2021 Dolphins Roster Evaluation, Tua Spin and Zip Talk and Possible Player Extensions

with a roster review. We're gonna talk about the guys who could be up for possible contract extensions next season, and we're gonna talk about arm strength and playbooks, and if we have time, we're gonna cover some of the veteran free agent signings who were brought in post the first few weeks of free agency for some film reviews, the John Jenkins, the DJ Fluker's, the Jason mccordie's of the world, all of that and more on this edition of the Drive Time Podcast. Well, it's been a minute

since we talk Dolphins fans. We had the podcast yesterday with Colleen Wolf, but that was pre recorded before Memorial Day weekend, and before we really get started here, you know this Naomi Osaka story, the tennis player who was fine for missing her press conferences, and then went out and put a tweet out there saying that she has struggled with anxiety and these very high anxious moments with these press conferences, that she needs a moment away from

tennis and kind of work on her mental health. It's getting so much run and I tweeted about it on Tuesday, but I want to use this space again to just say a couple of things. Number One, mental health above all. That's why we're kicking this podcast off with this topic.

Those of you that have been with me on this podcast Slash, my previous podcast since the very beginning, have heard my story and I've gone back to that topic quite a lot because it strikes close to home for me, as mental health complications led to the loss of a loved one, my mother, who was the most compassionate, best person I've ever met in my entire life. So the reason I bring this up is to kind of tie it all together more real day weekend was the ultimate

reconnect for me. The disconnect really the pursuit of balance and which I just I can't recommend enough how valuable that is. My wife and I took a night away from the little One from Caroline, our baby daughter, our one year old daughter. For the first time since she was born in May of last year, we spent the night up in Bellevue, Washington, which if you're not familiar with the Pacific Northwest, if I had to make a comparison, I would say Bellevue is too is to Seattle what

Fort Lauderdale is to Miami. And if you're ever out in the Northwest, make it a point to visit the son Katie a Resort. It's about an hour southeast of Seattle. That's where the photo that I shared on Twitter was just absolutely stunning views like three golf courses, wineries. It's an absolute maven for summer activity. But that balance Man and Naomi Osaka serious serious admiration for her for the recognition of her own mental health, needing some attention and

stepping away. And that's what I was able to achieve this weekend because on Monday we went to a friend's house for a pool party and barbecue, and I got to swim around with Caroline and that was just about the best thing I've ever done. She was laughing and smiling and splashing around. You just can't beat that and here we are super super refreshed on this podcast because of that. So finding balance is the ultimate key. And I also just want to make this note, don't hold

athletes two different standards than the general population. They're not impervious two emotions or struggle the standard pushback I see too, that is well, that's part of the job. Bullshit, man. Every person DIZ deserves to be treated with the same level of respect and common courtesy, regardless of profession, race, creed, whatever the category. People are people. All right, that's my diet tribe. Let's get to the football here and start

with this. The white board, you guys, know, the white board, the one that I keep alongside my desk. Here, I've got the roster, the schedule, I've got some color coordination that goes along with it. And I've been doing that since I don't know, two thousand six, and obviously in twenty nineteen it was a bit of a challenge to find those blue players. Blue Chip players are guys that are elite players at their position, the best of the best of the best. And the only blue player I

had on that nineteen team was Xavian Howard. Coming off that eighteen season, where he led the NFL in interceptions despite missing nearly a quarter of the season. I've also got a Green category that's the above average, good solid players that you want to have on your roster. Orange is average or slightly above average, a guy that contributes, and every roster needs these players. My purple category is

my most multifaceted. There's just the veteran presence guy who's kind of been a journeyman in his career, special teams, aces and developing players who are late round draft picks trying to find their way. Those guys typically wind up in that purple category and then my red categories, where you don't want to be in danger of not making

the roster. So in twenty nineteen, that last descriptor wasn't easy because you always have to have fifty three guys, right Like, you can't just say we're going with forty five this year. But starting off the season, that roster just didn't have fifty three guys who came without a red designation. Hence all the roster activity we saw in

September that season. Remember how many waiver wire claims there were for this Dolphins team, whether it was bringing in you know, even like Johnson Batamosi from the trade for the Lawn Meetunsel trade. Like getting those kind of guys into round out your roster. That's what Miami had to do because they were just that bereft of guys that they thought could play, especially early on that season. So for this year, and keep in mind, this is not about a long term projection. It's simply how I think

the player will perform this year. It's an evaluation and projection project. I've got four blue chip players that I expect to play at the top or at the very near the very top of their position in the season. But that green area, that's where I think you win a ton of games and make your runs in January and have your sustained success that Stephen Ross talked about back in twenty nineteen. And of course these guys can eventually develop into blue players in terms of some of them.

