 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  Wide receiver Ricardo Louis, who joined the Dolphins as a free-agent signing on April 8, received terrible news Thursday, as Louis was placed on season-ending IR nursing a knee injury, the team announced. This is the second straight season Louis will miss, as he was not active for all of the 2018 campaign.
Before signing with the Dolphins, Louis spent his entire three-year professional career with the Cleveland Browns, totaling 45 receptions for 562 yards on 96 targets. The Browns, in 2016, selected Louis in the fourth-round, pick 114 overall. As for Isaac Asiata, he was unable to stay consistent and never developed his technique as a blocker, and as a result, Asiata is no longer a member of the Miami Dolphins. On Thursday, the team waived the former 2017 fifth-round choice in an official statement. Asiata played in just two games during his NFL career: one in 2017 and one in 2018. Asiata spent a majority of the 2018 regular season on the Dolphins’ practice squad. A former Utah product, Asiata was re-signed to a one-year, $645,000 contract on April 1. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori  Former University of Miami running back Mark Walton was arrested three times during the offseason in a span of three months, thus resulting in the Cincinnati Bengals releasing Walton this past April. On Sunday afternoon, the Miami Dolphins gave Walton an ultimate second chance, something very few professional athletes get a chance to see.
Walton, along with center Kirk Barron and cornerback Jamar Summers, were signed following a tryout at rookie minicamp this past weekend. What does this mean moving forward for Walton? No, he is not officially on the 53-man roster, and the reason being is because OTAs have only just begun. “I’d say I think… I think people deserve a second chance. I believe that. I think that’s the case. I don’t want to judge people based on one or two incidents. I think it’s a case-by-case situation for a player and just for people in general,” head coach Brian Flores said during a press conference Thursday afternoon. During his Cincinnati Bengals tenure, Walton was mainly a non-factor in the offense, due in large part to the productiveness of running backs Giovani Bernard and Joe Mixon. Walton, in 2018, rushed for 34 yards on 14 attempts. Now that Walton is signed, the Miami coaching staff, especially running backs coach, Eric Studesville, is looking to see how Walton can fit in the Miami offense. The Dolphins currently hold seven running backs on the 90-man roster, which includes Walton, Kalen Ballage, Kenyan Drake, Kenneth Farrow, Patrick Laird, fullback Chandler Cox out of Auburn, and Myles Gaskin, a 2019 seventh-round selection out of Washington. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori 
"Narrative: The Dolphins trade down in the second round was part of Miami’s plan to land Rosen. Salguero makes a lot of good points in this article but that one falls flat. Salguero’s point is that the Dolphins made the trade not knowing if they could swing a deal for Rosen with the 62nd overall pick or not. No deal was in place. I have absolutely no trouble believing that. At the same time, Salguero, perhaps purposely, misses the point. The fact that the Dolphins felt good making the trade even if Rosen didn’t come with it doesn’t mean that they didn’t have a potential Rosen deal in mind when they made it. In fact, given that they were already in discussions and thought the 48th pick was too high but obviously felt the 62nd wouldn’t be, it would be foolish not to assume that they didn’t. Whether the Dolphins were willing to stand on this trade without a Rosen deal or not, the end result is the same. They basically traded back into the third round and added a fourth round pick to make this happen. Intent aside, that was the end result of their maneuvering and that is the bottom line. Any other conclusion is just spin. "If he wins the competition, absolutely I’m good with that. I think that would be what’s best for the team and best for the Miami Dolphins," Dolphins coach Brian Flores said. Right. This is, of course, what Flores has to say. But this competition is - or had better be - slanted towards finding out what the young, potential franchise quarterback can do. It’s absolutely true that you can’t just trot Rosen out there no matter what he does. For one thing, evaluating Rosen isn’t the coaching staff’s only job. Every young player on the team has to be examined and a determination has to be made about their future with the franchise. That’s particularly true of Kenyan Drake and Jakeem Grant, both of whom are entering contract years. How can you evaluate your talent if the quarterback if the quarterback can’t throw the ball accurately or run the offense? How can you develop younger players? So you do have to have a competent quarterback in order to develop and run the team properly in a rebuilding year. But having said that if Fitzpatrick wins this job it will mean very bad things for Rosen. And it will mean the decision about what to do come draft time in 2020 will have already been made.
