season seemed very promising with a 3-0 start, which was the teams best start since 2013, and the appearance that luck was finally on the side of the Fins began to show. However, the wheels fell off midseason, and the team could not recover, ending the 2018 season with three straight losses to close out the season with a 7-9 record. The losing record, lack of team discipline, and many other factors meant sweeping changes were on the horizon for the Dolphins organization, both on and off the field. Not many coaches and executives were retained during the offseason and many veteran players were to be released. The proverbial “team reset” was necessary. The offseason saw the likes of many fan favorites and familiar faces be purged from the team roster and coaching staff including Cam Wake, Frank Gore, Ja’Wuan James, Ryan Tannehill, and Coach Darren Rizzi. Although they each had specific talents and qualities, the new coaching regime stuck to the plan of not retaining many veterans and pinching their free agent pennies. The new Miami Dolphins regime, led by Chris Grier and Brian Flores, took an offseason approach with the team that had not been seen in a long while. Besides purging many veteran players, and replacing the majority of the coaching staff, the team focused on bringing in young, unknown and inexpensive players while planning for the upcoming years ahead by accumulating extra draft picks (12 for next seasons draft) and saving future capital ($120 million in Cap space next season). The 2019 draft appears to have been a success, with the pickup of important pieces to fill the needs that were left behind by the purged player openings. In addition, the value that the team found with the pickup of Josh Rosen, a Top 10 pick in the prior year’s draft, for what ultimately turned out to be a fifth round draft pick in 2020, could be a sign that the ship may be turning in the right direction for the team’s front office. Obviously, a true assessment of this season’s draft won’t be made until the end of the 2019 season and future seasons. So, with Dolphins Training Camp opening on July 25th and the team’s first preseason game a few weeks later on August 8th, what can Miami Dolphins fans expect? If you have read the national media’s take on the team, the expectation is somewhere between zero wins and 4 wins. However, the National media tends to not pay much attention to the Dolphins. They just know that the team has a new font office and coaching staff and an overhauled team, and therefore the team shouldn’t win many games. However, just look to the North and the 2017 Buffalo Bills. Our AFC East nemesis overhauled their coaching staff that preseason, and purged many veteran players, similar to this season’s Miami Dolphins, and, although the expectations were for the Bills to win six games, the 2017 Bills team went on to win nine games and make it to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. Many Dolphins fans believe too much of what they read and think this upcoming season will be a flop (and a few still believe that the team will be tanking .. HA). However, the majority of fans think that this season will be one of the most exciting seasons to watch in a long time. Some fans say it’s because of all of the fresh faces on the field and along the sidelines. Some fans say it’s because the team finally pulled the trigger on a full reset. Other fans say its because they like the new players that joined and are pleased with some of the players/coaches that left. The 2019 Miami Dolphins are going to be an exciting team to watch this season because fans just don’t know what to expect. They just know it’s going to be new and different, which is something this team, and this town needs. Take a whiff. That’s the smell of the new Miami Dolphins running out of the tunnels of Davie training camp and Hard Rock Stadium. And that’s the smell of optimism for a great football season! Can you smell it? Football is here! See you at Camp! This article was written by Ian Berger. Follow him on Twitter: @ian693 
In 88 career games under center, Ryan Tannehill compiled a total record of 42-46, failing to lead Miami to a postseason berth during his seven-year stay.
Injuries and inconsistency ultimately doomed Tannehill. The Dolphins moved on from Tannehill, dealing the former first-round selection to the Tennessee Titans in March. As a result, Miami attacked the free agency market, grabbing journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick and signing the former Harvard man to a two-year, $11M deal in March.
It seemed as if Fitzpatrick would be the leader of Miami’s new offense in 2019, but during the second-round of the NFL Draft in April, the Dolphins created a huge splash, acquiring former first-round pick and UCLA product, Josh Rosen, from the Arizona Cardinals. When the Dolphins open training camp doors July 25, Fitzpatrick and Rosen will spend approximately three-four weeks battling for the starting quarterback position. Fitzpatrick has the experience over Rosen, spending four years with Buffalo, two with Cincinnati, two with the New York Jets, two with then-named St. Louis, two with Tampa Bay, one with Houston and one with Tennessee. Rosen, in his lone professional season in Arizona, underperformed, but all hope still remains on Rosen, who showed his talents and capabilities at UCLA. Depending on who wins the competition, the landscape of the 2019 season could change drastically, watching these two go at it in camp and preseason should be the most exciting position battles in recent Dolphins history. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori 
Dolphins defensive tackle, Kendrick Norton, a former Miami Hurricane standout, sustained a horrifying and career-ending car accident early Thursday morning at about 1:18 A.M., leading to the amputation of his left arm, a number of league sources confirmed.
Norton's agent later confirmed the news on social media.
Per the Florida Highway Patrol's incident report, Norton was driving a 2017 Ford F-250 at approximately 1:18 a.m., heading westbound on SR 836. Moments later, Norton’s vehicle collided with a concrete barrier wall, resulting in the vehicle to flip over. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue was able to transport Norton to Ryder Trauma Center, where he has since recovered to a stable condition, though it's clear that his career in the NFL has tragically come to an end before it really had a chance to begin. Selected in the seventh round by the Carolina Panthers in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Dolphins signed Norton off Carolina’s practice squad on December 19, 2018. Slated to compete for a 53-man roster spot, Norton finished his collegiate days as a Hurricane with 84 total tackles, including 18.0 for loss and 5.0 sacks. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori  Last season Kenyan Drake created one of the best memories in the history of the Miami Dolphins, but with Frank Gore now being a part of the Buffalo Bills, now Kenyan Drake will have to carry the load. Drake last season had four touchdowns, and 53 receptions, for 477 yards, but this coming season he will definitely be named the starting running back for the Dolphins.