One of the guys, for instance, I have a rookie who's a green player who I think becomes blue very soon. You might know who that is. I love Jillen Waddles game. I just can't make them a blue off the top. And this is an area where we have I think five or six guys in the green category in twenty nine team. Last year that number climbed up to tennis. But this year seventeen green players and eleven of those

are on defense. One of them is a quarterback to because I know you guys want to know that that's just a little sidebar there. Then I've got eleven orange players, so I remember that orange is above average, and anything above orange, orange, blue, or green is where you want to be on my list. And that gives us thirty

two players who are either orange, blue, or green. That means you've got thirty two guys are not just deserving of rep but guys that give reps with the expectation that they're going to win the majority of their individual matchups. You win of your individual matchups, you're gonna be an orange players. It's above average and again a nearly three increase with thirty two players in that category since three

hundred percent. Wow, it's a big jump. And so to wrap it up with the purple category, which ideally is the bottom fifteen to eight team players on your roster. You can't have a roster full of blues. That's not how this world, this this league, or this world works. But more realistically, it's probably in the twenties for most teams. That twenty nineteen Dolphins team, for instance, would have had

probably thirty thirty five of them. So we've got thirty two of the fifty players, and this is specialists excluded, So no Jason Sanders in that category. And you need what eighteen purple players, I've got twenty three. So what does that mean? That's fifty five of the fifty players and purple or better. Remember how in twenty nineteen the Dolphin is made again all those signings and a bunch of guys that were cut from other teams. The shoe

was on the other foot. Now players will get cut by the Dolphins in September and they're gonna make other rosters, and some of them will probably play good football elsewhere in one. That's where you want to be as a roster where you can't fit everyone in because you've littered the nine man roster and eventually your fifty three man roster with talent. And that's the portion of this process the Dolphins are in right now, and that specialist caveat

None of those guys were included here. But we know the kicker is blue Jason Standards was All Pro last year. The definition of a blue player, and I'm pretty damn bullish on both the long snapper and the punter too. So after including the specialist, here's the final tally. Five blue players, eighteen green players, twelve orange players, and eighteen purple players. Not bad, not bad at all. Shifting gears.

Now as we drop it down and engage the drs and go flying around the outside for the overtake and fit, it's this pod with our best lap. Another good problem to have, and the product of that last segment, you know, acquiring a bunch of really good football players, is that eventually those chickens they come home to roost from that rookie deal into a second contract. And looking at this roster man that ten draft, along with some guys brought in later on shorter deals who could be up for

new contracts at the end of this season. But as we see across the NFL every summer, these deals can get done before they're expired. Right, So I've got four guys that I think fall into this category, guys that I think have earned themselves that next deal, whether it's in Miami or somewhere else, because we know, this is a tough business and you can't get them all paid

and go out and spend on the open market. And granted Miami again, a tip of the cap here to Chris Career, Brandon Shore, and the entire Dolphins front office for building in the flexibility with the roster and cash commitments so they can put themselves in position to make moves in future years and this year and just continue to roll that sustained model down the road. And the Dolphins are right back in the saddle next year in terms of cash to spend in that offseason. Will they

do it? Who the hell knows, man, I don't know, but it's a great position to be in. And so what I want to do is talk about these guys the upside of that potential new deal and one reason for pushback, not saying I agree with that reason, but just for the sake of objective viewpoints and giving you a good fleshed out conversation here, I want to go ahead and have that pushback, and then I'm doing them in order that I would get the deals done and

explain that as I go along. Sound good? Oh yeah, There's also a secondary group that is also four names long, will do them in their own grouping after this first group, So guys that are a couple of years away, but something to think about for the future. So this first group batting leadoff m up. Next is linebacker Jerome Baker. The case for Jerome talk about the straw that stirs a drink man. You guys, remember the Channing Crowder podcast I did back in again more callbacks back in March

of right before the pandemic hit. I had Channing on the podcast and he raved about all the stuff Jerome does in this defense and one thousand and snap player coverage run defense, and oh buddy, all the blitzing he does. I recently rewatched the Kansas City game from last season, and that sack where he dumps Mahomes for thirty yard