“Miami’s coaches intend to run a hybrid scheme that incorporates both elements of a 4-3 and 3-4 front, and envision themselves playing with five defensive backs on the field at the same time, possibly as the team’s base defense. I think Kelly describes the forest well but he misses the point when it comes to the trees. The players in this defense will be expected to do a lot of things but to say that they don’t have “a defined role” really isn’t true. In fact, if the coaches do their jobs right, their role will be very clear cut and well-defined in any given situation. That won’t be - or at least it shouldn’t be - the problem. The problem comes in when you consider the talent of your players and whether they are capable of executing those well-defined roles. In this case, new Dolphins defensive line coach Marion Hobby seems to understand the challenge. “That’s where the awareness comes in,” Hobby said. “A coach used to always tell me if you trick the [defensive] ends and trick the free safety, you’re going to get a big play. So those guys have to have some awareness to them. They have to play with their eyes and their feet. It’s hard. There are very few that can.” When you are playing a multiple 3-4, 4-3 scheme, to a certain extent you throw the old position definitions away. But position definitions are still there. They’re just new. The trick, just as it is in the old standard systems, is the same. Getting guys who are capable of doing their jobs and getting them to the point where they can execute them is still the key to successful football. “Look, Tunsil has not fully arrived. He’s not fully developed. There’s much room for growth. But no one in the Dolphins organization questions whether he should be part of the organization going forward. Because he’s very good. Salguero has a point. But there are drawbacks.
As Salguero points out, the Dolphins don’t have to do this. Tunsil is under contract for 2019 and they have already picked up the fifth-year option for 2020. If they had to, they could apply the franchise tag in 2021. Interestingly, Omar Kelly at the Sun-Sentinel asserts out in another article that the Dolphins have been criticized for trying to do contract extensions too late. He points to losses like defensive end Olivier Vernon, tight end Charles Clay, receiver Jarvis Landry, tailback Lamar Miller and offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James under Mike Tannenbaum. I disagree with this assessment. In each of these cases it wasn’t a question of approaching the player too late. It was a question of money and value where, right or wrong, the Dolphins in each case decided that there wasn’t a match. In fact, I would argue the opposite. The Dolphins got themselves in some trouble after Adam Gase’s first year by handing out a lot of contracts such as those for Andre Branch, Reshad Jones, and Kiko Alonso that they’d probably like to get out from under. In many cases, these players were extended when the Dolphins really didn’t have to do it and they eventually let the team down either through disappointing play (debatably Alonso), a lack of development (Branch) or poor football character (Jones). Bottom line, a lot of money was spent that didn’t have to be and probably wouldn’t have been had the teams waited. There are also some additional factors. Players who get early long term deals tend to get comfortable. This can lead to less concentration and a decline in quality of play. And there is the fact that this sort of thing leads to the expectation on the part of other players that their contracts will be extended early, too. So even if you aren’t worried about extending Tunsil, the next guy who is more borderline will press for an early extension. And when he doesn’t get it, it can lead to an early hold out, one which agents have reason to expect might work simply because the team has a history of giving early extensions. On balance, I’d say its better to wait until the 2020 offseason to extend Tunsil. It would prevent Tunsil from having to enter a final, lame duck year and keep him out of the free agent market. This while keeping the team from having to tag him and while setting a better pattern for other players under the new regime. In the meantime, even if you are reasonably sure Tunsil is a part of your future, it gives you another year to make sure Tunsil remains healthy and to see how he develops and performs under the new coaching staff. •Safid Deen at the Sun-Sentinel reports that the Dolphins are giving running back Mark Walton a tryout, and then later actually signed him to the team. I found this move to be ironic given that on the very same day Flores characterized the extension of Xavien Howard’s contract as a move meant to build team culture. Walton was cut by the Cincinnati Bengals last month after his third arrest. He is facing felony charges for allegedly carrying a concealed weapon, marijuana possession and reckless driving. Significantly, the March 12 incident took place in Miami, his home town. Now the Dolphins are not only giving him a second chance, they’ve brought him back to a city where old friends and bad influences could exacerbate the problem. But that’s not my point. The problem is that they’ve brought him into a young locker room where veteran influence will have more than the usual impact on the development of the team. I don’t have a problem with Walton getting a second chance. But giving it to him with the Dolphins seems like a very questionable move. This story was written by Tom Shannon. Follow him on Twitter: @bearingthenews  The Miami Dolphins hoped Ja’Wuan James would solidify himself into one of the top right tackles in the National Football League concluding the 2018 regular season. Unfortunately, James decided to take his talents to the West Coast, after becoming an unrestricted free agent heading into the 2019 offseason, signing a 4-year, $51 million deal with the Denver Broncos in March.