Training camp is coming up in July and my second question is who will be Drake's back up? The Dolphins have Kalen Ballage, a two-year back from Arizona State who did see playing time carried the ball last season 36 times for 191 yards and one touchdown. The Dolphins also have a three-year running back in Kenneth Farrow, who did not see any playing time last season and rookie Myles Gaskin was drafted in the seventh round, 234th overall. The Dolphins also signed Patrick Laird from Cal, as an undrafted free agency, but if he has any hopes of carrying the load he has to make it through, not just the first cut in training camp, but the 53-man roster. I am not taking my eye off of Mark Walton last season he carried the 14 times, for 34 yards, and no touchdowns. Walton spent one season in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals and I still think he has potential to play in this league and he is a South Florida native out of Booker T. Washington High School in Miami and went on to play college football for the University of Miami Hurricanes from 2015-2017 and was drafted by the Bengals in the fourth round with the 112th overall pick. Dolphins first-year offensive coordinator Chad O'Shea and first-year running backs coach Eric Studesville should not have a real hard decision to make to see who earns the back-up role at the end of training camp at the end of August. Personally, I think we should see who carries the ball better through the preseason because that's when the front office can make the right and wrong decision on who to let go. I trust Chris Grier though and definitely, Brian Flores comes from the most accomplished coaching tree and front office in the National Football League. If any of these running backs have any hopes of playing the second string or even third string and see a good amount of playing time they are going to have to step up in training camp. Personally, I go by experience when it comes to learning an offense and playing so I think Kalen Ballage will earn the second string role at running back, due to the fact that he has already rushed for 191 yards in his limited playing time. The third string spot should go to Kenneth Farrow, he has more experience than Ballage, but I will point out that Farrow has no carries as a Dolphin. I believe this is how the depth chart will look going into the first preseason game at home against the Falcons, but the Dolphins rising star at running back in my mind is definitely Mark Walton who I think will get a lot of carries in training camp. Why don't I have Walton at least at third string? I see Walton more like a kickoff and punt returner and in Cincinnati last season he carried the ball 14 times, but he had no touchdowns. I bet signing Walton got Hurricanes fans attention big time, but it definitely turned my head because I watched him in college at Miami and I thought he was extremely talented due to the fact that he is a speedster. The last Canes running back to make it big for the Dolphins was Lamar Miller, and Mark Walton definitely has a chance to do the same. Duke Johnson is doing well for the Browns, but he has fought injuries throughout his NFL career and I expect him to have a big year this year in a talented Browns offense and that should be a really tough game for the Dolphins. Brian Flores retained running backs coach Eric Studesville from Adam Gase's staff a year ago so he knows these running backs quite well, but I think Flores should have cleaned house, in my opinion, to have a whole a new attitude on this staff. I do have confidence though that Flores has brought a really a good attitude to South Florida from a really accomplished coaching staff in Foxborough from Bill Belichick's six Super Bowls. The Dolphins are coming into the 2019 season with hopes of returning to the playoffs soon, and they will also be in a quarterback triangle throughout training camp, but we will have just have to find out who Brian Flores decides to go with. This story was written by Zach Blaine. Follow him on Twitter: @TheMiamiGator 
“This conversational dust-up over Jones of the past several weeks was ritual nonsense. It missed the real issue of this simply being a bad marriage between Jones and the Dolphins.” There are rumors that the Dolphins are tying to trade Jones but they can’t get what they want. They have evidently decided that the best thing to do is wait the league out in hopes that a desperate team on the cusp of winning will pay more if they lose a good safety in training camp. If this is what they are doing, I do not agree with this decision. Good strong safeties are a dime a dozen this year and no one is going to give you much for an injured one, even one that is among the best in the league at it. More importantly, every day that a player who put his pride ahead of the team and refused to play remains on this young, impressionable roster does irreparable damage to the mentality of the other players. Every time head coach Brian Flores talks about putting the team first with Jones in the room his credibility takes a hit. Chris Perkins at The Athletic reported the Jones situation in the proper perspective when he highlighted the match up between first round defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and third round guard Michael Deiter in the same article. Perkins recognizes that this year is about developing the younger players both physically and mentally. The Dolphins have to take what they can get for Jones, move on and do the same.
I’m not entirely sure where this is coming from but many reporters seem convinced that this is a real competition. Dave Hyde at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel is one of the few that seems to be taking it a step further to see the "competition" as a good thing for Rosen. But at the same time, he knows that it's not exactly real: “The question the Dolphins will wrestle with until the opening game — and probably beyond — isn’t if Fitzpatrick gives them a better chance to win the next Sunday. It’s how Rosen would look by November with a couple of months of starts under him. Exactly. What few people in the media seem to be acknowledging right now is that what the Dolphins aren’t actually deciding if Fitzpatrick is better. Of course he’s better. Rosen is only in his second year and probably has not had the best of coaching up to this point. What the Dolphins have to decide over the next few months is if Rosen is the future. And that’s more difficult because it involves projecting his development through this year and beyond. One thing is certain. The Dolphins don’t have to show it externally but internally they have to totally commit to Rosen until they’ve made a decision on him. He has to be nurtured and every opportunity to help him and evaluate him has to be taken. And that means two things: a. This isn’t a competition. Or more accurately, it isn’t a competition between Rosen and Fitzpatrick. Because Fitzpatrick’s performance isn’t relevant to the decision. What Rosen has to do - and his comments indicate that on some level he understands this - is to prove to the Dolphins not that he’s a franchise quarterback now but that he will be some time into the future. b. The Dolphins have to start Rosen until they’ve made up their mind that he’s never going to be at least part of the answer to their quarterback problem, even if it's just as a cheap, long-term back up. If Rosen isn’t starting week 1, it means they’ve already made up their mind. And that will mean bad things for his future in the league.
