Miami Dolphins Training Camp: 10 Early Storylines to Watch

The Miami Dolphins officially begin training camp on July 30, which is only 10 days away. 

That's more than enough time for pressing storylines to ferment and bubble up to the surface. These storylines expect to be ongoing throughout camp and well into the preseason and will make for some entertaining and thought-provoking discussion for fans and media alike in the ramp-up to the 2015 season. 

We'll be looking at and ranking the top 10 storylines based on how important they'll be to the team's success this season. We'll also provide analysis to place each story in context.

10. The Rishard Matthews Situation

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

If you've engaged in any Miami Dolphins talk in the last three years, the subject of Rishard Matthews has come up. 

Matthews has been with the Dolphins since 2012, making him their longest-tenured receiver. 

He's also the fifth receiver on the depth chart and has only been elevated at times due to injury or ineffectiveness from other receivers ahead of him. He is constantly mentioned as being in coach Joe Philbin's doghouse due to "tardiness, lack of attention to detail and other issues," according to the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson (h/t NFL.com's Chris Wesseling). 

Some fans will tell you that Matthews is a diamond in the rough waiting to be discovered once he gets enough snaps. Others will tell you he's just a guy. 

Whatever he may be, Matthews has seemed to be an unhappy guy this offseason, asking for a trade or release (twice) as well as boycotting Miami's offseason program for a while, according to the Miami Herald. 

Matthews will be in training camp, but the question is: How will this all play out? 

Will he show enough for the Dolphins to decide to keep him? Will he show enough for the Dolphins to field viable offers for him? Or will he wind up being one of the last few players cut? 

Miami is fairly deep at wide receiver in 2015, but health is not always assured (as you'll see later in this piece), and Matthews is a good piece to have when he is committed.

9. The Impending Free Agency of Olivier Vernon and Lamar Miller

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

It was a dream come true for both Olivier Vernon and Lamar Miller when the two players were selected by the Miami Dolphins in the 2012 draft. 

Both players are South Florida natives who not only went to high school there (Vernon is an alum of American High School near Miami Lakes, while Miller attended Killian High School in Kendall) but wound up going to the University of Miami. 

Vernon told Andy Kent of the Dolphins' official site in 2012: 

"

It was crazy. We never really thought about that before and we didn’t think it was going to happen. I remember one day Lamar and I were talking about it over lunch and we never would have thought we would have been where we are right now. But we’re just enjoying it and taking it in stride right now. Our parents don’t have to waste any money on plane tickets so they’re enjoying it as well.

"

Now entering their fourth seasons with the club, Vernon's and Miller's drafting has been a dream come true for the Dolphins and Dolphins fans, as both local kids have made good. 

Miller is coming off a breakout season in 2014 that saw him run for 1,099 yards and eight touchdowns for an average of 5.1 yards per carry, while Vernon has started 30 games in the last three years while amassing 21.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and 96 tackles on the defensive line. 

Now comes the nightmare: Both players are entering free agency after the 2015 season, and it might be difficult for Miami to sign both of them, or even one of them. 

Miller's contract might not be too much of a challenge. The running back position has been devalued in recent seasons, and as good as Miller has been, he's still not seen as an every down running back. That might stunt his value even more, allowing the Dolphins to re-sign him to a reasonable deal. 

Vernon, being a pass rusher, is at a very high-valued position at which teams are willing to throw big money around (Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald said that $12 million a year is the floor for negotiations between Vernon and the Dolphins). Considering how much money the Dolphins have thrown around in recent years, their cap situation in 2016 looks to be onerous, and sacrifices will have to be made. 

It's conceivable that Miami could decide that Vernon isn't worth the price he could command on the open market and instead use the draft to find its next big pass-rusher. It wouldn't be the most prudent long-term move, as Cameron Wake's successor will have to be in place soon, and it would help to have Vernon in tow already, especially since he will be only 25 in 2016. 

It's surprising that in an offseason that has seen the Dolphins not only sign new players to long-term deals while locking up young stars like Mike Pouncey and Ryan Tannehill, Vernon hasn't gotten his shot. In a contract year alongside Wake and Ndamukong Suh, it shouldn't be a surprise if Vernon turns in his best season to date. 