To supplement the line after James' departure, the Dolphins came to terms with former Bills offensive tackle Jordan Mills on Thursday. The deal is for one year, and $3 million, according to league sources. Mills, at the right tackle position, started all sixteen games for Buffalo in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Prior to his tenure with the Buffalo Bills, Mills was a member of the Chicago Bears, from 2013-14, starting all 29 games he played with them. “He’s a veteran. He’s played a lot of football." said offensive line coach Pat Flaherty. "He was in Buffalo this past season and watching tape from week to week, you have a lot of crossover tape. So, I had an opportunity to see him there. I think he’s a good football player. Still even though he’s been in the league a little bit, he has got a high ceiling and he can get better at a lot of things he’s doing. We’re excited about having him.” Since Miami signed Mills after the May 7 deadline, the deal does not affect the Dolphins’ 2020 compensatory draft picks. Now, there will be a competition to see who gets to be the starter for the 2019 season. “It’s going to be open." said Flaherty. "Zach Sterup has done a good job in the offseason program. He’s worked his tail off in the weight room and on the field. Now with Jordan Mills here and drafting Isaiah Prince, you would think that the two veteran guys have a little bit of a step ahead of the rookie, but we’ll see how it goes. It’s hard to evaluate really where you are at the offensive line until you put pads on.” This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori  Xavien Howard is now the highest-paid cornerback in the National Football League, and man, does he deserve it.
The Miami Dolphins, on Thursday evening, locked up one of the most significant players on the defensive side of the football, signing Howard to a record five-year, $76.5M, including $46 million in guaranteed money. Set to enter the final year of his rookie deal, Howard, the former Baylor product, had an outstanding 2018 season, recording seven interceptions, tied for first in the league and twelve pass deflections. Due to a knee injury, Howard missed the final four contests. The previous largest contract for a cornerback was Washington’s Josh Norman, who was given a five-year, $75M deal in 2016. Howard was named to his first Pro Bowl this past season, as well. With Howard’s new contract, he is officially tied down to Miami until the 2024 season, where Howard will then become an unrestricted free agent in 2025. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori  The Sun-Sentinel does a photo gallery of quarterbacks who, similar to new Dolphins quarterback Josh Rosen, had slow starts to their careers. In one photo they highlighted the start of Peyton Manning’s career: “His first game was against the visiting Dolphins who grabbed three of his passes, including one for a pick-six by Terrell Buckley in a 24-15 Miami win. By the time the Colts had finished the first quarter of the season, Manning had piled up 11 pickoffs against only three touchdown passes. Things stabilized from there as he threw 23 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in the final 12 games. The rest is Hall of Fame history.” I hate clicking through these photo galleries and I usually don’t bother with them. But I knew I was going to have to read this one because I knew Manning would come up on a list of very good quarterbacks. With all due respect to Tom Brady, Dan Marino and the many others you could mention, Manning is in my opinion the greatest quarterback in the history of the game. I love all of those other guys but not one of them had to literally lift their team and carry them the way Manning did.