“Already working to improve his production as a receiver, Gesicki also looks to shed the label of exclusively being a pass-catching tight end. I was almost disappointed to read this. It means that Gesicki hasn’t totally moved on from his year with former head coach Adam Gase. I’m not one of those guys who constantly bashes a coach or executive once they leave town. But in my opinion, Gase did Gesicki no favors by expecting him to block too much as a tight end. Gase came from the Mike Martz school of offense where tight ends are there to block and if you want to set up a mismatch, you go with the big wide receiver. The modern NFL works differently and Gesicki is a modern NFL tight end. At 6’6”, 245 pounds he was drafted to catch passes, particularly as a red zone weapon, not block. The Dolphins have Dwayne Allen to do that and he’s pretty good at it when he’s healthy. The good news is that this doesn’t necessarily mean that Gesicki will continue to be misused. When asked about Gesicki, current head coach Brian Flores didn’t mention Gesicki’s blocking. “’I talked to him about this [Wednesday] morning,’ Flores said. ’One drop is one too many; one penalty is one too many; one missed assignment is one too many. That’s kind of the standard, the approach we’re taking.”’
“Bobby McCain experiment at safety could stick. Count me among those who were surprised by this move. It's not that I don’t think McCain can be a good free safety - he can. But along with pass rusher, cornerback is probably the weakest position on the team this year. Xavien Howard is, of course, a given starter. But other than him, there isn’t much. Now, in addition to the spot opposite Howard which the Dolphins are evidently counting on a relatively unproven Eric Rowe to fill, the Dolphins are creating another hole at nickel back. At the same time they have an apparent glut at safety with Minkah Fitzpatrick, Reshad Jones, and T.J. McDonald and now McCain. The problem that Flores is evidently trying to solve has to do with the fact that Jones and McDonald, both paid like starters, are really best suited for strong safety. Kelly elaborates later in the article: “Can Reshad Jones and T.J. McDonald work together? Hopefully the current coaching staff will do a better job of it than last year’s staff did. That’s assuming Jones isn’t traded, something I’d still bet will be the case. In any case, the situation demonstrates once again how poorly the 2018 version of the team was built by former executive Mike Tannenbaum and current general manager Chris Grier. In any case, the bet here is that Fitzpatrick fills the hole at cornerback that the move has left in its wake. Reports indicate that Fitzpatrick will move around quite a bit week to week as required this year. But Nick Saban, Fitzpatrick’s coach at Alabama, claimed that Fitzpatrick’s best position was nickel back and playing him there will likely put him in a good position to do that as the extra defensive back on the field.
“So Dolphins coach Brian Flores wasn’t kidding when he told reporters a few weeks back, ’I’ll know what he’s doing. You guys probably won’t.’ In a way this is encouraging. And in a way it isn’t. The odds are very good that, unlike the previous staff, the current staff will be able to decisively present Fitzpatrick with a game plan early in the week and in that respect he’ll be able to better prepare. They’ll have learned how to do that and to communicate clearly to Fitzpatrick exactly what he needs to do from Bill Belichick when most of them were in New England. But playing in the NFL isn’t like playing at Alabama. Opponents surprise you more often on game day with what they are doing on offense and rapid adjustments are necessary. The odds are good that no one will have to adjust more than Fitzpatrick who will likely be at the center of the changes not only game to game but play to play. Unlike in college, the odds are good that in his current role, Fitzpatrick is never actually going to be able to prepare the way he wants to because it's going to be impossible to thoroughly prepare for everything over the course of the previous week. Fitzpatrick is going to have to be flexible mentally in a way that he apparently wasn’t last year. If we take Fitzpatrick at his word, it sounds like he’s might struggle with what the Dolphins are going to be asking him to do this year.
“There are too many positive pieces to this team heading into training camp, starting with Flores at the wheel, to not believe the Dolphins will a lot better than expected this season.” See my entry above where I pointed out that the Dolphins at short on talent at cornerback and pass rusher. These are the cornerstone positions of every defense.