loss is vintage modern day linebacker stuff. The change of direction he can match up with backs and tight ends, and all the chaos his first step quickness and flat out speed and great angles to the quarterbacks, all the chaos that causes on this Dolphins defense. He was a big part of a lot of those takeaways. He's worn the green dot, he's been a captain. He's a great dude. Seriously, find a nicer guy than Jerome Baker. I dare you to do it. He's still unbelievably young. He hasn't even

hit his twenty fifth birthday yet. I think his best football is ahead of him, and he's a tremendous, tremendous culture and scheme fit. Now is there a case against him. It's tough to find one. But if Bernardrick McKinney kind of occupies that role that, I suppose you can justify

not making the big contract offer. But you also want to have irons and the fire behind these types of players to give yourself the freedom to not put yourself out over your skis financially to go out and make those extensions, because if you can find a guy for cheaper than you do it. But the likelihood that you

can place that production I don't know. I mean, right now, it's I think Duke Riley is the closest comparison to Jerome's skill set on the roster, and then sam Ego Van ran a similar role back in so he's probably in that mix as well. But it's not really a good case against because Jerome is just different and I think he's just scratching the surface on what his game is and can become. Now, this next one here I'm gonna give you, guys, is gonna make you give me

the old Tim Allen Travis. We just signed this guy. It's William full of the fifth the case for I've made no secrets about how I feel about Fuller's game. I think he's a complete receiver with speed, run after the catch, intelligence to know how to make adjustments in game on the fly. On his routes, I think he wins the full route tree. Hell. Matt Harmon, who's on the podcast back in March, The Reception Perception Project, which is one of the best receiver charting websites out there,

Actually it is the best. For my money, had him with a plus winning percentage on every single route in the tree except for the deep out, which was still league average, but he he dominated every single other route. I think his skill set jives with what TA does well. He's an immediate separator with strong hands that can attack both inside and outside leverage. He puts defenses in a bind. He forces a safety over the top, which creates space. He also puts a ton of pressure or takes ton

of pressure. I should say off a player who I think is going to be the next explosive, dangerous, defensive structure destroyer in Jalen Waddle. I'm actually not sure any pair in the NFL complements each other better than than Waddle and Fuller, and I don't take that lightly. So Will is here on a one year prove it contract after he showed the entire NFL last season that man,

he can assume that number one role. He can command double teams attention in the red zone and on third down and still average nearly one hundred yards per game and nearly a touchdown per game. I mean pro rate that over seventeen games. We're talking about a sixteen hundred yard receiver and like a fifteen touchdown guy. That's that's pretty good production right there. I think, if he stays healthy, this is one of the best receivers in the game.

And you watch his development. I cover this back on his free agency podcast, how he grew from a kind of screens and swings and curl routes back in his rookie season and now he runs the whole damn route tree.

He's refined, he's polished. He talked about how he worked on that when I had him on the podcast back in March, and this is kind of a giveaway as to who I had as the other blue player on the on the segment earlier talking about which players are blue, green, and orange, call back again, and I think if he can prove those things are consistent, you feel pretty good about making him and Waddle a long term fixture together here in Miami. The case against it, I mean, we

just covered it really health. He played fourteen games as a rookie ten seventeen, seven and eighteen. He got hurt against us that year. If you remember the Thursday night football game where he was going off before the a c L. He played eleven games in twenty nineteen and then played all eleven games last season before the suspension hit, a suspension that will hold him out of the season opener in Foxboro. Can he stay healthy? That's the one

case against will Fuller in my opinion. And the last player of our first crop here is tight end Mike Gisicky. The case for Gasecki really plays a slot receiver position. He's been in line less than ten percent of his reps post rookie season. Remember, he was, in my opinion and excusably used inside a lot in that rookie year. He's better than six inside the slot in terms of his workload. So when you go to the negotiating table, it could be interesting in terms of what position does

this guy actually play? But we've seen what Mike does best. He scores touchdowns, He draws favorable matchups and exploits them. He's a big play tight end who was at the top spot or in the top three pretty much all season long among tight ends in yards per reception. He's a nice compliment to the smaller players we just talked about, and someone that can take advantage of all that space that we talked about that Waddle and Fuller can create.