But that’s not my point. My point is that Manning elevated his game from his first three win season through to NFL history with the help of very good coaching from legendary offensive coordinator Jim Moore and quarterbacks coach Bruce Arians. And Rosen is going to need that kind of help. Like Manning, Rosen is smart. In fact, in the words of former Dolphins head coach Jimmy Johnson, probably too smart. What did Johnson mean? Rosen has a reputation for being arrogant. Most Dolphins fans can’t figure out where that reputation came from because his introduction to the Miami media, as least, was nothing but positive. But I have an idea how Rosen might have gotten stuck with this label. In my day job when I’m not bloviating about the NFL, I teach first year medical students. Specifically, I deal with a lot of extremely intelligent, high achieving students that I greatly respect. And those students challenge me with a lot of questions. In fact, even after doing this for going on 17 years, I’m constantly amazed at my students’ ability to come up with things I’ve never heard before. Sometimes these interactions test my limit when trying to show that I know what I’m talking about. And, at least as important, they test my willingness to admit when I don’t know what I’m talking about. I enjoy these conversations, especially when the latter is true, because it forces me to learn something. I’m nearly always better for having talked to a smart student about a topic. But I have tell you honestly that not all of my colleagues feel the same. There are some who believe that its their job to always show students that they are superior and they don’t like interactions with students who, frankly, might be smarter, if less knowledgeable, than they are. In the end, they explain their shortcomings to themselves by blaming the students. Most feel that these students lack respect. And that brings us back to Josh Rosen, who is by all accounts an extremely intelligent player. And, let’s be honest, his teachers haven’t been the best. After having had three offensive coordinators in college at UCLA, Rosen is going on his third offensive coordinator as he joins the Dolphins this season after only one year with the Cardinals. Up until this point, Rosen has had to deal with a carnival of coaches including Mike McCoy, who was fired after Week 7 last year, followed by Byron Leftwich, who was fired after the season. Someone with more cruelty in his blood than I have might have called it a "clown car." Nothing against the Cardinals staff but you don’t go through coaches like that if you are good at what you are doing. Bottom line, it would be no surprise to find that Rosen was smarter than his teachers. And it would be no surprise to find that his teachers didn’t react well to the situation. So far it seems that Rosen has had the same benefits that Manning had in his first seasons with the Colts. Let’s hope that he finds a better home in South Florida with good instructors that he can respect and, just as important, who can respect him. This story was written by Tom Shannon. Follow him on Twitter: @bearingthenews 
On Sunday evening, to celebrate Cinco De Mayo, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Albert Wilson brought his foundation to Lime Mexican Grill, located at 801 S University Drive, in Plantation.
The main objective of the Albert Wilson foundation is to give back to young kids in foster care homes. “As I always like to say, it is about the kids. If I can put a smile on their faces and make their day, it makes my day,” Wilson said. Wilson's desire to help children in the foster care system comes from the fact that he himself spent most of his childhood going in and out of Florida group and foster homes. It wasn't until he reached the 10th grade that he was able to really gain his footing, and now he's looking to help other kids do the same through events like this.
The night began with customers piling inside the restaurant to politely ask Wilson for a picture and an autograph. Once the photograph and autograph sessions concluded, customers began asking different questions to Wilson, with some being on the field-type questions and some off. One individual even decided to walk inside wearing a Tom Brady New England Patriots jersey. Once Wilson had made eye contact, he began shouting jokes to the young man. “Overall, it was a successful night. I am grateful for the people who came out and supported my foundation and I am looking forward to upcoming events down the road,” Wilson said. The next big thing on the docket for the Albert Wilson foundation is its Youth Skills Camp, which since its inception in 2016, has given over 150 kids annually the opportunity to be hands-on with the game of football, and it is scheduled to begin on June 22, right around the time the Dolphins will be getting ready for training camp. Wilson sustained a season-ending hip injury in Week 7 of the 2018 regular season, and is scheduled to return to the football field once the Dolphins open OTA’s and training camp. But first he'll be fulfilling his personal mission to give the foster kids of the Treasure Coast something to look forward to. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori  The Miami Dolphins were very active in both the draft and after the draft, trading for Josh Rosen and signing many undrafted free agents headlined the Dolphins draft storylines. One of the free agents Miami signed after the draft was wide receiver Preston Williams. Williams is one of the most talented players in this year's draft but ultimately went undrafted due to multiple reasons. His love for football was questioned and he was arrested for domestic violence in 2017. Williams has very, very impressive film, but he had a horrible pro day. At his pro day, Williams ran a 4.57 forty-yard dash, 31.5 inch vertical, and a 116 inch broad jump. Those numbers are very disappointing, and do not match up to his skill set on film. As for his domestic violence charge, he did plead guilty to assaulting his ex-girlfriend in 2017. The charge he received was a Class 3 misdemeanor charge and he was suspended from the NCAA. During his time playing college football he failed multiple drug tests, which could show that he could be another Josh Gordon. Williams also played for the University of Tennessee before transferring to Colorado State University. He was at Tennessee in 2015 and 2016 and during those two seasons he had a combined 16 catches, 247 yards, and two touchdowns. He had to sit out 2017 due to transfer rules and him being suspended. In his lone season at Colorado State, 2018, he had 96 catches, 1345 yards, and 14 touchdowns. From his stats, you can see that the talent is there but Williams still has a ton of potential as well. Williams is 6’4” and 210 pounds. With those measurables, Miami can have one of the best red zone offenses in the NFL with him. With players such as DeVante Parker, Mike Gesicki, Kalen Ballage, Kenyan Drake, and newcomers Josh Rosen and Chandler Cox, Miami already has plenty of players who should be red zone threats. If you add WIlliams to that list, it will be hard for teams to cover all of those tall receivers and those versatile running backs. Williams will have to prove himself in training camp and it will be interesting to see how he does in OTAs as well. If Williams can play like he did at Colorado State and stay out of trouble, Miami would have got one of the biggest steals in this year's draft. This story was written by Tanner Elliott. Follow him on Twitter: @Elliott302Tj  When the Miami Dolphins started their rebuild, they dumped a lot of salaries, making room for a lot of new players in the process. To fill out the ranks, the Dolphins brought in a few former AAF players, cheap NFL free agents, new draft picks, and a whole bunch of undrafted free agents who will all come in to compete for a spot on the 53-man roster, as mandatory mini-camp fast approaches. But they are being somewhat selective with who they bring in, making sure they meet certain standards that Miami is looking for in their players. “I think when Brian (Flores) and I got together with the personnel department and the coaching staff, we wanted to make sure we’re adding guys that had toughness, competitiveness, guys that love football, are very intelligent and (have a) history of production in college, as well." said general manager Chris Grier. "We’ve kind of done that. We feel good. We’ve addressed some holes in the roster maybe that we may have; but again, a lot of work to be done still.” One of the players the Dolphins brought in was defensive end Dewayne Hendrix out of Pittsburgh, and he's fully prepared to compete for a spot on a roster that is short on DEs. "I've been dealing with competition my whole life," Hendrix said on Wednesday during an exclusive PhinManiacs interview. "I love it to be honest, there's nothing like going out there and competing. I wouldn't want nothing given to me, I wanna earn it. I look forward to competing with those guys." As of now, the only players listed as DEs on Miami's roster are Jonathan Woodard, Tank Carradine, and former first round draft pick Charles Harris. He also has fellow undrafted free agent Jonathan Ledbetter out of Georgia to beat out for a roster spot. Hendrix views himself as a pass rusher primarily, and acknowledges that one thing he needs to get better at is getting off of blocks faster. Fortunately, he knows a thing or two about being working hard and being patient with his development, thanks to the things he went through in college after transferring to Pittsburgh from the University of Tennessee. "My time there, it started off a little rough," Hendrix said. "I had to sit out a year, and I'd never done that before. Then that following year I ended up getting hurt. So that whole two years has really taught me how to be patient, you know good things will come if you'll be patient. After that is when I had two seasons and then I am where I am today." During the two years and 21 games he was able to actually play at Pittsburgh, Hendrix racked up 50 tackles (10 tackles for a loss), 7.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. He's also played in both 4-3 and 3-4 defensive alignments, and that versatility will go a long way in the hybrid defense head coach Brian Flores is projected to install. One of the signature skills of Flores' former team, the New England Patriots, is taking otherwise unheralded players and turning them into solid contributors. That is Hendrix - and other undrafted free agents - in a nutshell. There's talent to be developed with Hendrix, and it will be a real test of Flores and the coaching staff's ability to make these new players realize their NFL potential. This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung 