Sorry. I’m not buying it. This story was written by Tom Shannon. Follow him on Twitter: @bearingthenews  The Dolphins come into the 2019 season with a brand new attitude, but there are a lot of questions especially at quarterback. Josh Rosen spent one season in the NFC West with the Arizona Cardinals and Miami also brought in veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick from the other side of the state in Tampa Bay. Brian Flores also brings in a good coaching staff of his own with Jim Caldwell as the quarterbacks coach and he has been a head coach twice with the Colts and the Lions. Personally, when you look at the schedule I think it is brutal from what I know from last season's record, but the usual AFC East schedule is very wide open from recent history since the Dolphins have had the Patriots' number whenever they have visited South Florida. Miami does have more winnable games on the schedule than what most experts think so let's find out. Week 1 vs. Baltimore Ravens Since 2013 the Dolphins are 1-4 against the Ravens, and last season Baltimore had one of the top defenses in the NFL. Miami's offense should be changed around whoever is named the starter in week one, but I think it will be Fitzpatrick and I think this game will result with some Fitzmagic with a Dolphins victory. 1-0. Week 2 vs. New England Patriots Tom Brady is still in New England, but no more Gronk to dig him out of holes during struggles. I think Miami will definitely have their confidence up from week one and the Dolphins will defeat the Patriots to get out to a 2-0 start. 2-0. Week 3 at Dallas Cowboys This game will be a very tough one, but I'm going to be realistic and I expect a big year out of the Cowboys this season due to really good quarterback play out of Dak Prescott, and Ezekiel Elliott should be the team MVP. I think Miami will be ready to play, but this game will come down to mistakes and the Cowboys don't make those at Jerry World. 2-1. Week 4 vs. Los Angeles Chargers The Chargers are a lot like Dallas, they are a really good road team, but they were beaten badly by the Patriots in last season's AFC Divisional Playoffs. San Diego's last visit to South Florida resulted in a shutout loss to the Dolphins, but they were a different team at the time and they have a true leader in Philip Rivers. I'm going to be realistic and give the Chargers the road win in South Florida. 2-2. Week 6 vs. Washington Redskins Miami will come off of a bye week coming into the Washington game. However, the Redskins will have a rookie quarterback in Dwayne Haskins and when he is firing on both cylinders running and passing he is unstoppable, but that was at the college level. The Dolphins will come into this game off of the bye playing mistake-free and I'm predicting that Josh Rosen will play in this game and I'm not saying he will start, but he will play. Miami's defense will get them the home win with leadership from Minkah Fitzpatrick in the secondary, Kiko Alonso, and Christian Wilkins in the front seven. 3-2. Week 7 at Buffalo Bills The Dolphins will travel up to Western New York for the first game of the series against Buffalo. Miami has not won up in Buffalo since 2016, but this should be a very evenly matched game. I think this one will come down to mistakes and turnovers, but this year I think the Dolphins are a way better team than the Bills so I'm giving Miami the road win, but it will be close. 4-2. Week 8 at Pittsburgh Steelers The Steelers are really beatable and the Dolphins' last visit to Heinz Field was one I'd like to forget, but I have a good feeling about this one. I'm going to give Miami a road win on Monday Night Football because I expect big plays on defense and really good game management from Fitzpatrick or Rosen. 5-2. Week 9 vs. New York Jets Adam Gase returns to South Florida just on the wrong side of the ball and also the Jets don't even have a general manager yet. Personally, the Jets are a mess and even though they were still mediocre, letting go of Rex Ryan was the worst thing that happened to them and I'm just stating facts. I'm going to give Miami a home win and they will win it big and I'm not saying it will get ugly, but it will be over by the fourth quarter. 6-2. Week 10 at Indianapolis Colts Frank Richt did one of the best coaching jobs last season and not to take anything away from him, but Andrew Luck played a huge part in it as well. The Colts are very tough to beat at Lucas Oil Stadium, but unfortunately, I have to give Indianapolis the home win in this one. 6-3. Week 11 vs. Buffalo Bills Buffalo comes to South Florida to close out the series with the Dolphins and last season's home victory over the Bills was a thriller. This game will feature two of the top quarterbacks from the 2018 draft Josh Rosen vs. Josh Allen, but I'm going to give Miami the sweep in this one with a home victory. 7-3. Week 12 at Cleveland Browns This game features again two of the top quarterbacks from the 2018 draft in Rosen and Baker Mayfield. The Dolphins will see a familiar face in Jarvis Landry across the field, but I'm expecting big things from the Browns this season and yet again this is another evenly matched game. I'm giving the Dolphins the road win in a thriller, but I think the Browns will outplay the Dolphins. 8-3. Week 13 vs. Philadelphia Eagles Well Nick Foles is gone, but he is not around anymore to bail the Eagles out of a jam if Carson Wentz is injured or if he is struggling, and this game is in South Florida. The Eagles will be a lot healthier this season and to be realistic Miami will play a lot better than Philadelphia, but from all the years I have watched football this is just one of those games that don't go the Dolphins way when it matters the most. 8-4. Week 14 at New York Jets Sam Darnold should be a much better quarterback this season and to be honest Adam Gase will play a big role in that, but the Jets are not there yet. I'm giving the Dolphins the road win and the sweep over the Jets. 9-4. Week 15 at New York Giants The Dolphins are in New York for another week and it's against the Giants. New York has similar struggles to the Jets, but the Giants have a veteran quarterback in Eli Manning who is an interception magnet. If that happens they will turn to Daniel Jones. They also have a talented young running back in Saquon Barkley, but he can't do it all on his own. I'm giving Miami another road win and this win should earn them a playoff spot. 10-4. Week 16 vs. Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati has a new head coach in former Dolphins assistant Zac Taylor and they still have a mediocre quarterback in Andy Dalton, but this game depends on which attitude Miami is in since they have already clinched a playoff spot. What could also be on the line is an AFC East title, or even maybe a home field advantage? I'm still giving the Dolphins the home win, but this one won't be easy. 11-4. Week 17 at New England Patriots This game will determine the AFC East Championship and it has been a long time since the Dolphins have a regular season game with a lot on the line like this since the Dan Marino era. The Patriots are very tough to beat at Gillette and I think it's just the way it is as long as Brady is around so I have to give the Patriots the win. 11-5.
