Down To 53, How Does The Miami Dolphins Offense Look On Paper?
The Miami Dolphins made their cuts to get to the maximum 53-man roster the NFL allows. What does the offense look like now?
One of the biggest days in the offseason in terms of player movement, Tuesday’s cuts down to 53 players was a stressful one for players, coaches, and fans alike. Did Skylar Thompson play himself onto the 53-man roster by posting the highest passer rating of all quarterbacks in the preseason? *SPOILER*, he did. How many wide receivers are Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier willing to carry on a roster loaded with talent? Let’s look at the 53-man roster and breakdown how McDaniel and Grier got a tough task done.
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Miami Dolphins Offense On The 53-Man Roster
Quarterbacks
Tua Tagovailoa -QB1- No surprises here. Tua has looked efficient, accurate, and has been flipping sports analysts left and right over to the Tagovailoa fan club. His six for seven, 121-yard, one touchdown in three drives performance in the Dolphins preseason finale was perfect in the QBR category, 158.3. It doesn’t get better than that, unless you add Jaylen Waddle of course.
Teddy Bridgewater -QB2- It’s hard for me to decide between Teddy Bridgewater or Skylar Thompson for the QB2 spot, but as the Miami Dolphins depth chart stands, he is the first backup. He didn’t look great when he played in the preseason.
Skylar Thompson -QB3- I’m from Kansas, so when my coworker who’s a huge Kansas State Wildcat fan asked if I thought Thompson would make the roster, I said no. And then Skylar went and had the best preseason one could imagine for a seventh round pick out of a school that isn’t necessarily known for its football program anymore.
Running Backs
Chase Edmonds -RB1- Edmonds is looking to revive his career after dealing with injuries early in his career in Arizona, and then sharing running duties with James Connor last year. Edmonds had an incredible play in the Dolphins preseason game versus the Raiders that had jaws on the floor and kept the Fins drive going.
Raheem Mostert -RB2- The speed is still there, as everyone saw when he scampered for a twenty-seven-yard chunk gain versus the Eagles. If he can stay healthy, the Dolphins will have one of the best running back committees in the AFC.
Myles Gaskin -RB3- This one I’m pretty happy about. Myles Gaskins was RB1 at this time last year. He ran hard behind one of the worst run blocking lines in football last year and deserves a chance in this new scheme.
Salvon Ahmed -RB4- Ahmed, like Gaskin, wasn’t making the roster this time last week if you asked me. And then he had multiple runs against the Eagles on Saturday where he ran through wimpy arm tackles and fell forward for modest gains every time he touched the ball.
Wide Receivers
Tyreek Hill -WR1- Tyreek Hill is probably the most obvious pick on the roster. You don’t pay someone the most money at their position and they are not the top guy on the depth chart. Let’s look at this beautiful fifty-one-yard completion everyone wants to argue about, just for fun.
Tua to Tyreek first play of the game 🔥 @brgridiron (via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/Mewnip1A1H — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 27, 2022
Miami Dolphins Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill
Jaylen Waddle -WR2- Almost as obvious as Hill, Waddle was a phenom his rookie year breaking the rookie reception record. With the addition of Tyreek Hill, defenses are going to have to pick their poison or get it force-fed to them because speed waits for nobody.
Cedrick Wilson -WR3- We didn’t see a lot of Wilson in the preseason, but he showed he could get open across the middle of the field which is going to be a pretty good place to be with Hill and Waddle blowing the tops off of defenses.
Erik Ezukanma -WR4- Ezukanma put on an impressive showing in the preseason action. He had the incredible one handed catch with a defender right on his hip versus the raiders. He would have had another grab for significant gain against the Eagles but nearly had his head ripped off before the ball got there leading to the defensive pass interference call.
Trent Sherfield -WR5- Sherfield is going to be utilized from the slot position and is going to benefit from the underneath routes like mentioned above with Cedrick Wilson. He’s too fast for safeties to keep up with and can put them on skates when cutting in and out of routes.
Tight Ends
Mike Gesicki -TE1- After writing last week about how Mike McDaniel would find a way to fit Gesicki into his scheme rather than trading him, it brings me joy to write this week that he seems to have found a way to do just that. With Miami only carrying five wide receivers, we could still see Mike Gesicki split out wide as a big body receiver.
Durham Smythe -TE2- Hearing that Smythe had a strong camp and refined his route running and receiving game, he seemed to be the better overall fit at tight end for the McDaniel West Coast scheme. Now the Dolphins benefit from being able to play him in tight and slip him out on play action, or utilize him in the run game as a hog in the trenches.
Hunter Long -TE3- I believe Hunter Long can be the perfect tight end for the McDaniel scheme once he gets coached up and gets more regular season snaps. A big body tight end that has decent hands, and we’ve seen what the West Coast scheme can do for tight ends like George Kittle.
Cethan Carter -TE4- A solid run blocker but hasn’t shown much in the passing game to consider him a great threat when airing it out. He has tremendous special teams value and that itself is a good reason for the Dolphins to keep him around.
Tanner Conner -TE5- I’ll call this the biggest surprise of the list. I didn’t see the Dolphins keeping five tight ends, especially while releasing players like Lynn Bowden who could contribute to the return game and had a strong preseason. Tanner Conner, however, had a strong camp and preseason himself and has proved himself after going undrafted.
Full Back
Alec Ingold –FB1– We need one, we have one, and we have a dang good one too. It’s going to be a nice change of pace to have a true full back on the roster.
Offensive Line
Terron Armstead -LT1- One of the biggest moves the Dolphins made this offseason was acquiring Armstead during free agency. An anchor on the offensive line and a leader in the locker room, Terron looks to help shape one of the worst lines last year into a respectable unit in the NFL.
Liam Eichenberg -LG1- Eichenberg should benefit from being next to one of the best left tackles in the game. His development was slowed by the disfunction that was the Dolphins coaching staff last year, in which all of the team’s young lineman seemed to regress from the year before.
Connor Williams -C1/G- Williams has been a serviceable center in Michael Deiter’s absence due to injury, but I think it’s just a matter of time before Deiter retakes the reigns as the Dolphins center and Williams moves back to his natural position at guard.
Michael Deiter -C2- As a true center, it would only be right to get him back as soon as he’s one hundred percent. Connor Williams had some high snaps in his preseason playing time and I couldn’t see that being beneficial when McDaniel’s offense depends on correct timing from everyone on the field.
Robert Hunt -RG1- Another young gun I’m hoping takes two steps forward after taking a step back after a strong rookie year. Robert Hunt will have much more success inside at guard rather than tackle. His massive body frame make him too big to keep up with the edge rushers who seemingly get faster and faster every year.
Robert Jones -RG2- Jones could see some playing time if injuries plague our line like they have in years past. Like all of the other young guys, the Miami Dolphins are hoping the scheme change and new coaching staff will get to the untapped potential the Dolphins saw when they signed up as an undrafted free agent just a year ago.
Austin Jackson -RT1- After watching Jesse Davis defend Tua’s blind side last year with disastrous results, Dolphin fans were hoping upper management would target a right tackle in free agency or the the second day of the draft. Now we wait to find out if Austin Jackson has what it takes to live up to his first round draft status.
Greg Little -RT2- Hoping the coaching staff knows something everyone else doesn’t and Greg Little is worth a roster spot after a career spent on the injured reserved. We only gave up a seventh in a trade last year for him so we wouldn’t be out anything if we would have cut him, but hopefully he can stay healthy and offer the Dolphins depth on their offensive line.
Be on the lookout for a breakdown of the defensive side of the ball.
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