Kelly’s initial answer was “Seven wins.” Hyde’s more reasonable response was: “You’ll know it when you see it.” A couple things here: a. In fairness, Kelly immediately started to back off his ridiculous response. Seven wins on a team with more holes than answers is absurd. But it does show you what his attitude towards this situation is. Despite claiming otherwise, he’s determined not to like the Rosen experiment. I’m not saying that I mind that. Like every reporter, no matter who he is, Kelly is welcome to his opinion. No reporters, no matter how hard they try, can completely suppress those opinions when they write their articles. And Kelly isn’t just acting as a beat reporter. He’s also a columnist where he is actually paid to express that opinion (whether beat reporters should also be allowed to be columnists is a topic for another day). Nevertheless, this is something that needs to be born in mind when you read his articles. They’re going to be biased and an informed reader is going to have to compensate mentally for that. b. Neither of these guys are right. The truth is, with the Dolphins roster constructed the way it is, no one on the outside is really going to know whether Rosen is the answer. It’s not going to be a good year. Peyton Manning won one game his rookie season. I think we can all agree he wasn’t a bad quarterback. What people not directly associated with the team are going to have to do is have faith that the coaches know what they’re dong and that they’ll be able to properly evaluate Rosen from the inside. They’re the ones in the locker room. They’re watching the film. They’ll know how Rosen responds to coaching. They’ll know his strengths and weaknesses to some extent independent of the talent around him. We’ll be convinced that Rosen is the answer when we find out whether the Dolphins take a quarterback high in the 2020 draft. Until then, keeping an open mind is really all you can do. The Dolphins pumped a lot of resources into the 2020 draft this offseason and now have 12 draft picks. 1 — 1st round 2 — 2nd round (theirs and New Orleans) 2 — 3rd round (theirs and Ja’Wuan James compensatory pick) 2 — 4th round (theirs and Tennessee’s from Ryan Tannehill trade) 1 — 5th round (Cameron Wake compensatory pick) 2 — 6th round (theirs and Robert Quinn trade) 2 — 7th round (theirs and Kansas City from Jordan Lucas trade) I noted the optimism with which Hyde anticipated getting the compensatory picks for James and Wake. In particular, I’m not convinced that losing James is going to bring a third round compensatory pick but presumably the formula says he will, so let’s assume that. The list highlights one of the changes I think we can anticipate in the new NFL labor contract as the old deal expires in 2 years. The compensatory pick system was set up to help ameliorate the damage done when a player leaves via free agency, they weren’t meant to completely compensate for the loss, only to make it less disastrous for a team when they lose a particularly valuable asset. But the system has developed far beyond that now. The compensatory picks that teams get for getting a free agent go are so valuable that teams are often motivated to game the system by purposely letting the player go and taking the pick instead. Consider the case of James. Does anyone think there’s any chance that James would have brought a third round pick in a trade before he became a free agent? Would anyone have given a fifth round pick for a 37 year old Cam Wake? The pick system is currently being used for a purpose that it was not intended for - i.e. actually rewarding a team for not signing a player in free agency. That’s something the NFLPA cannot let stand and, given the justice of their case, I have to believe that the league won’t fight too hard against changing the system. "The Dolphins trade for Josh Rosen was helped out by the awful management in Arizona. If Cardinals GM Steve Keim knew he was trading Rosen, why wait until after picking Kyler Murray? Every team was down the road to their top picks at that point. If he started trade talk a month before the draft, then perhaps the New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Dolphins and others would be involved. This occurred to me as well. The best explanation I could come up with was that the Cardinals were worried that they tipped their hand on Murray before the draft, they might miss out on a "Godfather offer" for the first overall pick that they might have considered. It was, for instance, rumored that Oakland liked Murray a lot. Had they offered say, three first round picks to move up into the first position, I assume the Cardinals would have had to consider it. There is also the possibility that the Cardinals were in secret negotiations already with Murray’s agent. Once you commit to Murray, it gives them significant leverage. I like this explanation less in the age of the rookie salary cap. In any case, Hyde as a point. At bare minimum if you don’t trade Murray before the draft, you trade him as soon as possible after you make the pick before other teams know if they are going to have the opportunity to get their guy. As it turned out, the top end of the quarterback market was softer than expected with first round talent Drew Lock falling into the second round. That meant everybody was happy with where they ended up and the Cardinals were stuck negotiating with the Dolphins.
Indianapolis would be a good spot except for one thing. It’s far enough north to make weather a problem. When Radio City Music Hall left the draft four years ago, Chicago lobbied hard to be the new permanent home. But anyone who looked out the window at the heavy snow coming down in Saturday, the last day of the draft, had to agree that the the NFL made the right decision when they started rotating cities instead. Indianapolis isn’t that far south of Chicago.
“The Bears are planning to sign 19 undrafted free agents. As you and others have documented, this has become an important part of the draft process as teams scramble and bid against one another to sign highly regarded prospects who slipped through the cracks. The draft was cut down to seven rounds in 1994. Do you think the NFL would consider adding more rounds given the importance of these undrafted players? — Tom S., Chicago Yes, if you are a reporter. Maybe not if you are a general manager.