If my 11-5 prediction is right then Brian Flores would have done the best coaching job than any coach in the league in 2019. I'm predicting that Josh Rosen becomes the Dolphins starting quarterback in week six against the Redskins, but he will play a lot before that week. The Dolphins defense should be one of the NFL's top defenses due to Christian Wilkins at defensive end, Kiko Alonso at linebacker, and Minkah Fitzpatrick in the secondary. This story was written by Zach Blaine. Follow him on Twitter: @TheMiamiGator  As the calendar flipped to June, the Miami Dolphins opened the final portion of the offseason schedule: mandatory minicamp, which will run from June 4 to June 6.
One player who was present Tuesday morning? Two-time Pro Bowl safety Reshad Jones, who chose to skip OTAs in order to fully rehab a torn labrum he suffered this past regular season. “Voluntary means voluntary," Jones said after practice. "So I took the time to get physically ready to play a 16-game stretch coming off a surgery in February.” Reshad Jones, in recent years, worked with the first team defense, but due to Jones being absent for a long period of time, the former Georgia standout worked with the second team, instead. “Reshad is here and will work with us." head coach Brian Flores said. "He looks like he is in really good shape, too,” Jones worked at the usual safety position Tuesday, quickly breaking up a pass intended for TE Clive Walford during 5-on-5s. In 2018, started 13 games, creating 57 solo tackles, including four TFL’s. Jones also recorded three interceptions, one for a pick-six score against the Buffalo Bills in Week 17. Rain poured throughout practice, but once day one officially came to a close, Jones walked over to the media and began explaining his thoughts on how he is feeling. “I don’t really have nothing to prove to nobody." He said. "I’ve been one of the best safeties in this league for a long time. I put the work in year in and year out.” The Dolphins will continue mandatory minicamp tomorrow morning, with practice open to media members only. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori 
“Under previous coach Adam Gase, Miami Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake’s workload would fluctuate from averaging 18 carries per game in the last five weeks of 2017 to having just 7.5 attempts per outing in 2018. Even as Drake flashed potential last year, not many people around the team were advocating more playing time for him. No one said it outright but the suspicion is that his work ethic wasn’t up to snuff. Apparently working with the veteran Frank Gore didn’t bring it out of him. It sounds like Drake is embracing his opportunity to work with the new staff and is looking at it as a fresh start. Here’s hoping it results in a more professional attitude and, as a results, benefits the Dolphins in a big way.
“There’s no doubt Miami must upgrade from last year’s starting duo of Davis and Ted Larsen, who is now with Chicago. Davis was the league’s 77th-rated guard last season according to ProFootballFocus, allowing seven sacks. Larsen, who started 14 games, was even worse, ranking 125th and allowing four sacks.” Amen. This article highlights the past problem at guard and the fact that Jesse Davis is currently still the leading candidate to play right guard is an indication that the Dolphins have a long way to go at this position. And the fact that third round draft pick Michael Deiter will likely beat out current starting left guard Chris Reed doesn’t make me feel a lot better. The fact is that this problem probably won’t be solved this year, at least on both sides. Many people have a habit of underestimating the importance of the guard position. In fact, I used to be one of them. But experience has taught me that this is the most important position on the offensive line. It's easier to find guards like Deiter in the middle to late rounds of the draft. But guard position, itself, is more important than tackle. Quarterbacks can step up in the pocket to escape defensive ends coming off the edge if the interior linemen do their job. But no quarterback can throw with pressure in his face. This is a huge problem that will likely stunt the performance of both Josh Rosen and Ryan Fitzpatrick along with the performance of the rest of the offensive players, which will have to be judged with this in mind.
“Four different assistants — [outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino, [safeties coach Sean] coach Desai, [defensive line coach Jay] Rodgers and new linebackers coach Mark DeLeone — suggested that new voices should help combat complacency from players. This is why analysts who are predicting things like ridiculous 0-16 seasons for the Dolphins are wrong. It's because it takes more than lack of talent to result in historically bad teams. No first year head coach has ever gone 0-16. Rod Marinelli was in his third with the Lions in 2008 and Hue Jackson was in his second with the Browns in 2017. The Dolphins do have holes all over the field with important positions on the offensive line, at pass rusher and at cornerback filled with mediocre to less than mediocre players. But all of those players are, or should be, laser focused as new playbooks are installed and as relationships with new coaches are built. And every job is wide open as new coaches without preconceptions watch practices with a neutral eye that may decide that a long time starter shouldn’t be given his position and that maybe a relative unknown should be given a shot. Dolphins coaches will naturally have an easier time getting the most out of their players this year. And that could produce a pleasant surprise with a better than expected season. But at worst, it won’t produce anything historically bad.
“Luckily for [Josh] Rosen, he has had some recent experience in a similar scheme. Exactly.
Rosen is very lucky here and so are the Dolphins. Young quarterbacks can sometimes take a full season with a new coach before they get to the point where they can stop concentrating on their own offense and start concentrating on the gameplan for the upcoming opponent. What is more likely to hold Rosen back is how the other players on the field adjust to the new scheme rather than how he does. Nevertheless, this is yet another reason why the Dolphins coaching staff should be able to get a good handle on Rosen over the course of just one season to make a judgment about whether he should be the franchise going forward.
Washington Redskins - 5/5 Oakland Raiders - 5/2 New York Giants - 3/1 Detroit Lions - 7/2 San Francisco 49ers - 9/1 I understand why Daniel Snyder’s Redskins might be the favorite. Snyder seems like just the entrepreneur who would see this as an opportunity rather than a detriment. Nevertheless my money’s on the Raiders. Mark Davis has been adamantly against this team appearing in the past. But getting permission to move his franchise to Vegas undoubtedly came with a lot of strings attached behind the scenes. The bet here is that it’s not coincidence that the Rams both appeared on Hard Knocks and went to London to play after permission to move to Los Angeles was given. Oakland plays a home game against the Bears in London this year and it would surprise no one if they ended up being forced to volunteer to be on Hard Knocks as well. This story was written by Tom Shannon. Follow him on Twitter: @bearingthenews  The Miami Dolphins are entering year one of the Chad O’Shea offense.
