Too soon? Never. I'd love to start this discussion now -- there's a lot of competition at key positions. Take your best shot.
Here's mine, as of today QB - 3 Tannehill Moore Devlin RB - 4 Miller Moreno Gillislee Williams TE/FB/H-back - 4 Clay Sims Lynch Hoskins WR - 5 Wallace Hartline Gibson Landry Matthews OL - 9 Albert Colledge Satele Thomas James Smith Turner Fox Garner DL - 9 Wake Starks Odrick Mitchell Vernon Shelby Fede A. Johnson Francis LB - 7 Wheeler Misi Ellerbe Trusnik Jenkins Tripp McCain DB - 9 Grimes Finnegan Davis Taylor Delmas Wilson D. Jones Thomas Aikens Specialists - 3 Sturgis Fields Denney (Suspended: Jordan, R. Jones. PUP: Pouncey) That should be 53.
Clean -- Great list. My lone disagreement? The keeping of only 5 WR. With Hartline and Gibson coming back from season-ending injuries last year, I think it'd be risky. I wonder if this gives Thigpen an edge; being that he's able to line up in the backfield, slot, and as a returner. I haven't seen much of Hoskins, but curious to see how effective he could be lined up wide.
Wait a minute......How did you just post that roster of Clean's as a quote and drop Lynch from the TE's and add Egnew??
thats a pretty good list, i somehow still believe Pouncey won´t stay on the PUP, so to make room for him i cut devlin, lynch has also shown nothing, at least as far we know, i wouldn´t be surprised if they realize that mistake and cut him
Thats my version QB - 2 Tannehill Moore RB - 4 Miller Moreno Gillislee Williams TE/FB/H-back - 4 Clay Sims Hoskins Egnew (I somehow still think they believe in Egnew for some reason) WR - 6 Wallace Hartline Gibson Landry Matthews D.Williams OL - 9 Pouncey Albert Colledge Satele Thomas James Smith Turner Garner DL - 9 Wake Starks Odrick Mitchell Vernon Shelby Fede A. Johnson Francis LB - 7 Wheeler Misi Ellerbe Trusnik Jenkins Tripp McCain DB - 9 Grimes Finnegan Davis Taylor Delmas Wilson D. Jones Thomas Aikens Specialists - 3 Sturgis Fields Denney (Suspended: Jordan, R. Jones.) Thats my 53 i have a tough time cutting someone for Jordan and Jones in Week 5...isn´t that nice
Per Rotoworld: I hope this is just media B.S. For once, I'd like to see this team have "deep depth" at a skill position. Injuries are bound to occur over the course of the season, and I love the idea of being able to go 4 or 5 wide with this current group of receivers.
I'm a little bit torn on the starting OL lineup. It is my belief that the ground game in this offense is of vital importance. That's where the innovation of the offense lies. Chip Kelly didn't walk into the NFL with fundamentally challenging or innovative passing schemes. He really didn't. That was a popular myth. In fact, those that doubted he could make the transition to the NFL used that as the basis of their doubt. They saw very few pro concepts in the Oregon passing game, with little to no sophisticated concepts about drop timing, etc. So he came to the NFL and hired Pat Shurmur to marry his west coast passing principles into Chip Kelly's total offensive program. People talk about all the spacing and everything like that with the pass offense but there's nothing new or innovative there. The innovation of his offense and core principles involves the way the run and pass play off one another. Play-action isn't just a timing tool added onto his pass plays for decoration. The combination of play calling and disguise makes it difficult for the defense to know what is coming, and there are so many options built into each play (including run plays) that the defense is punished for over-committing to one idea about how the play is about to develop. There's also the pacing concepts which are designed to hurt the defense. So if you're sitting here telling me that Daryn Colledge and Dallas Thomas are more reliable in pass pro but that Shelley Smith and Billy Turner could really get the run game revved up...I'm going to be torn about that. In general the passing game is the most important thing in the NFL. But when your offense is structured to where the passing game's efficiency is tied strongly to the running game, then in my mind a 0.5 yards per carry increase in the run game is going to net you a 1.0 yards per attempt increase in the passing game.
I'd definitely go with the stronger run-blockers. If we had more talent in the backfield, maybe you could get away with a weaker run-blocking line. But pairing our RB talent with a weak OLine is a recipe for what we had last year on the ground. It crippled the offense, imo.
I believe it also crippled Tannehill at times and stymied his development. As a player with movement ability I think that if he had a ground game he could be more effective. If all we're relying on to improve the offense are some modest improvements to his footwork and the belief (which may be false or true) that Lazor's passing offense is more fundamentally sound than Sherman's, I'm not sure that's going to work.
I'd go with whichever linemen are most likely to keep Tannehill from taking shots. Especially on the left side. At RG, maybe you can get away with a mediocre pass blocker, who excels as a run blocker.
It's seriously a miracle he survived last season. Trainers for the dolphins deserved a massive bonus.