I actually didn’t think this was a bad question. Wisconsin guard Beau Benzschawel had offers from 20 teams before signing with the Lions. It’s very evident that teams are leaving good players on the board at the end of seven rounds. This story was written by Tom Shannon. Follow him on Twitter: @bearingthenews 
It comes as a surprise to no one that the Miami Dolphins are not being given a lot of thought when it comes to the 2019 playoff picture early on, even after the dramatic trade that brought quarterback Josh Rosen to Miami.
Even after the draft was over, the holes on the team were, and are evident. There are questions along the offensive line, the defensive end position is scarce, and the Dolphins don't have a set cornerback on the boundary alongside blossoming star Xavien Howard. Of course, those questions could easily be answered as training camp eventually rolls around, and the new young players get a chance to get accustomed to head coach Brian Flores' scheme and team philosophy. Flores is preaching that no one will be given a job coming in, and that everyone will have to earn their spots on his team, as evidenced last Saturday when Flores addressed how Rosen and the QB position will be handled.
"You have to earn it." He said. "We’ll give him the opportunity. We’ll give everyone the opportunity to go out there and reach their potential and try to have some success on the field. That starts obviously in the classroom, in the walkthroughs, in the meetings, and then you have to produce on the practice field and then obviously when we start playing games.” Those games, however, will not be easy to win on paper, and while there's undoubtedly talent to be developed, their inexperience leads many to believe that Miami will struggle in 2019. In fact, SportsBettingDime.com currently ranks the Miami Dolphins as the least likely team to win the AFC Championship game by a large sum, probably for those exact reasons. Naturally, this could change if the Dolphins display a fair amount of improvement over the course of the season, odds are never set in stone; SportsBettingDime recently made an update on May 1 that hurt the Chiefs' odds of winning the AFC Championship game due to the scandal currently orbiting their star receiver Tyreek Hill. If cornerback Cordrea Tankersley thrives in a press man coverage scheme, if pass rusher Charles Harris manages to find his groove back at his old college position, if Josh Rosen has a Jared Goff-like resurgence in his career, those odds could improve in a hurry. But for now, those 8,700 to 1 odds will mark Miami as the least winningest team in the NFL for 2019. For those odds to improve, they will have to prove the world wrong. And general manager Chris Grier is well aware that they still have a lot of work to do to make it happen. “We’ve made some progress." He said Saturday. "We feel good about the players we’ve added, the guys we added today. They’ll come in and compete. Like I said, we feel better but there’s still work to do. We still have time to add people post-draft here and free agents as we get going throughout the spring and summer. We’re not where we want to be but we’re happy where we are.” This story was written by Luis Sung. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung  When the Miami Dolphins signed 36-year-old, Ryan Fitzpatrick, to a 2-year, $11 million dollar contract in March, the organization was riding on a journeyman quarterback to lead the Dolphins in 2019. Not a smart idea.
Chaos occurred, nonetheless, in the 2nd round of the 2019 NFL draft this past Friday night. The Dolphins traded their second round selection, number 48 overall, to the New Orleans Saints, thus resulting in Miami sinking down to pick 62. Miami, in full contact with the Arizona Cardinals, grabbed Arizona’s former first round choice in 2018, Josh Rosen. This was an ultimate steal for GM Chris Grier. Why? Well, the Dolphins are not completely committing on Fitzpatrick, who has battled injuries in recent memory, to lead the charge this upcoming season. Grier and the front office has confidence in Rosen, who struggled in his rookie season with the Cardinals, tallying just three wins in sixteen games. The upcoming summer will now present an interesting starting quarterback competition between Rosen and Fitzpatrick. In 2018, the decision was simple: Ryan Tannehill earned the starting job, but did not carry consistent success on the playing field. Miami moved on from Tannehill after seven seasons, shipping the former 2012 first round selection to Tennessee. Fitzpatrick has capability. Football fans saw it in Buffalo, in 2015 with the New York Jets and this past season in Tampa Bay. Fitzpatrick is going to give you great games and some victories, but Fitzpatrick is also going to give you the head-scratcher contests and a pile of losses, as well. Rosen is fully prepared to compete for the job, all the same. "I’m excited and ready for it. At the end of the day, I just want to come in and play football and compete and have fun." He said on Monday. "The timing on when I play or not – or if – that’s not up to me. It’s kind of similar to the situation the last couple of days. I just control what I can control and take each day by day.” If the Dolphins roll with Rosen as the man under center, the organization will be able to explore Rosen’s potential to the tee. Arizona was surprisingly fed up with Rosen after one season because new head coach, Kliff Kingsbury, basically slapped Rosen in the face by pulling in Kyler Murray with the first overall selection this past Thursday night, and fed up with their former head coach, Steve Wilks, too. The Cardinals fired Wilks on the final calendar day of 2018 in his lone season with Arizona. When it is all said and done, May, June and July will be three intriguing months for both Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen. Gear up. This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori 
Before the draft there were several reports that came out stating the Miami Dolphins potential interest in Josh Rosen. I (like a lot of fans) could not wrap my head around this. I mean, how could I looking at Rosen's stats from his rookie season.
