Projecting Miami Dolphins' Most Heated Roster Battles This Offseason
Now that the Miami Dolphins have stocked the cupboards, it's time for them to start making dinner.
The team has spent the past three months adding to its roster, and now it will spend the next four months trimming that roster down from 90 players to 53. In that process, the Dolphins will also have to find out who will be starting and who will be coming in off the bench.
At some positions, the decisions are clear. There's no competition to worry about at quarterback, and the Dolphins' rebuild at wide receiver has given the team plenty of clarity in the passing game. It's a different story at cornerback and linebacker, though, where the Dolphins have made some big changes that have left them with more questions than answers.
Hopefully for the Dolphins, those questions become answers sooner than later, and training camp is the time and place where that will take place.
Here's a look at some of the brewing Dolphins' training-camp battles, ranked in order of importance.
5. Defensive Tackle
1 of 5
Winners: Ndamukong Suh, Jordan Phillips
The Dolphins loaded up on new talent at defensive tackle after unloading a pair of longtime starters in their defense. Now, with Jared Odrick and Randy Starks out of the picture, the Dolphins will turn to dominant veteran Ndamukong Suh at one spot and someone else at the other spot.
Who will be that "someone else"? At this point, it's down to rookie Jordan Phillips and veteran Earl Mitchell.
Mitchell has been a rotational player on the defensive line throughout his career. He has never played more than 553 snaps in a season as a pro, and he earned only 543 snaps for the Dolphins in 2014.
Phillips has much to learn—he has drawn comparisons to Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Dontari Poe from CBSSports.com's Rob Rang, but Rang also cautions that Phillips could be the second coming of Marcus Tubbs and Justin Harrell (both of whom were out of the league after three years) due to his history of back problems.
Mitchell may be given the inside track to start in training camp, but that doesn't mean he'll end camp atop the depth chart. That being said, Phillips could contribute as a rookie, and if he is given a chance to prove his mettle, he may not relinquish the starting spot anytime soon.
4. Running Back
2 of 5
Winner: Lamar Miller
The Dolphins' training-camp battle at running back isn't so much about the starters as it is about the backups. We are relatively certain that veteran Lamar Miller will be the starter and that rookie Jay Ajayi will be his primary backup. Beyond that, it's all left to the imagination.
Between LaMichael James, Mike Gillislee and Damien Williams, the Dolphins have plenty of capable backs who can contribute on passing downs, specials teams and on plays that make use of their explosive open-field ability.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Dolphins were reportedly not sold on Gillislee as more than a third-string running back last year, and if he's competing for a No. 3 spot, he will need to round out his game to become more valuable in other areas.
James' talents as a kick and punt returner will be huge factors in his favor as he battles for a spot; he averaged 10.9 yards per punt return and 28.4 yards per kickoff return in two years with the San Francisco 49ers. Williams factored into the passing game last year and recorded 21 receptions on 27 passes thrown his way for 187 yards and a touchdown.
In the long run, Gillislee looks like the odd man out here, but he could still emerge in a battle. That's why teams hold the practices.
3. Linebacker
3 of 5
Winners: Jelani Jenkins (WLB), Koa Misi (MLB), Chris McCain (OLB)
The Dolphins have made dramatic changes at linebacker with no real additions but are hoping for addition by subtraction. With a "next man up" mentality, the Dolphins have said goodbye to Dannell Ellerbe and Philip Wheeler and are saying hello to Koa Misi, Jelani Jenkins and Chris McCain.
Thanks to a whirlwind first four years of his career, Misi could feasibly line up anywhere the Dolphins want. He started off as a 3-4 outside linebacker under Tony Sparano and then became a 4-3 strong-side linebacker in 2012 and 2013 under Joe Philbin before moving to middle linebacker in 2014.
Which spot will he play? That will probably depend on how things shake out in training camp.
Jenkins stepped up as a starter on the weak side of the Dolphins defense following Ellerbe's season-ending knee injury and will factor into the lineup whether it's a base 4-3 or a nickel defense. When the Dolphins are in their base, though, they'll need one more linebacker to step up. That's where questions of Misi's future become more pertinent.
The competition is between Kelvin Sheppard at middle linebacker and Chris McCain at outside linebacker. If Sheppard proves to be a better fit, Misi could move back to the outside, since Sheppard is strictly a middle linebacker; if McCain is the answer, Misi would stay in the middle since he'd be far and away the best middle linebacker of the group.
McCain played primarily on the end of the defensive line in 2014, but he filled in at linebacker on occasion as well. He's had an impressive start to his career and should be considered the front-runner for the job for now.
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2. Guard
4 of 5
Winners: Jamil Douglas, Billy Turner
The Dolphins are 60 percent of the way toward a complete rebuild of their offensive line. The final 40 percent should be decided in training camp. Who will be the two starting guards? That's the million-dollar question.
The Dolphins drafted Arizona State guard Jamil Douglas in the fourth round, who could be plugged in at left guard as a rookie. He's a perfect fit in the Dolphins' zone-blocking scheme, with the quickness and open-field blocking ability that they have been missing at the guard position ever since Joe Philbin took over as head coach.
That being said, as a rookie, nothing will be handed to Douglas on a silver platter. He'll still have to compete with Billy Turner and Dallas Thomas, two converted tackles who have been drafted by the Dolphins over the years. In the long run, Douglas looks like the best of the three, and Turner and Thomas should duke it out for the starting duties at right guard.
If it's truly a fair competition, Turner should be the starter in the end. Thomas has had opportunities to start for the Dolphins but has failed to provide substantial proof of his development. In fact, he was one of the worst guards in football last year, grading out at No. 58 out of 78 qualifying guards, according to Pro Football Focus.
1. Cornerback
5 of 5
Winners: Brent Grimes, Jamar Taylor, Brice McCain
This is it. It's put-up or shut-up time for Jamar Taylor, who is entering his third year in the NFL and has the clearest shot he's ever had at stitching up a starting spot of his own.
The Dolphins front office seems hellbent on pushing Taylor into having the best training camp of his career. They have added one cornerback after another this offseason, from veteran free agents Brice McCain and Zack Bowman to rookie draft pick Bobby McCain, and have created a deep competition that also includes Walt Aikens and Will Davis.
Taylor is the most talented of the cornerbacks, but he has not yet put it together for a full season. He played only 299 snaps last year and allowed completions on 67.3 percent of the throws into his coverage with a 93.6 passer rating. He'll have to do better than that if he wants to keep his starting job.
Cornerback Brent Grimes already has one spot locked down. Another, in the slot, is up for grabs, but McCain is the clear front-runner as the most experienced slot corner on the roster. The boundary spot opposite Grimes is up for grabs as well, but if Taylor has a good training camp, he should get the nod.
Unless otherwise noted, all advanced statistics provided by Pro Football Focus.
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