Complete Miami Dolphins Training Camp Preview
The Miami Dolphins have had an eventful offseason, and now it's time for it all to come to a head in training camp.
All the additions will now show what they can do. All the remaining players will compete to prove they still belong in this year's version of the team. All the coaches will try to get the most out of the personnel they've assembled.
All the speculation will finally end as we stop asking questions and start getting answers.
Who will factor into the starting lineup? How will the key storylines play out? Which players who are on the roster bubble will stick, and which will go home?
There's a lot to wrap your head around in advance of the beginning of training camp, so let's start looking at everything involving the Dolphins headed into the preseason.
Key Storylines
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Brand-New Wide Receiver Group
With Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson all gone and DeVante Parker, Kenny Stills and Greg Jennings all brought in, the Dolphins are fielding a brand-new group of wide receivers. The only exception is Jarvis Landry, the second-year wide receiver who burst onto the scene as a rookie.
Parker, Stills and Landry are more talented and possess more long-term potential than the previous group of receivers. However, the question is whether those three young guns can all get on the same page in the offense and with quarterback Ryan Tannehill in the short time between now and the beginning of the regular season. Their chemistry, rapport and knowledge of the offense will be a storyline worth watching this summer.
The Arrival of Ndamukong Suh
The Dolphins made the splash signing of the free-agent frenzy when they penned defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to a six-year deal worth almost $120 million with nearly $60 million guaranteed. Now, the Dolphins get to see their prized possession get to work.
Suh has the potential to completely change the complexion of the Dolphins defense. He will be drawing the attention of multiple blockers anytime he's on the field. The biggest question is how that will affect the rest of the defensive line. With defensive end Cameron Wake lining up alongside Suh, opposing offensive lines will have their hands full trying to block everyone.
Suh is likely to draw a lot of attention for his ability, but his acclimation to the new surroundings in Miami (and to Joe Philbin's strict coaching style) will have the media watching closely.
Joe Philbin On The Hot Seat?
After two 8-8 seasons and a 23-25 overall record, it's fair to wonder whether Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin is on the hot seat. The immediate inclination would be to say no; the Dolphins just signed Ryan Tannehill to a lucrative contract extension, which they probably wouldn't have done if they were afraid a new head coach would come in and throw out the baby with the bath water.
That being said, with all the moves the Dolphins have made this offseason, it's unlikely that the Miami brass will be content with another middling .500 season, or even a minor improvement. The Dolphins will probably have to make dramatic improvements to prove that this regime is the right one to lead the team to glory.
Key Competitions
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Defensive Tackle
Ndamukong Suh is locked in at one defensive tackle spot. The other spot would appear to be up for grabs, but according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, veteran Earl Mitchell is still the other starting defensive tackle despite a couple of big-name additions at the position.
Could that change? Only time will tell. But with talented defensive tackles like Jordan Phillips and C.J. Mosley also on the roster competing for snaps, Mitchell should not be resting on his laurels. After all, according to Pro Football Focus, Mitchell has never been more than a part-time player in a defense. He maxed out at 553 snaps with the Houston Texans in 2013.
Phillips and Mosley will be competing for backup duty in the No. 3 spot, but if one of them pops out at camp, Mitchell's spot could be in jeopardy.
Guard
The Dolphins already have their starting tackles (Branden Albert and Ja'Wuan James) and starting center (Mike Pouncey), so they're 60 percent of the way to a finished offensive line. But unlike in Anchorman, 60 percent does not work every time.
Dallas Thomas and Billy Turner are two tackle-to-guard projects who are working to prove they can fit at their new positions. Thomas has struggled to this point in his career, but despite yielding seven sacks as an offensive tackle in 2014, he didn't allow a single sack as a guard. Turner, on the other hand, was not given enough opportunities as a rookie in 2014 to form a legitimate opinion of his ability at the position.
Rookie Jamil Douglas could push one or both men for a starting spot on the offensive front, so neither man can afford to gear down this summer.
Bubble Players
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Mike Gillislee
Mike Gillislee's third summer with the Miami Dolphins could be his last. He is rehabbing from a hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve before the 2014 season began, but even before that point, there were reports that the Dolphins were not sold on Gillislee as more than a third-stringer in their offense.
At this point, there just isn't anything that sets Gillislee apart from the rest of the Dolphins' backs, particularly the backups. He has a very similar skill set to LaMichael James and Damien Williams, and both of them offer value in some other area (James on special teams, Williams in the passing game).
With Lamar Miller and Jay Ajayi firmly atop the depth chart, and James and Williams showing more value than Gillislee at this point, the former Florida Gators back is buried five deep on the Dolphins depth chart.
Rishard Matthews
When the Dolphins moved on from Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson, it briefly appeared that veteran Rishard Matthews would finally get his opportunity. Then, the aforementioned influx of receivers happened, and Matthews is once again buried beneath several talented receivers.
