Dolphins Rebuild Mode: Everyone For Sale?
How deep will the Dolphins cut to the bone?
The Miami Dolphins owner Steven Ross has finally bitten the bullet: This new regime won’t be forced into a win now mode.
With the Phins rebuilding, fans are expecting very few wins this coming season.
This low-bar mentality is fine and dandy… however, this doesn’t mean it’s certain that we’ll only have less than a handful of wins.
You can bet with the pay per heads like Ace Per Head that every year at least one team will go from ‘worst to first’.
Look at what the Chicago Bears did this season going from 5-11 in 2017 to 12-4 and the playoffs in 2018. And let’s also not forgotten this was Matt Nagy’s first year as a head coach, so maybe Flores can end up like Nagy… or ‘Nagy light’.
Okay, I’d take ultralight.
I’m ok with Ross tempering expectations… However, you can bet that Brian Flores isn’t coming here to lose football games. While he’s a first-time head coach, there’s no guarantee that if he flops with the Phins that he’ll get another crack at leading a regime down the road.
The real story about what fans’ expectations should be told with roster cuts and trades
Will there be many cuts for CAP space and a fire sale to pick up draft picks? Will Miami replay what the Raiders did this season? Or will Grier and Flores take a more even-keeled approach?
If it’s not a roster purge, I can see this team being
If they gut the team, then it’s ‘tanking for a 2020 QB’.
Let’s not forget that the Dolphins weren’t horrible last year. Phins were technically in the Playoff race until the second to last week of the season. There are talented players on the roster… just not enough to overcome being a MASH unit.
An all-out fire sale may not be the right approach for a rebuild of this team.
Of the 4 major positions in the NFL: Quarterback, Left Tackle, pass rusher, and lockdown corner, the Dolphins have two very good young players. Having half the key position covered is a solid building block.
- Xavian Howard appears to be a true lockdown CB. It’s certain he’s a ball hawk.
- Tunsil had a shaky start to his career. However, last year when healthy, he was one of best pass protector in the league.
- Ryan Tannehill must go even if the 2019 QB is a lesser player.
- Cameron Wake is the Dolphins’ best pass rusher and a legend… but he’ll be 37 years old this year.
However, Tunsil and Howard are poised to bank big bucks on their next contract. So the real question is will Miami pay up or use them as trade bait in a soup to nuts overhaul?
I don’t want to see either Tunsil or Howard moved. They are both young players that you can build a team with. Rebuilding doesn’t demand that you tear apart your whole team.
Miami has plenty of pieces to move
The players that should be traded if possible (some would take minor miracles to move):
- Kenny Stills
- Andre Branch
- Charles Harris
- DeVante Parker
- Kiko Alonso
- Raekwon McMillian
- T.J. McDonald
- Reshad Jones
- Bobby McCain
… just to name a few.
Sure some of these guys are good players and some are underperformers… However, this regime needs to not repeat former Dolphins regimes mantra of ‘a day late and a dollar short’. Maybe this regime will wise up and try to get any value from their players before they are waived or not resigned? Something is better than nothing.
Rebuild or a total overhaul? Ahead of the curve or behind? Fans will get an early read on this regime’s plan and intention but who and how deep they cut. Interesting times for Phins Fans.
So what are the rest of the Miami
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The list has very few players worthy of a trade. Howard and Tunsil top the list but will soon end their rookie contracts. Cut the big salaries and trade anyone for draft picks.
Good coaches can go 7 & 9 with journeymen and promising young players.
“Good coaches can go 7 & 9 with journeymen and promising young players” Agree.
And while the Raiders had prime players for blue chip picks, I’ll take back end picks vs nothing. Flores will be like Belichick in the thought process that many picks and back end picks are a goal. This is more about fit than talent. Defined roles will allow flawed players to thrive.
I was born and raised in Miami and have been living in N.C. for the past 45 years.I have been a Dolphin’s fan since their inception in ’66 and will be a fan till the day I die.One thing that I’ve never understood is why in 20 years we have not been able thru drafts and free agency to be able to build another winning team.It blows my mind.We were always since 1971 thru 2000 a team competing for the playoffs or championship.My only hope is our new coach and GM can make this happen and I will still be around to see it. GO PHINS.
I know Randy. It boggles the mind. I’ve been a fan since 77, so the loss of Shula was hard, but the promise of Jimmy J and Marino got me through. Then when Jimmy turned into a flake and Marino was dumped, it was hard… I despised The Stache taking over… and it has been ugly ever since. The only real bright spots for me was Ricky and that became ugly and the early 2000s Defense. Really everything else besides Wake has been meh… I think the desperation to be equal the Shula era had owners trying to buy wins and rush team builds. Just me 2 cents take on it. This will be a new process… really. Probably we haven’t seen this type of team building process since When Shula took over. That was a total gut… so that is likely the deeper purge… and this build certainly won’t reach the heights of that build. But, this is the first real rebuild that I remember… Maybe the Wood / Strock era is close? You’ll remember it better than I… So I’m very intrigued, Randy.