The potential for a future headache is huge and will hang over the Dolphins not just throughout training camp but throughout the season.

8. DeVante Parker and His Injured Foot

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

Dolphins fans rejoiced at the selection of wide receiver DeVante Parker out of Louisville, then became even more smitten with the young man as tales of his impressive catches came out of minicamp in the weeks that followed. 

Then came the news that Parker went in for surgery in order to replace a screw in his left foot, an injury that caused him to miss half of the 2014 college season. 

The good news was that on the day the surgery was announced and performed, it was announced that Parker should be available to play in Week 1 vs. Washington. 

The better news is a month after the surgery, Parker's agent James Gould said via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that "everything is perfect" with the recovery and that with the procedure to replace said screw, "I don't think it will happen again; they got it right." 

This will mean a slower acclimation to the offense for Parker, as it's still likely he'll start off training camp on the PUP list. However, as Parker is looked at as the future of the Dolphins, it's best to take the long view of the situation.

7. The Development of the Rookies

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

Alongside DeVante Parker (who was discussed earlier), the Dolphins have a rookie class with a lot of promise. It will be interesting to see how they develop during training camp. 

Can Jordan Phillips become the run-stopper who complements Ndamukong Suh? Will Jay Ajayi take snaps away from Lamar Miller and make a meaningful impact? 

Will Jamil Douglass challenge for one of the starting guard spots? 

Finally, what of the players drafted for the secondary? 

Most intriguing to watch will be fifth-round pick Tony Lippett, who impressed in minicamp as a cornerback despite being a wide receiver for most of his time at Michigan State, according to the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson. Lippett is still a project but has the size and tools to eventually become a starter in the league. 

If it happens, it will take time, but the question is how much. It would be a great surprise for the Dolphins if Lippett was ready to play at corner this season.

6. How Good Can This Defensive Line Really Be?

Alan Diaz/Associated Press

Let this sink in: The two starting defensive tackles from the league's third-best defense overall (and top defense against the run) in 2014 will be paired with Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon. 

Last week, we plugged said players (Ndamukong Suh and C.J. Mosely) into the other current players on the Dolphins defensive line to see what the unit's Pro Football Focus grades would be. The numbers were scary good and provide a good indication of what the baseline expectations should be with this unit. 

Can they live up to that? Suh expects them to, via Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald: 

"

I think we look great on paper. That doesn’t really matter at this time, because we’re not playing against anybody. We just continue to grow as a unit so we don’t just become a great paper team. We want to become an actual great team on the football field and go out there and impose our will.

"

Miami spent big money on the defensive line due to how poorly it held up toward the end of last season when teams like the Denver Broncos, New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens bullied them up front. That's something Suh doesn't want to see happen in 2015 and will make sure won't happen: 

"

I think as a defensive line as a whole, no matter what, your run game is dependent solely on you guys. You’ve got to set the tone. The way we get off, the way we strike offensive lineman, the way we create a new line of scrimmage...is very key and very important. We have to continue to do that every single play, every single opportunity the team feels like they can run the ball.

It’s very disrespectful for a team to ever run the ball very heavily on you. This is a passing league, so for anybody to really run the ball heavily on you, that’s really embarrassing.

"

Strong words, and big expectations. Will the line live up to how good they're supposed to be, or even exceed that?

5. What About the Linebackers?

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

You get the feeling that you can set your watch to Miami's defensive line. 

However, behind the defensive line lies a mystery: A position group that had its flaws the last two seasons was ignored during the offseason. 

Despite the injuries Miami sustained at linebacker in 2014 and the problems the unit has had which led to the release of one player and the trade of another, Miami didn't make a high-profile signing at linebacker, and worse, didn't draft one. 

Because of this, the Dolphins will be going in with Jelani Jenkins, Koa Misi and Chris McCain at starting linebacker. 