Him and DeVante Parker I think are your best beneficiaries of that space created. Now the case against him, I mean, well, you know, as we go towards Fuller and Waddle prototypes, is that what you want the entire receiver cord to look like? Or do you require that balance and versatility your basketball lay up with your power forwards and your centers to go along with your one and two guards. If that's the case the former, then Mike e. G

isn't your guy. But I mean we saw him do really well in the contested catch game, and that happened with two of just as much as it did fit. So it's not a quarterback problem. See the touchdown against the Chiefs or the one handed stab against the Bengals for proof like two can fit those type windows that

he can make those catches. But maybe his full potential, and that's probably in the ten million dollars per year range, maybe it's maximized with an offense that does put a higher emphasis on the yolo balls the shots, an offense that's not so keen on the timing precision and immediate separation. To me, it's a fascinating topic and a tough decision for really the entire roster in the front office, and that's why these guys get paid like they do to

make these tough decisions. So that's my four, all four deserving of big contracts at some point and in that order. Then we've got some guys that I listed in the too early to make that decision category, but I think it's worth mentioning here. Miles Gaskin comes in first. He's in year three out of four. I think the upside there is you're probably gonna have cost control because I mean,

running backs just aren't getting paid right now. But also Myles Gaskin, he broke out last year in a big way, but they're still miss some games and maybe you get the upside of his potential coming up. As far as cost control, I think it's a high, high floor player, Like you know what you're gonna get with Myles Gaskin because of the way he prepares and because he's just always produced going back to his freshman season at Washington.

I also think talking about the hard work and the way he commits himself to the game, he is a purveyor year of the Dolphins culture that you want to have here. That's gonna be a theme for these next three guys as well. Christian Wilkins year three of four with that fifth year option creates chances for others on the defense, which is a very unsung job that he executes beautifully. He's positioned diverse, he's been very durable, he almost never missed his time, and he's a culture purveyor,

just like Myles Gaskin, so was Andrew Van Ginkle. And it's way too early here because he's played what five games his rookie season, then last year as well. But man if he takes another step and improves his game upon the things we improved last season. I mean, I was a huge fan of Gink from his college tape at Wisconsin and the spot drops in the route concept recognition where he would find bodies intead of grass when he covered guys. But then he goes out and develops

multiple pass rush moves. He starts clabbering blockers and route to tackles for loss and run stops and just made himself into a complete player in relatively short order. He's an undersized fifth round draft pick with one year of college production at Wisconsin, a JUCO transfer who had injury problems in college. But you look at all that combined. The trajectory on this guy with so much more football ahead of him is just insane. Not to mention the

special team's value. I mean, he blocked a punt last year that put Miami on the one yard line to score a touchdown in the first three minutes of that Charger game. And all of these guys from that nineteen class, or they're all from that twenty nineteen class, You've got some time, but I think it's definitely worth monitoring and My final guy here is kind of Will Fuller esque in terms of we just signed him, but it's Matt Skura. He's on a prove it deal for sure. But I've

talked about his tape on the podcast. You go back to twenty nineteen. This guy was playing at an all pro level that year and really last year. I thought his tape was good too before the snap Isshho came up. But he's reached blocking Cameron Heyward, who was in that Top Pressures article by Doug Ferrar. He's absorbing bull rushes from stefon to it again. Another call back to that article at the top pass rusher at that position. He's a nasty finisher two man. He plays with a temperament.

You wouldn't know it from my interview with him talking about you know, the air Max, the dad shoes and barbecue and all that fun stuff that kiss the cook apron. But he is a nasty player on the field. We heard coach Lemiel John pr talk about detailed discipline and nasty. That's Matt Skura. I think he's gonna be again a purveyor of the culture. That's a theme here. So that's my group. A fun topic, A fun discussion. We don't quite have time on this podcast with a veteran film review,

but it's coming. I want to make sure we have a full, dedicated topic and segment to it. I promise it's coming. The Dragons, they are coming. Instead, I want to close with this a topic that's been making its rounds, you know, this offseason, and we get bored here in June talking about football. I mean, how many more Aaron Rodgers discussions do I have to watch on national television shows? Man? But it's the playbook stuff and the arm strength stuff

from the quarterback position. And I want to start with the playbook stuff here. Have you ever seen what a page of an NFL playbook looks like. Each player has a paragraph really describing their role, how to react to adjustments there changes in their role based upon alerts or checks to counter what the offense or the defense is doing. And for a quarterback and for any signal caller, your centers, your mic linebackers, your safeties, and of course your quarterback.

