Dolphins Searching for New Identity with Wholesale Roster Changes

The Miami Dolphins are never shy to make a big splash, whether it's signing a new player or releasing an old one.

Out with the likes of wide receivers Brandon Gibson and Brian Hartline, defensive tackles Randy Starks and Jared Odrick, guard Shelley Smith, linebacker Philip Wheeler and cornerback Cortland Finnegan, who have all been cut in the past week; possibly also out with linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, who the Dolphins are trying to trade, according to Alex Marvez of Fox Sports. In with Brice McCain and Ndamukong Suh, and the Dolphins may not be done yet. 

Greg Likens of MiamiDolphins.com reports that the Dolphins are meeting with free-agent tight end Jordan Cameron, in light of the news that their own tight end Charles Clay is visiting with the Buffalo Bills, who plan to sign him to an offer sheet after the Dolphins hit him with the transition tag a few days ago. 

In short, lots of things are changing in Miami, but one thing remains the same: The Dolphins appear to be building toward something, but exactly what that is remains a mystery.

The picture is much clearer on defense, where the addition of Suh gives the Dolphins one of the most dominant defensive lines in football. Putting Suh next to defensive end Cameron Wake is a pairing that most offensive coordinators had probably hoped they would only see in their worst nightmares.

Player	Ndamukong Suh	Cameron Wake	Olivier Vernon
Pass-rush snaps	530	427	449
Hurries	37	39	289
Hits	12	14	12
Sacks	8	12	7
Total	57	62	48

Consider that Olivier Vernon is one of the more underrated emerging defensive ends in the league, and the Dolphins' "nightmare" defensive line might as well be nicknamed Freddy Krueger, and they might as well change the name of their stadium from Sun Life Stadium to Elm Street Stadium while they're at it.

The three defensive linemen will create disruption in the passing game unlike anything the Dolphins have had in recent years, even with solid pass-rushers like Odrick and Starks in their employ. 

But that's about where the answers end and the questions begin. 

With Wheeler cut and Ellerbe soon to be either traded, cut or potentially have his contract restructured, the Dolphins will be searching for a new identity at the second level of their defense. Young linebackers like Chris McCain, Kelvin Sheppard, Jordan Tripp and of course Dion Jordan will all have an opportunity to find a role in the defense as starters.

Which ones, if any, are ready to assume that role? The Dolphins will have to wait and find out first-hand. 

The questions continue on offense, where the Dolphins have not only dumped a veteran guard in Shelley Smith but have also dumped two veteran pass-catchers in Hartline and Gibson. 

Player	Wallace	Hartline	Landry	Gibson	Matthews
Targets	108	62	105	47	21
Catches	67	39	84	29	12
Catch %	62	62.9	80	61.7	57.1
Yards	862	477	755	295	138
YAC	2247	130	407	100	47
YAC/Rec	3.3	3.3	4.8	3.4	3.9
TD	10	2	5	1	2
Drop	4	5	2	4	2

For the wide receivers, Hartline and Gibson, the writing was on the wall. Hartline was a diminished piece in the Dolphins' new offense under Bill Lazor. Gibson was surpassed in his role as a slot receiver by rookie Jarvis Landry and had lost some of his quickness coming off a season-ending torn patellar tendon in 2013. 

That being said, what was once a position of strength is now a position of questions, with only Landry, Mike Wallace and Rishard Matthews as proven pass-catchers on the roster. 

It makes sense that the Dolphins would want to build in a new direction with a new-look offense and a scheme that doesn't necessarily fit the skill sets of the old receivers. Hartline is a solid receiver but does not have the yards-after-catch ability that Lazor prefers in his pass-catchers; he averaged only 3.3 yards after catch per reception in 2014 according to ProFootballFocus.com.

Likewise, Gibson's skills diminished in that area over the past year, and he averaged only 3.4 yards after catch per reception in 2014. 

The Dolphins have high hopes that their death-by-a-thousand-paper-cuts style of offense can carry them to the playoffs, and it will need to, as they still lack a true deep threat in the passing game. That was supposed to be Wallace, but over the past two seasons, he has caught only 12 of 60 passes thrown his way that traveled 20 yards or more. Big plays have been completely absent from their offense, with a net average of only 5.8 yards per pass attempt, which ranked 26th in the NFL last season. 

At least the running game has some feasible identity. The Dolphins continue to show faith in running back Lamar Miller, who enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2014 with his first season of more than 1,000 rushing yards and an average of a whopping 5.1 yards per carry. With Damien Williams acting as the backup, the Dolphins may not have to worry about a scatback option, as they have two serviceable candidates in that role. 

But what about a between-the-tackles hammer? In the past, that's been Daniel Thomas, but without another option in the fold, the Dolphins will have to find someone who can pound it in from the 1-yard line unless they plan on throwing goal-line jump balls to their nonexistent red-zone threats. 

Perhaps that's why the team is taking such a heavy interest in the 6'5", 249-pound Cameron. In 2013, the former basketball star hauled in 11 of 19 red-zone throws in his direction, for seven scores. The Browns scored 20 red-zone touchdowns as a team that season, making Cameron's dominance even more impressive, as opponents practically had a crystal ball to look into the future of the Browns' red-zone scoring strategy.

If Cameron is the Dolphins' only answer as a red-zone threat, the Dolphins may need to start asking more questions.

But there are already enough questions to be asked of this Dolphins team, and unless they start finding answers soon, the reign of Joe Philbin as head coach could be coming to a swift conclusion. 

Unless otherwise noted, all advanced statistics provided by ProFootballFocus.com.