Drive Time: Daniel Jeremiah and Combine Day 1 Coverage

To on the move Golan Deep Spiegles Peas do Pas from the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex.

This is Drivetime with Travis Wingfield.

He's guy my advans in the playoffs?

What is up Dolphins?

And welcome to a very special edision of the Draft Time Podcast. I am your host, Travis Wingfield, and on today's show, we are live from Indianapolis. Well, not very live, it is a pre taped podcast, but we are on the floor here at the Combine in Indianapolis. We have three speakers for you guys on the show today. First, Daniel Jeremiah NFL Network joins us to talk about Dolphins team building and draft potential prospects you might want to

This is the Draft Time Podcast.

Ye gaff sir, Let's go ahead and get to my first guest today, the Great Daniel Jeremiah and the man Join us today needs no introduction. DJ Daniel Jeremiah. Thanks, join us again once again the show, I should say from the combine.

Yeah, it's great to be with you.

Looking forward to this man. So last year I asked you this similar question. I'm gonna ask you again about the year two jump for the Dolphins offense. Mike McDaniel to a tongue of by loa, the continuity of the offense was able to build.

What about year three?

I've heard, you know, Peyton Manning on the Manning Cast talk about year three is kind of a big one for him and his career. What does that longevity do for play caller, for quarterback and in particular quarterback, Like to a tongue of.

By Loa, Well, I think it's huge. I think you look at anybody that's had sustained success in the league and there's some continuity there. I mean, Brady's the kind of the poster child for that. So it's it's just not having to start over and just building on the volume of what you already have. It's such an advantage. I mean, I just look at it. As you know, some teams come into a game with a you know, with a quarter inch playbook, and the other teams get to come in with a three inch play But it's

Did you get the sense with the Dolphins last couple of years, because they start off hot nine to three last year eight and three McDaniel's first year, they kind of fade away late in the year and face some top of competition, lose some close games.

Do you get the sense that maybe.

That's part of what can be the next step with the playbook, expanding, getting more into your playbook late into the year in December and January.

Well, I think that's part of it. I think, Look, they got to stay healthy on the defense. I mean that was that was brutal. I mean, and you think about close games, and you think about finishers, and you look at the injuries that they sustained in the pass rush, and it's like, okay, well I get and maybe why you can't finish or close out games and win close games.

One of the trades is probably the most instance in the NFL history of both teams winning that trade, right Tyreek Kill they get their defensive crop armbor Kansas City there on your conference call on Thursday, you mentioned and I noted this one myself specifically, the Dolphins are smack dab in the middle of their window. I've been dying to ask you if you could elaborate on why you feel that way.

Well, I just think when you look at the key players on their team. And you look at where Tua is, especially financially at this point in time, and that's going to change. But where he is, you look at you know, Tyreek obviously being in the right smack in the middle of the prime of his career. You know, Waddle is you know, I think he's he's he can still there're still room, but he is established who he is and

So it seems like they're you talk about team needs, like you mentioned the quarterback to two receivers, you mentioned the edgebrushers earlier.

Those guys will be back.

Those are premium spots, right Toront Armstead still there, Austin Jackson got an extension. Those are premium positions right spots that you don't have to go spend you know, high free agency capital on what's the benefit of having your team needs And if you have Dolphins team needs for us, I'd love to hear those as well. But team needs that aren't at those premium spots like that.

Well, I mean I always I go back to the Detroit thing, and I think everybody looks at Detroit and what they did in the draft last year and said, oh, they you know, they outsmarted the league. They took these non premium position players and they all played great, and like, yeah, they already built up the line of scrimmage. You can

Have you stacked those into your offensive line and you know you've done in the process of getting those.

Gus So I have it right now. I believe I have to go back and look at it. But I ended up putting JPJ one and then Graham Barton two and then Fraser three. Sounds a good crop, right, And they're all and I think they're all three Day one starters. They're plug and play and they're all you know, from a intangibles like center, I would say, like the intangibles matter the closer you get to the middle of the field,

Yeah, you mentioned the injuries off the edge position.

Connor Williams also going to be a free agent coming off attorney a cl in December, which that was kind of when the offense you know, sorry to revert a little bit back into you know, old habits of pre McDaniel.

Interesting thing is talking to teams about about free agency and talking to a couple of teams in need lineman. They were frustrated because they were they had their eyes on him, you know, before the injury, and it played so well.

