Is Miami Done Adding on the Offensive Line? | Page 16 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Is Miami Done Adding on the Offensive Line?

Feverdream said:
Now... if we do draft a WR, then we are left with the question of what kind of WR. Thus far, there's been two trains of thought.

Some of the brothers focus on guys who 'get separation', believing that 'these are the kind of guys that McD wants; or... 'these are the kind of guys who could step up if Hill or Waddle were injured'; or... 'Tua needs this type of receiver'.

But it's duplication, not expansion. Drafting yet another z type/y slot type gives us depth, but it doesn't change the offense. Another undersized WR and excitement, excitement, excitement! But no improvement really.

Then there are the brothers who want a different sort of receiver--a better large receiver, an X type who would help us now, in areas we are not good: Red zone and sideline.

Downside. Tua has not shown that he can use this sort of receiver. McD has not shown that he can insert this kind of receiver into his offense. Our line may not be able to hold their blocks long enough to utilize a WR who takes longer to get open...

But this type of WR expands what we do... and change... well, it can be good.
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i think any receiver you add can’t just be a big 50-50 type receiver like Devante Parker or Gesicki.

They have to be able to run routes..

Tua did give Parker and Gesicki career years but that was a different system

Don’t want two different route concepts on one play
 
Watching this team struggle over the past 2 years doesn't lead me to believe that the 3rd receiver just needs to run better routes.

I think the most likely scenario is that the offense begins to transition to a slightly more conventional drop-back game with a 3rd option coming in the form of a dump-off guy. That's exactly what Jonnu Smith was in ATL last year and it's exactly where De'Von Achane could be quite productive and steal more cheap & easy touches throughout a game.

It will however require that the QB step up his game and not run quite so many quick-plays that don't involve reading more than 1 defender and which actually ask him to scan the field more broadly.

It will also require more consistency from the OL which doesn't necessarily have to come in the form of elite players so much as guys who can stay healthy (i.e. Aaron Brewer > Connor Williams).


My guess is that it's going to be a growth year for the offense. The QB may not always look quite so comfortable. Things may not always look so perfect. I suspect the best addition to the team given it's position in R1 is probably some long-term piece for the OL, mostly likely an OT. This player can start inside at G, bringing some long-term reliability to an OL which has been a rotation of countless players over the past several years. This guy will ultimately kick out to replace Armstead when he retires.
 
Finswatch said:
and to finish the point on opportunity costs-I thought picks 2 and 3 in the first round of the 2020 draft for Miami were reaches
Soon after AJ was picked at 18 in that draft, Justin Jefferson, Brandon Aiyuk and Patrick Queen were selected. All three have more value now and probably had higher draft grades in 2020. The team got locked into taking a tackle here and even if AJ was projected to go in the 20's or 30's of that draft, they passed on better players to draft him.
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Queen doesn’t have more value than Jackson.
 
Mello Yello said:
You can't possibly accept Jonnu Smith as the answer though, right?

View attachment 167846

He was stuck behind Delanie Walker during his rookie year in 2017 so we'll ignore that.

In 2018-2020 he was the primary TE for the Titans and he peaked at 448 yards--that ain't great.

He earned a $50M contract with the Patriots and did absolutely nothing for them as you can see. He was given a 4-yr deal and sent packing after 2 seasons. He played 2nd fiddle to the middling Hunter Henry who's never produced more than 650-yds in his 7-yr NFL career.

Smith played alongside Kyle Pitts in ATL last year as Pitts was returning from an MCL tear. The two split time and Pitts came out a little ahead in terms of targets, yards and Y/R.

If Jonnu Smith is our answer at TE I'm not happy. As a #2 he's a valuable asset but as a #1 he's insufficient.


While Smith has certainly produced more than Smythe as a receiver, my honest expectation is that the team leans heavily into making De'Von Achane a bigger piece of the passing game as his talent actually warrants more targets.
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Yes.

I can.

If McD gives him the targets, he'll catch them.
 
Feverdream said:
Yes.

I can.

If McD gives him the targets, he'll catch them.
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That's not really how projections should be put together, treating a warm body as a major addition.

As I already laid out, the only signings of any real long-term substance this offseason were the (2) 3-yr signings of Jordyn Brooks and Andrew Brewer. The 2-yr guys are stop-gaps: 29yo CB Kendall Fuller, 7-yr vet TE Jonnu Smith, etc.


Even if we remove his unproductive rookie year, Jonnu Smith averages 3.2 targets-per-game over his past 6 seasons with an average of about 375-yds per year. And this is a player who's routinely been available for 15-17 games per season so it's not like that average is based on a 1/2 season or something. This is a player who's been on 3 different teams over the last 4 years.

For context, Durham Smythe in the McDaniel system has gotten about 2.0 targets per game and produced about 250-yds per season. There's nothing to indicate Jonnu Smith isn't an upgrade, but a significant one capable of lifting the offense? Not really.

Now, if the Dolphins were in position to land a whale of a TE prospect in the draft, I would consider signing a reliable veteran like Jonnu Smith to a 2-yr "be a leader in the TE room" type of deal a sensible move. In fact, you could suggest Miami is looking to take a TE of substance in the draft based merely on the fact they've already begun re-shaping the group and yet haven't done anything of great significance to finalize the position.

The fact remains, Jonnu Smith does not bring all of what Miami needs at TE nor was he signed to a deal suggesting they expect that of him.


The untapped potential in Miami is at RB to be sure. That's where the growth will likely be unless we see a significant move on top of Jonnu Smith at TE (which we very well could in R2).
 
djphinfan said:
i think any receiver you add can’t just be a big 50-50 type receiver like Devante Parker or Gesicki.

They have to be able to run routes..

Tua did give Parker and Gesicki career years but that was a different system

Don’t want two different route concepts on one play
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OBJ will be valuable being of the same archetype as Hill and Waddle. If either is ever out with an injury, OBJ can be seamlessly plugged into their role. Hopefully, EZ can finally live up to their vision when they drafted him. Bigger WR who is good on 50/50 balls but also a YAC monster after the catch. That's what he was at Texas Tech. IF he has the mental aspects down now, and IF he is finally 100% physically, he could be a solid contributor.
 
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MrClean said:
OBJ will be valuable being of the same archetype as Hill and Waddle. If either is ever out with an injury, OBJ can be seamlessly plugged into their role. Hopefully, EZ can finally live up to their vision when they drafted him. Bigger WR who is good on 505/50 balls but also a YAC monster after the catch. That's what he was at Texas Tech. IF he has the mental aspects down now, and IF he is finally 100% physically, he could be a solid contributor.
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You think Odell had the discipline/precision in his route running ?
 
djphinfan said:
I suppose Clean, he’s such a douchebag though
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I always thought so too but I interacted with him on a Canes forum and he seemed normal so it's mostly just a show IMO

Plus maybe he'll take the spotlight off Hill :shrug:

Sign him or don't. I'm good either way to be honest
 
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