Not going to say that Miami is loaded, but it sure looks a lot better after free agency and the draft with virtually every unit dramatically improved. With that in mind, what position battles are you most looking forward to? Here are a few to keep an eye on.
Quarterback
Tua vs. Fitzpatrick -- only seems like a matter of time for Tua, but maybe the coaching staff treats it as a red-shirt season.
Right Tackle
Hunt vs. Davis -- the assumption is the loser kicks inside to RG.
Left Tackle
Jackson vs. Davenport -- Personally, I think Davenport is better suited to guard. By all accounts, Jackson is a little raw but I'd be surprised if he didn't start.
Starting Safeties
Rowe and who? Is it third rounder Jones? Anyone else?
Defensive Tackle
Could see Davis pushing Godchaulk to start. Then again, it's probably more of a rotation position.
Others?
I'm not very excited about most of these battles honestly brother.
QB
Fundamentally, I think our OL is horrible and I am not in favor of subjecting Tua to that as a rookie. Look, sitting for a year was the right move for Pat Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, just to name a couple. Dan Marino sat for a few games. Tua is NOT healthy, he is still square in the hip rehab. We all remember how long it took Mike Pouncey to recover from a hip injury, and frankly, he never was the same person. Now that's an OL physical position, but Pouncey probably came back too soon. Tua is barely 6 feet tall and not all that strong. He is proven to be NOT durable. Let the kid heal, learn, and take the Mahomes road in year 1. So I'm not excited about a QB competition, because I fear we will ruin our top prospect just like we did rushing Jake Long back too early, or Mike Pouncey ... or the other defunct Dolphins we rushed back too soon. Why risk it? We are not a playoff team in 2020, and we're not going to be a Super Bowl team in 2021 without a healthy Tua.
RT
This is a trickier question, because it tips our hand on the QB decision. My thought a year ago was that one reason we were playing Jesse Davis at LT, was that we were hoping/expecting to draft Tua #1 overall, and since he is left-handed, LT would not be Tua's blindside. I still see that as the plan. Davis works as a front side tackle. But I would be leery playing him on the backside permanently. Fitzmagic ran for his life last year, and this OL isn't much better. If we don't add a veteran OT, then Jesse Davis is our best tackle. Fitzmagic will be happy to have him at LT and he'll be settled when Tua plays in 2021. But if we move Davis to RT, or bring in a veteran RT via trade, that will signal we're playing Tua as a rookie ... and that scares me. If we go with Fitz, then I don't see a capable starting RT on our roster.
LT
Same thing as RT really. Jackson has the tools but is very young and extremely raw. Not physically ready for the NFL as he is still semi-recovering from the bone-marrow transplant, and he'll struggle at OT in 2020. Hunt isn't a good pass protector, and I see him moving to OG. Really, this team only has Jesse Davis at OT. If we move Ereck Flowers out to OT because of our OL drafting for 2021, then I'll call that a failure by the front office, because we know Flowers is horrible at OT. Paying him starter money to flounder there is just bad planning and a waste of cap space.
SS/FS
Again, here I'm not excited. Rowe is a stopgap, and McCain is out of position. I'm hoping and expecting the rookie Brandon Jordan to start. But, I see him as just another guy. We may need 2 new safeties in the 2021 draft. This group does not excite me. Cornerbacks, yes ... safeties ... no.
DT
Well this will be interesting. I think Strowbridge has potential as a rotational guy, and we may find someone like Godchaux in Strowbridge, but I don't see a hidden gem. I was underwhelmed by Chistian Wilkins as a rookie, and the thing I'm most excited to see is how Wilkins develops really. I affirmatively disliked the Raekwon Davis selection. He's just another guy.
The only two position groups I'm even interested in seeing are OG and DE.
RG/LG
Which side the guards play on and whether Hunt will win a position are interesting asks. Ideally we start Flowers at one guard and Karras at center. So, the other guard will be a big competition between Soloman Kindley (whom I like), Michael Deiter (whom I also like but had a rough rookie season), and Hunt (whom I dislike because of his poor pass protection). When you draft a guard that high, you expect him to start and star ... so the pressure is on Hunt. They may try him at OT, but I don't see that experiment working.
Position battles are usually fun to watch in preseason. But, we may not have much of a pre-season, and the rookies will be at a disadvantage because of the shifted or shortened schedule.