He was playing really well for us that point. It was such an anchor in the middle of the offensive line. They're kind of a pivot here for you, DJ, because I'm curious to ask you this question about teams focus in the off season when it comes to importing new parts and getting new pieces versus your own personnel improvement

I think the good teams have figured out they got to develop your own guys. Yeah, you know, it's just cost effective. It's going out and hiring not just scheme coaches, going out and hiring guys how to develop players. I think forty nine Ers are a great example of that. Obviously, Chief's another great example of that. They've been able to just develop their own guys. And it's just versus what you're gonna have to pay on the open market. It's a no brainer. And and the Ravens are another team

No, it's typically more like thirty cents in the dollars. You tend to get one of those top of the market deals on average. For the most part. I often say that Cam Smith is one of the most important players for the Dolphins this year because of the news that it looks like a saving Howard will be released

Yeah, he was a tough evaluation. The tools are all there, you know, it wasn't consistent, so you know, you kind of bet on the ability and you bet on your ability to get it out of him and develop him talent wise. Yeah, he's got immense amount of talent. So I'm anxious to see what you know, he get his shot. That's what this is, you know, that's what good teams do. As you're a year ahead on that stuff and now this work that he put in last year, we'll see what it looks like.

He'll be joining Anthony. We have a new Dolphins defenser coordinator here. I did some research. You were with coach Weaver your last your first year. Yeah, yeah, he was there.

He was a study, I mean, just a stud total presence about him, just you know, for a defensive lineman, incredibly cerebral, just a smart dude, and you know, was universally liked and respected in the building. So it's been fun to kind of follow his career as he's gone from playing. The coaching not really a surprise. We had a defensive coach, our defensive line coach during those years of getting Clarence of Brooks, who's who since passed away.

I know this is kind of a stretch to ask you this, but do you have any idea what he might do schematically on the side of the ball.

And he talked about the Ravens a little bit being an influence.

He talked about Romeo Crenell being a big influence John Harbaugh and that might look like for.

Us on some days.

Yeah, you know, he answered this question. You can answer everyone. You're gonna be multiple, multiple, We're going to be aggressive. We're going to dictate to the offense. The offense is not gonna and just to cut and pay them all for every defensive coordinator higher. But no, I think I think the smart guys get in there and assess what they have and they build accordingly. For sure.

One last question here for you, DJ, So what would we'd be remiss to not ask you about the Dolphins first and second round picks? First time I've had you on the show when we actually had a first round pick. It's been a while for us. Now pick twenty one, pick fifty three. Who are some names you like in those two spots for us?

Well, I mentioned those interior offensive linemen would be fun. I you know, this one is maybe gratuitous, but like Brian Thomas Junior.

I've just selfishly wanted to see it, I selfishly just want to see it, just to throw another explosive, dynamic playmaker in that offense to compliment what's already there Byron Murphy would be another one I think that could could factor in there.

Man, you imagine him with his explosiveness next to arguably you know, one of the top three or four defensive tackles in the league. And Wilkins. That would be a lot of fun.

I mean, talk about stretching the field vertically from that inside Brian Thomas right with Tyreek and Wall on the outside.

My gosh, yeah, I wrote it was funny. I was going through all my notes on the LSU guys and it just says it's like death by slot face all right, one after another days right, yeah, exactly?

Well who else do you like in that second round? Blood there?

Because Roman Wilson's a guy that had a great senior ball Malachai Corley, He's a guy that's a big yack product.

Right, He's a guy that fit the Dolphins off.

Yeah. I like him. It gives you a little bit of a different pitch, more of a physical guy with the ball in his hands. He's a fun player, and he's not I don't know if he's gonna if he's gonna work out here, but he'll run in the high four threes. He can really go to Oh yeah, he can go. So he's gonna he's gonna go. But he's he's a fun one. You know. I'm a Laddi McConkie guy too. I think he's just a really really good

There's a guy back in our office is gonna love that you had, Lad mcconkeye. He's a huge Ladd mcconchaey loves him. Daniel Jeremiah NFL Network and at Move the Sticks on Social NFL Network. Live coverage of the twenty twenty four NFL scouting combined Thursday through Sunday. Coverage starts at three o'clock Eastern on Thursday and Friday and one

That's next.

Brad Spielberger Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Autoation and joining me today from Pro Football Focus is the great Brad Spielberger.

Esquire. I love the mention of Esquire on your profile.

By the way, I be honest, it is like a bit of a troll, like people might think I'm trying to take myself very very seriously.

I am a lawyer.

I don't really use it all that often, but I had the degree, so I had to let people know that.