Thus far through OTAs, players such as DeVante Parker and Ryan Fitzpatrick have been all the talk for the offensive side of the ball. One position group that is flying under the radar is running back. The Dolphins depth at the running back position is severely different than last season. Only Kenyan Drake and Kalen Ballage are still on the roster from last year’s running back room. Miami drafted Myles Gaskin in the 7th round of the 2019 NFL draft and surprising signed the troubled Mark Walton. In addition to those players, Miami also drafted Chandler Cox, a fullback. Miami now has one of the youngest running back rooms in the league and it is loaded with potential. Drake flashed his potential in 2017 when he took over as the lead back once Jay Ajayi was traded away. Ballage flashed his potential multiple times last season even with the limited opportunities he got. Walton is the most interesting name in the room. Walton has a huge amount of potential but he seems to always be in trouble. If Walton can stay out of trouble, Miami could have a future three-headed monster at running back with Drake, Ballage, and Walton. Gaskin can be a great third down back in Miami as, in college, he showed he can catch out of the backfield, pass block, and can get past the first down line if needed. Cox was an interesting pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Since O’Shea is from New England one would have to assume that he will be used like James Devlin, New England’s fullback. Even though it is very early in the 2019 season, Miami has the potential to be a very good rushing team. It will be interesting to see how things play out in training camp, as I do not expect Miami to keep four running backs and Cox on the active roster. If Miami does keep all five players on the active roster, expect to see Gaskin have a huge role on special teams as he more than likely is the odd man out in the competition (unless Walton can not stay out of trouble). Gaskin should make the practice squad if he does not make the final roster as an insurance plan. This story was written by Tanner Elliott. Follow him on Twitter: @Elliott302Tj  The Miami Dolphins, on Thursday morning, signed free agent defensive tackle Adolphus Washington to a one-year deal. In a corresponding move, Miami waived linebacker James Burgess.
A former Ohio State product, Washington is entering his fourth season at the professional level. Washington opened his playing career with the Buffalo Bills, starting in 21 of a possible 31 games, from 2016-2018. Washington totaled 3.5 sacks in three seasons with the Bills. Most recently, Washington spent a short stint with the Cincinnati Bengals, producing one sack in four games. The Bills selected Washington in the third round (80th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. Washington is a young, athletic player who could thrive if given the opportunity to succeed. This move further displays Miami's commitment to a youth movement, taking young, developing players and trying to get the most out of them that they can. If Washington can catch on quick, it will be a great boost to the Dolphins defensive line, and a very New England-like transaction. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori 
Dolphins defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick was described by many before the draft as a "do-all" kind of safety, a true Swiss army knife that could line up wherever was necessary in the secondary. During his rookie season, he spent time as a safety, a slot cornerback, and a boundary corner all in the span of a few weeks.
And according to head coach Brian Flores, Fitzpatrick will be asked to do even more in his second season. "Last week we just talked about Minkah playing multiple positions." Flores said on Tuesday. "He’ll play corner, he’ll play linebacker, he’ll play free safety, he’ll play strong safety, he’ll play nickel. He’ll be all over the place. I think in all those different roles, I think he’s done an okay job kind of learning all of those positions." However, it should be noted that this will not be the first time Fitzpatrick has lined up as a linebacker. Even last year, the Alabama standout spent some time acting in that hybrid role, so this honestly should not come as a surprise to anyone.
But even with that in mind, Flores has been hesitant to give out information, no doubt a result of the influence Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had on him for all those years he was in New England. "To me, this is obviously an open forum." Flores said. "I like to, as much as possible, keep things in house and not give out a lot of information because other teams are watching. If I tell them if we’re pulling, we’re going to pull all the guards or we’re going to play Minkah (Fitzpatrick) at corner or we’re going to play, I don’t want to put our team at a disadvantage." Clearly this approach has worked for Belichick all these years, so it's understandable Flores would want to follow that same philosophy in dealing with the media. That said, Fitzpatrick stated after his rookie season that he would need to know where he was going to play if he was going to improve his game. It would appear that he's got his answer. This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter:@LuisDSung  One of the first things that was established when the Miami Dolphins hired Brian Flores to be their next coach was that the defense would begin a major overhaul, switching from a base 4-3 that they have run for the past several seasons under numerous defensive coordinators, to a more hybrid scheme that featured lots of 3-4 scheme elements. Back in January, before Flores was ever hired, we broke down what the Dolphins would need to make a 3-4 scheme work, and now that is becoming reality even as we speak, and that has forced the players to completely change their philosophy on the field. “Last year, we were attacking. Now you have to read the blocks." said defensive tackle Davon Godchaux. "That’s probably the biggest challenge for me. (I am) used to getting off the ball, trying to attack the offensive line. Now you have to read and watch where they’re going and playing more with your hands out in front of you.” The versatility that comes with running a 3-4 is what makes it such an appealing scheme, but it also comes with a lot of cerebral responsibility, and the players themselves must also be versatile. In the case of Davon Godchaux, who projects to be used as a 3-4 defensive end, he'll have to not only be fast enough to rush the passer on passing downs, but he'll have to have the strength to take on guards and centers and keep them away from the linebackers, who ideally will be Raekwon McMillan and Kiko Alonso acting as the inside linebackers. But Godchaux won't just be playing there, he'll evidently also be lining up as the nose tackle, which traditionally requires an extremely large individual meant to take on extra blockers. Godchaux will also have that on his plate as part of the scheme versatility. “The ultimate goal is to be a team player (at) my nose position." He said. "If I’m in 1-tech, play A-gap, 2-I, play the A-gap, if I move to a three-play B-gap. It’s the same thing we’re doing. We’re playing the same gap. We just went from attacking to read.” With the revelation that Brian Flores intends to have Minkah Fitzpatrick playing just about every position in the secondary, as well as linebacker, and pass rusher Nate Orchard will be tasked with multiple responsibilities as well, this Dolphins defense is set to become the most complicated it's been in years. Given how predictable they've been since the days of Kevin Coyle, that's not a bad thing by any means, and fortunately, Godchaux is quickly adapting. “I’m very comfortable." He said. "The first couple days, (I was) a little rusty. Each and everybody was a little rusty. Speaking of myself, a little rusty. I’m coming out here each and every day, getting the techniques, going through the growing pains of the 3-4, 4-3 defense.” This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung  When you’re a second round pick in the NFL draft, you’re expected to be, at worst, a solid contributor for the team that invested in you. And as a first team All-PAC-12 selection and the winner of the 2014 Ted Hendricks Award (given to the best defensive end in the country), you could say expectations were high for Nate Orchard.