They have to know the roles of all eleven players so they can get the guys into the right spot when you make a check at the line. So when I see this Burrow and Herbert didn't seem to have an issue with the playbook and their rookie You're first off to h and Burrows numbers were nearly identical except in the win lost category, which, by the way, to us expected UH points added average was better than both he and Herbert. And he also had a better fourth

quarter passer rating. So kid knows when winning time is on. That's that's the point I've made all off season. But to the point, and really Burrow is in this category too, because like to UH, he more frequently wins with his i Q anticipation, timing, touch, rhythm, feel and just that kind of winning football and winning moments. He did it all year that final year at l s U, and we saw at times this year with the Bengals as well.

But feel and accuracy and those types of things are more prevalent than raw traits like arm strength, and those quarterbacks take a little bit more time to hit their peak, guys that excel between the ears more so with than than the hundred five mile hour fastball, which has its place. But I'm going to explain to you here in a minute why it's not like the end all be all.

So when you have these insanely gifted guys like Mahomes or Josh Allen or even Jordan's Love last year who had ridiculous raw traits, and like Justin Herbert who with the arm strength. The idea has always been that the physical traits can win early while they developed the other part of the game. So quarterbacks like Burrow and Twa the best is yet to come. It's just like Drew Brees, who never one time in his entire life has thrown a twenty yard out route on a frozen rope to

the far hash. He never did it because he can't do it, but that's who cares. He still managed to throw for more yards and more touchdowns than anybody else in the history of football, So I'll take that. I just think there's a bit of a miscalculation on two things here. Number one, what arm strength at actually is and what it actually does on a football field. Of course, it has value. Everything you can do on a football

field has value. Do not get me wrong there, but it's maybe the sixth or seventh most important thing because you can you can mitigate what arm strength does in other areas of the game with that rhythm, timing, anticipation and elite level accuracy to throw away from leverage. And one thing I wanted to look at was a quarterback like Mahomes who has that oddly elastic arm that can

slingshot the ball all over the field. I found three clips over the last three seasons where he grooves these twenty yard passes over the middle of the field as they descend down towards their target, where he's not throwing

fastballs through their chest. So when I posted that clip from the Chief's game last year where to a it's third and ten, the pocket kind of collapses as he looks down field and he drives a throw that is twenty yards beyond the line, thirty yards in the air, and he drives it low and away from the defender.

He's throwing off the leverage of the lead defender and ahead of the trail defender, and it fits a tight window twenty yards down the field on target, and there's no a chance it can be picked because he dumps it in there low around the hip area, but also puts it in a position where his player can make a catch, his receiver can make a catch. My intent of that is to show you that the reason you like arm strength is to thread those tight windows. But it's not the only way. You can do it too.

I can do it, mahomes can do it, and they can do it in different ways. All Right. That was a fun, fun podcast to put together for you guys. We've got so much coming your way here on the Drivetime Podcast. Over the course of the summer, we're gonna preview each division and talk more about the general NFL and get you ready for the new season. All the preview magazines are coming out. Warren Sharp's Preview is gonna be out here pretty soon. The Pro Football Weekly magazine

I read every single year. We've got more player media availability coming your way in the coming weeks. We've got will be live at Mandatory Mini Camp in mid June, is I head back down to South Florida, just before my family has moved down that way, And once we

get past Mandatory Mini Camp. From that time until training camp, we're gonna go back to two shows per week, and then one training camp gets here will be five shows a week, all gas, no breaks, And before we get to the outro, I want to just go back to this real quick, treat people nicely, man understand other people's perspectives and view the world through more than just the

lens that you see it through. And also mental health wise, if anybody ever needs to talk or just wants to kind of flesh some things out or have a therapy session, a rap session, reach out to me. Man I love you know. That's that's the beauty of humanity, right Like, we're all in this together, let's act like it, and I'm here for anybody that needs it. We're gonna have that veteran film review here coming up on the In the coming podcast, we're gonna get to that media from

Coach and some players. Plenty of fun stuff to come your way, and in the meantime, you all please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple, podcast, Spotify, wherever get your podcast from. Go ahead, leave us a rating, leave us a review. Follow me on Twitter at Lincoln NFL, Follow the team at Miami Dolphins, check out the fish Tank and the Audible podcast, and of course Miami Dolphins dot com. Until next time finds up