I mean, there's a lot of crossover there, right, lawyer, contracts, free agency, all that stuff that goes in the NFL. And that's why we have you on today talk about the complexity of an NFL contract and the freegency period coming up here in a couple of weeks. Now it comes faster every year, it feels like. But I wanted to just to have you explain if you can, a couple of things for us here and really for me

I'm the words guy.

So having you on here to grasp one of the more difficult aspects of our sport, if you don't.

Mind doing that for us.

Yeah, so I'm here for So what I want to start with is this increase in salary cap. Right, we saw that it was supposed to be, you know, in the two thirty eight two forty three range. Why is it being two fifty this year? Can you explain to us why that's significant?

Yeah?

So, I think by the end of the year teams were more in the two forty five two to fifty range, but even still two fifty five was a jump up, and I think some people maybe are overestimating how much of a difference it's going to make. But it does like for a team like Miami that has to get their way out of a bit of a cap hole, that has a bunch of really good players up for new contracts, it gives you a little bit of, you know,

That's the thing.

It obviously has a counterbalance. The franchise tags are bigger, which might apply to a Christian Wilkins.

But yeah, I think it's way.

I'm sure Miami's front office was pleased to see it never come out.

I think most teams probably are right a little bit more money. It never hurts anybody. I want to come back to the Christian Wilkins at DNA.

Second.

But first, the idea of restructures, because we see it all the time. You know, again, I'm basing these kind of takes off of what I see on Twitter. Probably a horrible practice, but we're gonna do it anyways, because like I always see, oh, they can just restructure this, they can just do this. Oh and then someone else says, a restructure that's terrible. You're kicking the can on the road. What the hell does a restructure mean?

What does it do?

And how do the Dolphins keep themselves flexible because like in the past, we've seen you know, Kyle van Noy got signed for a big contract, Shack Lawson got signed for a big contract. They were gone one year later, and it wasn't that punotip to Miami, like why are they able to do that?

For sure? Yeah?

So first, at a high level, what a restructure is is that a salary in the NFL, the guy the thing the guys make every two weeks, you know, just us plus a couple zeros gets all hits the cap in that year. Right, So you have a fifteen million dollars salary. Let's say, for example, all fifteen million is hitting the twenty twenty four cap. When you restructure a contract, you convert that salary into a bonus assigning bonus if you want to call it that, and then you can

Miami in the beginning keeps it.

More flat because, like you said, the flexibility of getting out a deal like a Cowbin nooist one year in injury guarantees that don't kick in, and they have a small financial penalty of course, like a XAVI and Howard, they did restructure that contract a little bit, gave them

I think I'm with you. I think I'm with you on that all the way. It's very, very thoroughly explained. It's just just not my forte. But I appreciate you giving that information to us there. And as the great O J McDuffie, one my radio co host, always says, the two best days of the week are game Day and pay Day, and you just talked about that little bit there as well. Speaking of Payday's Christian Wilkins, whether it's Miami or somewhere else, is gonna get paid. And

Yeah, I mean I think you e bet on himself this year and obviously his draft class, particularly the first round, like in twenty nineteen we saw you know you're Quinn Williams, Jeffrey Simmons even at Oliver obviously had a lesser deal. And the big thing with Wilkins was he was a guy for us, you know PFF for example, where the underlying metrics did like him, but didn't have the sack production, the flashy traditional stats. And of course now that follows

They always try to do that.

Hey, we're trying to tying the franchise tag to an ap y and average per year doesn't always work, but I think that's kind of how that's going to go.

I always make the argument he's like two players too, because he plays like eighty five percent of our snaps every year and he never missed his game, So he's definitely a valuable player all across the board, pass rush, run game, reliability leader, all that stuff you want to hear about.

How about some other internal free agents.

I have three names I wrote down here for you for the Dolphins because we have a few of them. It's a product of of drafting.

Well.

Robert Hunt was a second round pick a couple years ago, Andrew van Ginkel was a fifth round pick back in twenty nineteen, and then Connor.

Williams was a free agent acquisition two years ago.

But those three guys, what do you think their market looks like this company who the hole.

One's fascinating because I think we're just talking about the interior defenders and how we've seen so many good players at position and the pass rushers in particular on the interior. I might say it's a trend, but like there's you know, the Jalen Carters of the world, Like all these guys continue to come into the league, and we've now seen the counterbalance of you know, Quenton Nelson, we're Indianapolis. Quent Nelson is twenty million per year, Chris Lindstrum in Atlantic

Yeah, it's been fun to watch him in Wilkins Douw battle for years, years on the interior there for the Miamy Dolphins.

So far, What about a.