That's not a bad unit, as Jenkins was the breakout player on Miami's defense in 2014 and one of the most underrated players on the team. Misi isn't your typical 4-3 middle linebacker but was quite good in his first season at the position, posting a Pro Football Focus grade of 8.9 overall including a 4.4 grade in pass rush and 2.1 in pass coverage. 

McCain is the mystery, as he's slated right now at the starting strong-side linebacker. 

While flashes were shown from McCain in 2014, there were a lot of games where he was a healthy scratch, and he seemed to do most of his work on special teams (work that he did do well). 

Competing with him for that final spot, according to Omar Kelly of The Sun-Sentinel, is former New York Giant Spencer Paysinger. However, Paysinger is known more for his special teams work than his defense. 

Behind those four are Jordan Tripp and Kelvin Sheppard, as well as a plethora of undrafted free agents that include former Penn State star Mike Huff, Jeff Luc from Cincinnati, Utah State's Zach Vigil, and Marshall's Neville Hewitt.

4. Figuring Out Miami's Secondary

Alan Diaz/Associated Press

Here's what we know about Miami's secondary. 

One starting cornerback is Brent Grimes, a Pro Bowler who has been reliable in his two seasons in Miami, while the safeties are Reshad Jones and Louis Delmas, two players who when healthy elevate the secondary. 

Brice McCain should be the slot corner but will compete with fifth-round draft pick Bobby McCain out of Memphis. Either way, the Dolphins should be in good shape at that position. 

The question comes at the second cornerback slot, at which Will Davis, Zachary Bowman and Jamar Taylor will compete. 

Taylor and Davis have had the start of their careers delayed a bit due to injuries but are entering their third seasons. Neither player has recorded an interception in his career, and are both major question marks. 

Bowman is the bigger of the three corners but also is the oldest and would likely be a stopgap option at best. He was only present on 48.4 percent of the Giants' snaps last season but was effective, as he recorded two interceptions and gave up a 75.1 passer rating. 

Bleacher Report's Erik Frenz highlighted this battle back in May, and the questions still remain to be answered in training camp.

3. The Guard Situation

Alan Diaz/Associated Press

The guard situation has been a mess for Miami, as in the last two years seven different players have filled the two guard spots. 

Those seven players are guaranteed to be eight, and possibly nine by Week 1. 

Billy Turner and Dallas Thomas are currently penciled in as the left and right guard, respectively. Turner played 19 snaps in 2014 while Thomas was a disaster at guard, grading out at minus-12.4 at the position while finishing with a grade of minus-32.7 when adding his horrendous performance at right tackle after Ja'Wuan James shifted to left tackle. 

However, Jamil Douglas should get every chance to win one of the starting guard spots and performed well at the position at Arizona State in 2014 after starting his career at left tackle.

2. Higher Expectations for Ryan Tannehill

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Thanks to a brand-new $96 million deal and three consecutive years of progress, Ryan Tannehill will have higher expectations than ever. 

A new wide receiver unit seemingly built to accentuate Tannehill's strengths will be a part of it, as will the addition of rookie Jay Ajayi, who was a significant part of Boise State's passing game as both a receiver and blocker out of the backfield. 

Tight end Jordan Cameron provides Tannehill with a significant target in the red zone, one that should soften the blow of lowing Charles Clay. 

How will Tannehill handle said expectations? 

So far, it's looking good, as he had a good minicamp with his new receivers and closed it out with flair, according to the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson. 

Now it's just a matter of translating that onto the field. Better numbers than last year plus a playoff berth are the baseline of what's expected from Tannehill, but considering that he has trended upward every year, it should be attainable.

1. Joe Philbin's Hot Seat

Alan Diaz/Associated Press

One recurring theme is the perception that Joe Philbin's job is dependent on how the season plays out. 

It's something to look at, as Philbin is entering his fourth season with the Dolphins and is 23-25 with no playoff appearances, and his teams have had a tendency to falter down the stretch. 

Anything that goes wrong will be analyzed six ways from Sunday, and potential replacements will be discussed among fans. 

It's a season-encompassing storyline that won't come to an end until the Dolphins clinch a playoff berth, but it will start in training camp. 

Advanced statistics provided by Pro Football Focus. Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com. 

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