Quarterbacks: Chad Henne saw the field a little sooner than the team wanted him to in 2009 when he stepped in for the injured Chad Pennington and started Miami’s last 13 games. He was 7-3 in his first 10 starts, including two come-from-behind wins over division rivals the New York Jets and New England Patriots, the former coming in front of a national television audience on Monday Night Football. Now he has a Pro Bowl-caliber wide receiver in Brandon Marshall and an extra coach as one of his backups in Pennington. Tyler Thigpen and Pat White entered training camp ready to battle for a higher spot on the depth chart.
Receivers and tight ends: After one No. 19 (Ted Ginn, Jr.) fell short of his potential as a No. 1 draft pick, his replacement comes in with plenty of hype. Brandon Marshall opted to keep No. 19 as his jersey number after Davone Bess refused to part with his No. 15, and at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds he provides Henne with that big target capable of stretching the field that has been missing. Bess led the team with 76 catches for 758 yards and Brian Hartline caught a team-high three touchdowns as a rookie, while Camarillo did not drop one pass all season. All three are expected to put up better numbers thanks to Marshall, and tight end Anthony Fasano improved at the end of the season after a slow start. Big Joey Haynos (6-8, 270) is developing into a solid blocking tight end.
Defensive line: With veteran nose tackle Jason Ferguson retirement, Randy Starks has been asked to take his place in the middle of Miami’s 3-4 defense after putting together a Pro Bowl-caliber season last year from his defensive end position. He is confident he can do the job and will be surrounded by rookie defensive end Jared Odrick, third-year talent Kendall Langford and big 6-7 defensive tackle Tony McDaniel. New acquisitions Marques Douglas and Montavious Stanley could push for starting spots and Ryan Baker, Paul Soliai and Lionel Dotson also should see plenty of playing time.