Guy like Andrew Van Ginkle because and I guess Connor Williams falls into this category as well, because they're both coming offseason ending injuries. For Williams the ACL that was in December, so you have that kind of longer projection than Ginkle had. I believe it was a foot injury that cost him, you know, basically the last half of the Buffalo game in the playoff game. Well what does that do to a player when they go into the free agency market coming off of a significant injury.

Yeah, it's tough. So fannikl you know a guy that has a history of injuries as well. And I guess Connor actually had torn an ACL before this year this year too, so like thinking it was phenomenal, well, like at a ninety one grade for US this past year, steps Bradley Chubb goes down, you know, and Jenda Phillips goes down, is out playing Emmanuel Ogba who was making a ton of money obviously like he was great as a pass rusher, super high pass rush win rate. There

Kind of what we do in Miami.

You get off the ball fast and get out wide and get some blocks out in space. Let's go ahead and pivot to the guy behind those offense something her the quarterback. And you know it's going to be a debate of conversation all off season or I guess until it happens, because it's going to happen at some point most likely, Right, you have to figure whether he plays on that fifth year tag and gets a deal next year or with someone else, whatever the case would be.

Yeah, so, yeah, you certainly would be able to lower the cap number if you wanted to below what the fifth year option would be or keep it there. Right, that you wouldn't be adding, you know, more of a cat burden through through an extension. Look, I think you are talking in the range of like Lamar Jackson pluss like fifty two that his is you know, five years, fifty two million dollars a year like that is the market because you're gonna have you know, Dak Prescott might

Know, working through the years of that contract.

Those longer contracts give you more flexibility with how you can move that money around.

Okay, so that's kind of makes a lot of sense there.

I have a couple more questions here for you, Brad Brad Spielberger PFF. A couple of players again going back to drafting. Well, it gives you the opportunity to give out extensions, right, and the Dolphins twenty twenty one class was one of our best we've had in a while.

Wattle, Phillips, and Holland, those guys will be up.

You know.

Waddle has, like Wadald and Phillips could be applied that fifth year option.

You have to imagine that happens.

Then Holland's the second round pick, doesn't have that, so he would be up after the next season, and then Waddle and Phillips have those two years of club control. What is it what do teams look at with those guys the fifth year option, but also a player like Holland who are going to get big contracts, our second contracts. How does that kind of approach in terms of do we do it early, do we do it late? Like how does that team conversation work out?

So it does happen sometimes where a first round pick can get a non quarterback first round pick can get a deal done after the third year, but it's very very rare, like Nick Bosa got it last year.

Justin Jefferson did not get it last year.

Like the premium players, the team still just want to wait after that fourth year. Most of all, there are some examples like Colton Miller in Las Vegas got at first third season. They just ignored the options when I hadn't extended in But I would imagine, especially because obviously Phillips again the Achilles injury. Watta was kind of inged up almost the whole year. It semed, played well, but it was hurt most of the year. I imagine both of those guys they say it's gonna get done. We love you,

Good problems to have their last question here for you put you on the spot a little bit. Some freezeent fits with the Dolphins. Have you had some time to go over you know, what the market might look like and what the Dolphins might do this upcoming perier.

Yeah, I think that maybe, like you know, if Raekwon Davis does walk like, do you get a nose tackle that can free up Christian Wilkins even more? You know, I think there were elements of was this pass rough production down early because he was playing some zero one tech or two gapping or doing different things that did enable him to just get upfield in a hurry and

Yeah, someone to kind of, I guess be what Eli Apple was for camp Smith. Kind of a guy that can be some veteran experience to compete with him in year two for camp Smith, hoping he gets a big breakout year this year.

Brad Spield.

Brad Spielberger esquire, I almost mess up my own joke there, Brad. I spilled some hot coffee on my lap this morning. Am I eligible for some kind of lawsuit?

I feel like I am injury protection benefits.

For the show. I knew you represent me on that.

Yeah, I got cha at PFF on m Square, Brad, check out this man's work. Nobody gives more accurate contract projection content out there, no one, no one on earth. Brad, Thank you man, Thank you, appreciate it. Off, he goes segment two in the books. Let's go ahead and take our last break and get to head coach Mike McDaniel's Tuesday press conference from Indianapolis. That's next Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation.

I want to go ahead and play some follow.

Up audio on that as well, regarding to was progress and what playing the entire season in twenty twenty three did for his progress as a quarterback in the Dolphins system.

Absolutely, you know, I think one of the cool things UH in in this organization is is how uh you know communicative and how well I work with UH Chris Greer and and as well as how I can separate what my job is and what his job is and how we move forward.