I know better than to say that it's all on Rosen considering he was on a terrible Arizona team with an even worse offensive line. But...I rationalized that he had Larry Fitzgerald and David Johnson by his side. He should be better than what his stats were right? Then I thought, "Well...Miami could have made an effort to trade up for him in last year's draft right?" I mean, Chris Grier was the GM last year so he clearly didn't like/trust Rosen to bring him in so there's no way he would this year! Then when reports came out stating that Rosen was toxic to locker room culture and his cockiness rubbed people the wrong way, even his college coach acknowledged that he isn't easy to deal with. That has to mean something right? Lastly (and the biggest reason for me), the compensation Rosen was going to require. A 1st rounder for a failed investment by Arizona? During our own rebuild? No way! I felt that way even after the reports came out stating we may trade a 2nd and even a 3rd in a draft where the middle rounds would have some value. Then...the trade occurred. I was a prisoner of an initial shock that said we traded a 2nd rounder and a 5th next year for him. I allowed myself to fall victim to all the negativity and chaos that followed Rosen. This was especially true because I felt the trade would impede us finding a true franchise QB in 2020 and pretend that recycled garbage can lead this team into the future. That is when it hit me...three days after the news...I may be wrong and that is okay.
I have seen numerous tweets, posts, and even a video of a fan who exposed himself as a fair-weather fan who masqueraded in Dolphins gear expressing his displeasure about the trade. I have seen journalists who know more, have seen more, and interact with "insider" sources about the team I love express their negative perspectives. I understand it and it's okay...it's also okay to acknowledge that we are holding a grudge that may not make sense and we need to be more open about this. The reality is that Rosen was a smart QB who could dissect the concepts a defense threw at him. He displayed an arm and footwork that Miami has not truly seen in years. In regards to him being cocky, has that stopped other QBs from being great? And that was behind an atrocious offensive line that would have eaten the best QBs alive. In regards to Miami passing on Rosen last year, they very well could have because of the red flags Rosen had. It is also very possible that Grier (who has my respect based on his work to date this offseason) wanted Rosen but was overruled by a stubborn Adam Gase (who hates personalities) and Mike Tannenbaum (who thought Mark Sanchez was a franchise QB). Teammates then came pouring out of the woodwork praising Rosen, wishing him well, and acknowledging that Miami has a keeper in Rosen...I wouldn't say that about a teammate I hate. And then there was the trade and compensation...Grier was an absolute genius. He turned the 2nd round pick this year into a 2nd rounder next year (by trading down with the Saints), acquired a QB who would be the 2nd best QB if he were in the 2019 draft (maybe even the best?) and really only surrendered a 5th rounder. I applaud Grier and his team to not only maneuver this trade but also the trust he has in Brian Flores and his staff to coach up this young pup. And acquiring Rosen does not impede the team from drafting a QB next year whether Rosen fails or not. It is absolutely okay to have two QBs on our roster (and if you don't think so, look at the last 20 years the Dolphins had). I refuse to be upset and lose faith in the Dolphins because I "feel" like I should. I'm not going to let others decide whether or not this trade was a good one. If you feel that way, that's fine and you have that right. But for those of you who switched (or are contemplating switching your opinion), it's okay. Don't let others keep you from accepting that you were guilty of being emotional. Don't be that person because you don't want to be wrong. Because you may be missing on something special in the making. This story was written by Carlos Camacho. Follow him on Twitter: @DolfansVoice |
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