Orchard, a 6’3”, 256 pound defensive end/linebacker out of Utah, did have a good start to his career, recording three sacks while playing in 15 games with 11 starts for the Cleveland Browns in his rookie season. An injury-shortened 2016 season appears to have been his downfall, as he never regained his starting spot, and was released prior to the 2018 season. After being released by the Browns, Orchard spent a month each last season with two teams (Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs), filling in for injured starters. After the season he was signed by the Seattle Seahawks just prior to the NFL, only to be cut weeks later when the team drafted two players at his position. He was out of work when the Miami Dolphins came calling, a team in dire need of help along the defensive line. “The places I’ve been, it’s always come down to a numbers situation,” says Orchard. “But you can’t let those situations and things like that deter you from what you do. My confidence is high. I’m grateful each day for the opportunities - Buffalo, KC, Cleveland, here. Just to be in this league is a huge opportunity.” “I’ve learned a lot,” he continued. “I’ve been through peaks and valleys, ups and downs. I learned at the end of the day that you’ve got to be confident in your craft and be a professional. You’ve got to show up each day and put your best foot forward.” While the Dolphins are light-lipped about details of their defensive schemes, Orchard has already noticed something from the short time he’s had to digest the Dolphins playbook - that head coach Brian Flores is bringing some of the flavor from his previous job in New England to South Florida. “They put guys in position here to be successful,” says Orchard of Flores and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s schemes. “Blitzes coming from every angle, you don’t know who’s coming, what’s going on. The coaches do a great job. Coach Graham is doing a great job of disguising that.” Orchard has no shortage of confidence in his abilities, and has kept a great attitude throughout the last year while bouncing around to four different teams. “It’s the nature of the business,” he says. “The NFL, it’s a tough league and everywhere I’ve been, it’s a business decision. But at the end of the day, the ego is great. My confidence is still sky high. I’ve got a great support system, my wife and kids and family. They keep me going. “At the end of the day, you’ve got to be confident in what you do and don’t ever let anybody drag you down.” This story was written by Eldon Jenson. Follow him on Twitter: @EJFootball 
Miami Dolphins fans have been begging the front office to unveil a new look in 2019, and their prayers have been officially answered.
Tom Garfinkel, the CEO, announced the Dolphins will spot an all-white throwback uniform in Week 2 of the 2019 regular season versus the New England Patriots.
The contest is scheduled for September 15. On this day, the Dolphins will also celebrate the 58th birthday of legendary quarterback, Dan Marino. In recent years, Miami has worn all-aqua throwbacks.
Last season, Miami knocked off New England and Buffalo in December while wearing their all-aqua throwback jerseys. Fans are able to purchase these specific jerseys in June. ​The Dolphins open the 2019 regular season versus Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, September 8. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori 
“’If you work hard and put the team first, you’re a leader,’ Flores said. ’I want to have 53 leaders on our team. I want 90 on our team right now. That’s something that you can develop. That’s something that you can talk about.”’ I’m glad that Salguero is pressing the issue of Reshad Jones' absence from OTAs in a year where a new coaching staff is trying to install a new defensive scheme. But that aside, I continue to be astounded that Jones is still a part of this team at all. I understand that cutting Jones post-June 1 would entail eating $17 million dollars in dead cap money. But the Dolphins have plenty of cap space. How can you keep a guy who basically quit on your team by refusing to enter a game last year? I don’t care what issues Jones had with defensive coordinator Matt Burke or head coach Adam Gase. As Flores, himself, correctly points out above, none of your 53 “leaders” should ever put pride ahead of the team, especially if you are a serving as veteran example. I understand that football players aren’t all going to be angels. But right now the focus has to be first and foremost on developing young players and establishing a positive team culture. Similar to the signing troubled running back Mark Walton, I can’t imagine what a poor example such “veteran leadership” will set for the youth on a rebuilding Dolphins team. Every time Flores speaks to the team about “putting the team first,” young eyes in that room will involuntarily turn to look at Jones (when he finally shows up). I can’t imagine the damage that will cause. “[T]he frustrating thing about this pick is that Asiata was drafted out of Utah with the 164th selection. And with the 190th selection the Los Angeles Chargers selected Sam Tevi, who was on the same offensive line as Asiata at Utah. In fairness, the Dolphins were still two years away from losing Ja’Wuan James to free agency. They had just taken Laremy Tunsil in the first round in 2016 and they were just moving him to tackle. They needed a guard. Nevertheless, Salguero’s point is excellent and well-taken. Talent is talent and it isn’t like the Dolphins couldn’t have used a good developmental prospect that could serve as a back up in the meantime. The situation highlights a fundamental problem. The general manager can set the general direction of the franchise and help make some final decisions on the players. But Chris Grier, even if he’s the right guy for the job, can’t be everywhere. It takes a village to put together a good draft and if the scouts can’t recognize talent when they see it, it results in an organizational failure. The general manager is just the face of it. This is an issue when you consider the fact that the Dolphins chose to stick with Grier rather than embrace big changes by hiring from the outside. All the little Indians underneath Grier stayed the same. Here’s hoping they improve their performance or it won’t matter who the chief is.
