This was a very insightful article. For the most part I agree with their questions and assessments. Maxwell really is an enigma. He has played well lately and the game against Pittsburgh was fantastic. But wow, does the guy simply not put in the effort sometimes ... truly disheartening. This has got to be the biggest "what if" guy in recent memory. At least we know why Dion Jordan is not fulfilling his potential, but the on-again-off-again nature of Maxwell's work ethic for such an enigmatic talent is mind-boggling.
I've been questioning the Phillips kid since he was picked, but he definitely is trending in the right direction and seems to be growing into his role. He's definitely stayed healthy and bought in, which along were his two biggest question marks for me. I'm convinced we need to re-sign Kiko ... but after that none of the LB's we have seem like starters to me. At CB, we're in a weird place. I like McCain, but he sometimes has good games and other times, very recently for instance, he has had horrible games. The jury is still out on whether he will be a starter or depth, but he is a keeper IMHO. Lippett looks like depth at boundary corner in a press scheme to me. Howard is our #1. Maxwell, I guess the jury is still out. Regardless, I say draft another CB high and give VJ another great piece of clay to mold. Let's use what VJ does best while we have him.
On offense, it seems obvious we need a TE and RG (post-Bushrod who will likely retire), and maybe a LG, and most likely another speed WR to stretch the field. Unless Grant somehow becomes an outside WR.
The list of needs continues to be long ... so let's not start thinking we're a top team just yet. Off the top of my head, the list, in no specific order, looks like this:
DE1 - good candidate for a 1st round pick
DE2 - lesser need with Branch and Wake, but it will be obvious soon enough
DT2 - decision about Mitchell/Jordan, with Mitchell likely a goner if we need to bring in another DT to pair with Suh
WOLB/MLB - whichever position Kiko doesn't play will need a starter to replace Jenkins who is not good enough
SOLB - hope Misi is healthy and retires ... but regardless I can't see Gase/VJ building around him, so we need a new Sam.
CB2 - With X. Howard starting, we need 1 more guy ... unless they decide to ride with "Sleeves" Maxwell.
RG - doubt Bushrod returns, but if he does then we will likely still need a new LG to replace Tunsil who likely replaces the possible cap casualty Albert
TE - we need a starting TE who can be a red zone threat, run blocker, pass blocker, and hopefully also a seam threat
WR2 - Assuming Stills is not re-signed and Parker is our WR1 and Landry is our Slot, we will need a true deep threat to push the safety high and open things up for the J-Train
That's 8 or 9 positions. Assuming we can find 3 in the draft, which is actually a big if, that still leaves at least 5 free agents. IMHO, that's more than a 1 year roster overhaul. At bare minimum we need DE, 2 LB's, CB, G, and TE; which is 6 guys. That is the most I think we can reasonably add in a year.
Good post, great article. I do disagree on the fact this isn't a workable job in one offseason. I think this team is in a much better position entering this offseason than I could have ever imagined, and they have plenty of capital and in house candidates to fill holes.
DE1 - Agreed that we should look into investing a high pick here to get some youth. Favorite for the first pick right now position wise.
DE2 - We have Wake under contract, so really we need a rotational guy. With the year Branch is having, he is certainly a guy worth retaining if the cost isn't too prohibitive. Considering he's a bit of a one year wonder, and his counting stats aren't overly impressive he shouldn't get something too crazy. Still a sizable pact, I figured in the $7-8M range annually. At that price, and Wake getting older I'd definitely think long and hard about it.
DT2 - I'm in wait and see mode with Earl Mitchell, the coaching staff seems to like him. I'd say odds are we have the same 3-man rotation next year. Draft a guy in the middle rounds behind them. Sky's the limit with Phillips.
WOLB/MLB - Agreed on this, but if the right option isn't out there, can easily look to the draft or if Hewitt shows well insert him at WILL. So there's some flexibility there. Pretty solid FA crop this year at LB.
SOLB - A pretty inexpensive position to fill. Just find someone physical that can set the edge.
CB2 - I think of Maxwell keeps this play up he'll be wearing a Dolphins uniform next season. His contract is plenty affordable and not as prohibitive as people make it out to be. Lippett continues to show well behind him, and Howard is locked in across from him. I'd still invest in the position further, but shockingly this might not be a top shelf need.
RG - I think we have to move on from Albert, which will mean we need two guards. Plenty of guards out there in FA, and I'd invest pretty heavily there because the OL is the most important unit on this team. A guy like Ronald Leary won't get crazy money and would help instill the physicality we want on our line. Urbik and Steen are under contract as internal options at RG, but another Bushrod type signing is definitely needed. I'd draft a guard in the first 4 rounds as well.
TE - Definitely a big need here, would really help our offense. All our TE's are currently FA's, but won't be expensive to keep around. I'd keep Sims and Gray, and they won't be too expensive and are really strong depth. Good draft for TE's, we should scoop one up if we can. Need a guy who can stretch the field to pair with Sims. Martellus Bennett will be out there too.
WR2 - I doubt Stills gets anything too crazy, his stats aren't particularly impressive. Sure we'll explore keeping him, but I won't lose sleep if he gets away. Carroo is an in house option, and could get a cheaper speed guy if need be.