We're I'm very encouraged.

They're they're you know, both to his representation and and our organization is hard at work. Those timelines are impossible to predict, and I'm not you know, my My main concern this offseason has been communicating what what Tua needs from his head coach and his offensive coaching staff, which is what things can we identify to continue the progression of your game the same way that we have since day one.

Is my belief.

Has always been strong from day one in Tua. It's stronger than it was the first day I met him, and that's because of that relationship where I'm focused, which is continuing to provide the coaching so he can continue to evolve his game has as he has since the second that I started talking to him. Reps, reps that were that he had more reps than he's ever had in his career because he played the full season. That was something that you know, football, there's a lot of

Be leading the team week and week out. These are things that.

Weren't necessarily assumed he was able he was capable of doing. But like most things that two has done in his career, he's recognized that and proved doubterors wrong.

Pretty clear and concise there with regards to how the team feels about their quarterback.

And a lot of you that aren't a fan of the quarterback are going to be.

In for a long off season or two or three or ten because this quarterback is not going anywhere anytime soon. So apologies to you guys, but not really, because you should get on board.

Next, let's go.

Ahead and talk about the potential offense that we could see this year under head coach Mike McDaniel and a nice hat tip period of the great Daniel O. Yafuzi the Miami Herald, who asked this question one that I have long been curious about about how the Dolphins might approach this year because the offense has fizzled the last two years down the stretch, right, So can they find a way to bridge that gap from September and October, production and November for the most part, and carry that

Yeah, I you know, it's an interesting question that I that I regard, But you know, it's not like I I look at every off season. Every year's offense is a constant evolution to your players and to what defenses are doing. So what we're doing, you know, I'm never going to copy paste and be like, well, we did this is what we did in twenty twenty three, and let's work off of that.

I think that's part of the way that you can stay.

Ultimately trying to create some uncertainty and indecision with offensive scheme, and inherent in that is your constant evolution. You know, I'm not really ever gloating on any successes of past You're more what are we going to do with this set of players in this You know, we're gonna have some guys are gonna be in year three, some guys year two, and some new guys. But ultimately, what's the best thing to serve them? And you know, it's not

Twenty twenty two.

So they'll be exciting things that we do different. There's gonna be exciting things that we will evolve from, and there's exciting things that we will build upon the success of the first two years.

A couple more for you here.

Coach did touch on the Tehran Armstead decision, which of course looms large as a massive piece not just for the Dolphins financial situation, but what the left tackle position looks like. And I've talked on the podcast before about this being a great tackle draft about convert players.

It can go from tackle to guard.

A Troy Fatanu, who's a great tackle at Washington, could play guard for you could kick out to tackle when he moves on. That's my personal contingency plan if Trun's back for one more season. But he did say that toront has not yet made the decision, but they are affording him time to make the decision, while also keeping in mind that they have their own, you know, check boxes to check with regards to how the offensive line looks this offseason. Not gonna puy the audio for you, guys.

There is never that sense of complacency with any phase. I think we did make substantial improvements in the run game, which was something that a year ago at this press conference is probably talking about that we needed to do.

And that doesn't stop. And you know, I think that's.

Running in the football is the way to dictate the terms more than anything in football. You know, one team has the ball, the other team doesn't, and you know it's the orchestration of offense that's the least risky in terms of turning the ball over, et cetera, et cetera. That's something that will continue to try to evolve. Our

Last one here and I know this is of great interest for so many of you folks out there. In Dolphins Podcast, Land, Dolphins Coverage, Land Special Teams, the question was asked why was coach Crossman retained this year? And it was almost combative from the media asking these questions

You know, so many of the decisions that I have to.

Make our.

Very uh layered, and although results are very very important, and I think I think Coach Crossman would agree, would agree with the statement that the results aren't where we

You shouldn't be either.

You have to assess the whys and come up with a game plan of how we're going to improve that phase, which is very important to us moving forward, and which is why Danny's part of it.

So there you go.

Fun podcast today, we have a bunch more coming away this week here on Drive Time, Kyle Crabs, Jordan Reed, Matt Miller, Emery Hunt. We'll also get some more people on the podcast here this week and going forward. So keep it locked right here on Drive Time for all your daily Dolphins coverage needs. In the meantime, you all please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, tuned, in,

Here have the fish Tak podcast with seton juice.

We check out the YouTube channel for medi Availabilities, Dolphins Today and so much more, and last but not least, Mimie dolphins dot com. Until next time, fins up, Carolina Camera and Daddy'll be home on on Thursday,