Injuries, turnovers and an inability to finish games doomed the Miami Dolphins in 2009. The ‘Fins started out with three losses to start the season and finished up with three losses to end the season, but went 7-3 in between. In the good news department, it was a nice bit o’ luck to remain in playoff contention all the way up until the final regular-season game, yet still end up picking 12th overall in April’s draft.
So let’s take a look at the five positions that need the most dire attention this offseason, whether that be the draft, free agency or trade. Since we’ll revisit the likely draft targets in the coming months, this outlook isn’t meant to offer up specific draft suggestions or names. One of the challenges facing coach Tony Sparano, general manager Jeff Ireland and vice president of operations Bill “The Tuna” Parcells is to do a better job of making evaluations in free agency. Outside of a few exceptions, this braintrust has really only had transactional success with players they have experience with or have had a chance to groom. To the point, they have been poor in terms of breaking down players from other systems, franchises and backgrounds. That trend simply has to change if the Dolphins are to make drastic improvement in the third year under this regime.
Keeping that in mind, without further ado, here is a quick look at what should be the Dolphins’ primary offseason priorities, starting last Sunday at roughly 4:15 p.m.:
Priority: #1
Position: Nose Tackle
Situation: CRITICAL
Longtime vet and Tuna fave Jason Ferguson is held together with floss, Cheesy Poofs and fruit roll-ups at this point. He’s making noise like he wants to come back from the torn quadriceps he suffered halfway through the season, but there’s no way the ‘Fins can count on him fully even if he does make it back. Third-year project Paul Soliai had a few nice moments initially, but he’s not starting caliber on a team with playoff aspirations. Thus, the nose tackle position simply HAS to be addressed in the draft, arguably with Miami’s top selection. Identifying and landing someone similar to last year’s stud NT draftee, Boston College’s B.J. Raji, will be difficult, but anchor NTs for the 3-4 are too valuable to find anywhere else but in the draft (unless New England somehow incomprehensibly lets Vince Woolfork hit the open market).
Priority: #2
Position: Wide Receiver
Situation: CRITICAL
So, I saw Ned Ginn go out of bounds backwards in the regular-season finale. Yes, he’s become a favorite whipping boy of the Dolphins fanbase, but it’s for pretty good reason. At least we can thank him for cementing the fact that he will never be a No. 1 receiver this year, because I think the staff wanted him to be that so long that they were holding onto any flashes as promise of the future. Now, his future in Miami is cloudy even for next season.
Essentially, the rest of the corps is a collection of No. 3 receivers forced into roles higher than they would excel at on the wideout hierarchy. Brian Hartline was a revelation as a rookie, evoking some memories of Ed McCaffrey, but whither third-rounder Patrick Turner, who didn’t sniff the field? Starter Greg Camarillo is ideally suited as a No. 3, while fellow starter Davone Bess would truly shine as a slot guy.
The reality is that a true game-changer is needed at wide receiver (and all the better if he's a return man, too, because that's another weak area), whether that is through the draft, free agency or an offseason trade. Anquan Boldin’s compensation may be diminishing and I think at this point he might pay Miami to take him out of Arizona, so he remains an outside option. San Diego’s Vincent Jackson has been thrown out there as a free agent, but I doubt the Chargers let him walk, and if they do, Miami will have to deal with a long list of suitors. The most intriguing playmaker to me is Cleveland’s Josh Cribbs: he’s the league’s top return man, he plays wideout and he is proficient in the Wildcat, making him an ideal fit in every way for the ‘Fins. So how about Ned Ginn for Josh Cribbs? Hell, we already gave them Matt Roth for free in the most perplexing transaction of the Tuna Era. Maybe new Browns honcho Mike Holmgren had a high grade on Ginn coming out of college? Can’t hurt to ask …
Priority: #3
Position: Free Safety
Situation: High
If you read any of my blog, you know that I think Gibril “The Gerbil” Wilson is the worst safety in the league. He was benched a couple of times this year, and thankfully was again in the season finale. Considering the money he is due in the upcoming years, he has to be considered a 50-50 proposition to even return next year. In his stead, however, Chris Clemons looked overmatched, so the Dolphins will need to make a bold move in order to give the entire secondary and the strong safety, Yeremiah Bell, some needed help. They simply can’t afford to have a failure at one safety spot, not with two second-year cornerbacks who still are finding their way. Drafting a safety high or doling out a big contract for a free-agent safety would mean admitting they made another mistake in evaluation on the free agency market and pissed away significant money -- and do they have the collective egos to admit that?
Priority: #4
Position: Linebacker
Situation: Medium to High
This is a tough one, because at all four linebacker positions, massive questions exist. Outside linebackers Jason Taylor and Joey Porter are on their last legs and saw their production fade badly this year. But the situation at inside linebacker may be even more dire, because the Dolphins desperately need a playmaker at one of these two spots. Akin Ayodele was a complete mess down the stretch, getting victimized in the passing game and missing a tremendous number of tackles during the year’s defining three-game losing streak. Channing Crowder still has the problem of his words speaking much more loudly than his actions, and his tackles fell off dramatically this year. Ayodele and Crowder are both serviceable ‘backers in the right scheme, but having both lined up beside each other in a 3-4 is a recipe for disaster. Miami needs at least one playmaker in the middle of the field -- are you sensing a theme here?
Priority: #5
Position: Tight End
Situation: Medium
Anthony Fasano apparently wants a big-money deal, and he’s just not going to get it from the ‘Fins. After fumbling twice in the season opener to help gift-wrap a win for the Falcons, Fasano was M.I.A. for most of the year. The team really missed David Martin, who had something of a breakthrough a season ago, but was lost in the preseason. Joey Haynos and Kory Sperry are just guys, and Miami needs a speedier tight end to stretch the middle of the field and open up more passing lanes. A young quarterback’s best friend is a good tight end, and signal-caller Chad Henne would be hugely aided if Miami brought in a true weapon at that position.
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