There have always been reports of friction between Matthews and the coaching staff, and this offseason was no different. Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald reported last summer that the team was trying to trade him, and Matthews later asked to be traded during the preamble of the 2015 NFL draft, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
Make no mistake; there's definitely still a place for a talented receiver like Matthews on the Dolphins roster. It's just not a prominent place. The Dolphins could get some value for Matthews in a trade, or they could decide that it's just not worth the headache anymore.
Zack Bowman
The Dolphins have a wealth of cornerbacks fighting to make the roster—eight, to be exact. Only one or two can be considered locks for the roster, those being Brent Grimes and Jamar Taylor. It's unlikely that the Dolphins would cut Brice McCain after giving him $2 million guaranteed, so that accounts for three spots. That leaves two spots for Will Davis, Bobby McCain, Zack Bowman, Tony Lippett and Sammy Seamster.
In short, it's more probable than not that the Dolphins will end up parting ways with a talented cornerback. That could be Bowman, who is entering his eighth season and has started multiple games in the past two seasons. He only got $80,000 guaranteed to sign with the Dolphins, though, so his spot is far from locked up.
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Veterans to Watch
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Greg Jennings
The Dolphins' signing of Greg Jennings was met with apathy. By that point, most Dolphins fans were already firmly aboard the DeVante Parker train. Of course, the team hadn't even drafted Parker yet, but that's beside the point. Now, with Parker rehabbing from foot surgery, the focus on Jennings just intensified a great deal.
Jennings could be called upon for top honors on the boundary of the Dolphins offense while the team deals with the absence of Parker. Jennings is not the 70-catch, 900-yard receiver he was when he was hauling in passes from Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but he still has a lot of veteran savvy and knowledge of Joe Philbin's offense from their time together with the Packers.
Earl Mitchell
As mentioned previously, the Dolphins are planning for Earl Mitchell to remain one of the starting defensive tackles this season. With some talented players behind him on the depth chart, though, his spot is far from 100 percent secure.
Mitchell will be asked to take advantage of the one-on-one blocking assignments he's likely to see when lining up next to Ndamukong Suh. More importantly, he needs to show the combination of pass-rushing and run-stuffing ability as well as the endurance necessary to be a three-down player. Those are traits that he will have a chance to show during training camp.
Jamar Taylor
Perhaps no Dolphins veteran should be more closely monitored this summer than cornerback Jamar Taylor. Entering his third year in the NFL, Taylor should get a real crack at starting duty in the Dolphins defense lining up opposite Brent Grimes.
The thing is, to this point, he has not shown the ability to shut down his receiver. In his two-year career, he's yielded 37 completions on 53 throws into his coverage (69.8 percent) for 436 yards and two touchdowns for a combined 107.1 passer rating. He'll need to do much better than that if he wants to hold down the starting spot.
Rookies to Watch
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Jordan Phillips
As mentioned in the previous slide, although the Dolphins appear to have cast no doubt over their starting defensive tackle situation, we should not approach it with blinders to the competition. The Dolphins drafted defensive tackle Jordan Phillips in the second round, presumably because they see big things in the big man's future.
For now, Phillips may only be a run-stuffing defensive tackle, but in the long run, he could be exactly what the Dolphins need on the defensive front. They were missing that imposing, gap-stuffing presence last year, which is part of what led to their defensive slide in the running game. The 6'5", 329-pound defensive tackle has the size and strength to hold his ground against the run.
Jay Ajayi
If the past is any indication, rookie running back Jay Ajayi will probably not be more than a rotational part-time backup for the Dolphins this year. The future, however, remains another story entirely.
Ajayi has been regarded as a three-down back capable of running between the tackles and catching passes out of the backfield. It will be interesting to see how the Dolphins utilize the rookie in his first year because it could provide the foundation for how he is used the remainder of his Dolphins career. For now, it would be fair to say Ajayi has the potential to take over Lamar Miller's No. 1 spot in the backfield if Miller is not brought back following the 2015 season.
Bobby McCain
With such a jumbled cornerback situation, there are anywhere from two to four roster spots that will be up for grabs. The Dolphins saw enough in rookie cornerback Bobby McCain to draft him in the fifth round, and although he comes in small at 5'9" and 195 pounds, he already has big-time athleticism (he finished in the top five among cornerbacks in the broad jump, three-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle and 60-yard shuttle at the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine).
McCain has experience covering both outside and in the slot, but his best fit on defense appears to be in the slot, where his quickness and instincts will be put to their best use. He may not be a big factor on defense as a rookie, but his ability to contribute on special teams (he returned kicks at Memphis) could end up being his saving grace for a roster spot.
Unless otherwise noted, all salary-cap and contract information provided by Over The Cap. All advanced stats provided by Pro Football Focus.
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