“[Michael] Deiter checks all those boxes. I think Beasley is right. But I have a better explanation. The Dolphins drafted Christian Wilkins, a defensive tackle, and Dieter, a guard, with their first two picks. They are planning on being strong up the middle and building outward. And that’s a sound strategy. Nothing disrupts the opposing offense more than pressure up the middle. Offensive guard is being recognized as an increasingly important position in the modern NFL as teams struggle to keep the pocket clean in front of the quarterback so that he can step up and throw.
“I get it. Rome wasn’t built in a day. And neither were the Patriots. But this is simple roster management issue that could be fixed with a veteran addition, similar to how Jordan Mills’ signing potentially patches up the vacant right tackle spot.” Kelly is primarily concerned with the run defense but the problem will crop up when it comes to the pass rush as well. The Dolphins are deficient at this position, the outside linebacker when they are in the base 3-4 and the defensive end in the nickel. This position sets the edge against the run and rushes the passer. There’s no doubt about it. The Dolphins have a huge roster hole at this spot. But I’d love to know who Kelly thinks the team should sign as a “simple roster addition.” The truth is most teams are deficient in this area. Anyone who is any good was taken off the market a long time ago. Even if the Dolphins were willing to part with 2020 draft picks, most of those players aren’t available via trade. The Dolphins have evidently made the decision to let this position slide in a rebuilding year. I don’t like it, Kelly doesn’t like it and you probably don’t like it, either. But I think its something everyone is going to have to live with because it’s not a problem that will be solved until the next offseason now.
There isn’t much to say about it this early in the process but it is worth noting that installing a new defense and a new offense is going to be a particular challenge for this group of coaches. The reason is simple - most of them haven’t done it before. Indeed, most of them have never even seen it done. Many of the Dolphins coaches, both offensive and defensive, have spent their entire careers in New England, where head coach Bill Belichick is an institution and where the organization has been a smoothly running machine for a very long time. Belichick probably doesn’t even remember how he went about installing the Patriots defense from scratch, let alone his assistants. The problem highlights one of the challenges that comes with being a Belichick disciple. Many of these guys have never been anywhere else. For instance, they’ve never developed the contacts in the league which can be necessary to succeed as coaches, particularly head coaches in Brian Flores’s case. So what happens when you have to hire assistants? You look for former Patriots because you’ve never worked anywhere else and you don’t really know anyone else. Having veteran coaches like Jim Caldwell can help. But that will only take you so far. Flores and his staff have their work cut out for them in this respect.
“Jets CEO and chairman Christopher Johnson wants a ’great strategic thinker’ to run the football operation. He needs someone who can work with coach Adam Gase. And at the intersection possibly resides one and only one name. This sounds to me more like the media connecting dots than a realistic possibility. But I’ve been surprised before. I love Peyton Manning but a general manager? I’m not a big fan of having people without a background in personnel in that role, let alone someone with no front office background at all. It almost never works out. The latest example is in San Francisco where rumor has it that John Lynch, who also had no front office experience, and head coach Kyle Shanahan are rumored to be on the outs. I don’t like the direction the Jets are taking.
“Multiple judges have ruled that the “sneak and peek” video surveillance violated the law by undertaking no effort to minimize the intrusion on the privacy of innocent persons who were simply getting massages. If the appellate courts don’t overturn these rulings, there will be little or no evidence against Kraft — unless prosecutors can persuade the alleged providers of prostitution to “flip” on their alleged customers.” It bothers me when someone tries to legally get off the hook based upon technicalities. The police know he did it. I know he did it. You know he did it. The lawyers know he did it. Virtually everyone knows he did it.
Kraft is the owner of a franchise where players are constantly told to be accountable for their actions. Is this accountability? It might be the reality of the world we live it. But I call it hypocrisy. In any case, the situation puts the league in a bind. They haven’t hesitated to suspend players who are obviously guilty but who have not been legally convicted, often because they paid off the victim. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s 2010 suspension after sexual assault allegations is a good example. I think its fair to say that although the league has some morally upright fans who strongly disapprove, solicitation isn’t really considered to be a big deal to most in modern American society. It certainly doesn’t rise to the level of sexual assault or similar offenses. But in terms of obvious guilt or innocence beyond the legal ramifications, there are players who are going to be watching this situation closely to see if Kraft is held to the same standard. This story was written by Tom Shannon. Follow him on Twitter: @bearingthenews |
Latest Dolphins News
PhinManiacs Columnists
All
Story Archives
May 2019
|
RSS Feed