I'll play along. Here's my stab at the 53 man roster, assuming there are no cuts/additions (which I'm sure there will be): Offense - 25 Total QB (2) - Ryan Tannehill, Matt Moore RB (4) - Lamar Miller, Knowshon Moreno, Damien Williams, Mike Gillislee^*** WR (6) - Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson, Rishard Matthews, Jarvis Landry, Damian Williams^ TE (4) - Charles Clay, Dion Sims, Michael Egnew^, Arthur Lynch^ OT (3) - Branden Albert, Ja'Wuan James, Nate Garner OG (4) - Daryn Colledge, Shelley Smith, Billy Turner, Sam Brenner OC (2) - Samson Satele, Mike Pouncey* Defense - 25 Total DE (4) - Cameron Wake, Olivier Vernon, Derrick Shelby, Terrence Fede DT (4) - Earl Mitchell, Randy Starks, Jared Odrick, Anthony Johnson OLB (5) - Philip Wheeler, Dannell Ellerbe, Jelani Jenkins, Chris McCain, Jordan Tripp MLB (2) - Koa Misi, Jason Trusnik CB (4) - Brent Grimes, Cortland Finnegan, Jamar Taylor, Will Davis S (6) - Louis Delmas, Jimmy Wilson, Walt Aikens, Michael Thomas, Don Jones, Jordan Kovas^** Specialists - 3 Total ST (3) John Potter^, Brandon Fields, John Denney Explanations - Guys with ^ next to them were the last ones added to the roster. - Since we know that there are 2 players for sure missing week one due to suspensions (Jordan, R. Jones) and probably another in Mike Pouncey, making 3 total, I've added in some caveats to the roster. * - Starting with Mike Pouncey. If Miami does place him on the PUP, then I'd not cut Dallas Thomas (a surprise cut by me) and bring him back to the roster and shift Sam Brenner to be the second center after Samson Satele. If Miami doesn't place Pouncey on the PUP (I don't think they should, but they probably will to be safe) then I'd cut Dallas Thomas. I think having Brenner, who played both G spots last year and has worked at C and having Nate Garner, that gives you enough flexibility to work with on game day. ** - Reshad Jones is coming back after the bye, so I'll designate Jordan Kovacs as the guy they'll cut to make room for Jones, a straight swap at S. *** - Mike Gillislee. I like him, and it's been rumored that Dennis Hickey likes him, but I've got to designate someone to be cut for Dion Jordan's return and based on what guys like Anthony Johnson, Terrence Fede, and Chris McCain have shown, I can't justify getting rid of one of them. Notable Cuts - Brady Quinn, Daniel Thomas, Marcus Thigpen, Dallas Thomas, Jason Fox, A.J. Francis, Jalil Brown, and Caleb Sturgis. Areas of Concern & Random Thoughts - I'm not entirely in love with the backups on the O-line. I think Barry Jackson intimated that Billy Turner will end up a starter at some point this season, so I can buy Daryn Colledge being a starter to ease Samson Satele into the season until Pouncey's back then serving as solid depth. Nate Garner and Sam Brenner both offer flexibility, but I'd try and upgrade over either of them if someone shakes loose. Dallas Thomas at this point may be a lost cause, though I'd assume he's got practice squad eligibility with the new rule. - I'm really only comfortable with Charles Clay and Dion Sims being on the 53 man roster. Michael Egnew I think has potential in this offense, but he's been banged up, and if they want to use him in a role similar to last year, why not see if a true "FB" type becomes available that's a better run blocker? Brett Brackett is intriguing but I think he's got Arthur Lynch's being a draft pick working against him. That said, Arthur Lynch has been banged up pretty much since camp started. As has Gator Hoskins. Tight End is an area I'd look at who gets cut and see if I can upgrade over Egnew and Lynch. - I kept 6 receivers as opposed to 5, as Miami had last year, just because from what we've seen so far in preseason receivers are going to be used a lot. Whether or not that's a product of having had only Dion Sims healthy at TE so far, who knows? But Damian Williams as shown well and offers experience at KR/PR if Jarvis Landry falters since I've cut Marcus Thigpen. - I'm keeping 10 defensive backs (Miami kept 11 for most of last year) just because I think that's a Kevin Coyle thing and one of them is going to be more valuable on game day than an inactive A.J. Francis, whom I cut, but if I didn't what's he giving you in games? Nothing, because I don't see him being activated over any of the other DTs. - I marked John Potter as a last guy added because there's really no clarity with Caleb Sturgis at this point. Wouldn't surprise me if they brought him back once he's healthy. Didn't Miami have spells with Shayne Graham and Nate Kaeding the past two years while Carpenter and Sturgis were injured? Same type of deal here.
Offense (24): (3) QB: RT, Moore, and I would keep Lobato, he can be cut if someone better becomes available, he is the cut flexibility. (3) RB: Moreno, Miller, Thigpen (Thigpen is versatile and I don't see a point in carrying more RBs who do the same thing, carries will be low so risk is minimal) (7) WR: Gibson, Marshall, Landry, Williams, Binns, Wallace, Hartline (It's a fast pace offense, and breathers will be needed) (3) TE: Clay, Sims, Egnew (I don't see a need to carry more than 3 here, I'd likely to keep Bracket for development but don't see advantage over Egnew.) (8) OL: Albert, Colledge, Satele, Smith, James, Turner, Garner, Brenner (Pouncey pup, does not count) (Only Brenner can snap the ball if Satele goes down and hold the fort, and D. Thomas has no role on the team. He's been supplanted by Turner, and both Turner and Garner are T/G players. If need be, they can get another FA OL during the season.) Defense (26): (5) DT: Starks, Mitchell, Odrick, Johnson, AJ Francis (Johnson can rush, run and penetrate, and you have to look to next year with the contract status of the starters, and AJ can be groomed for short yardage.) (4) DE: Wake, Vernon, Shelby, Fede ( I was thinking of cutting Shelby but he is faster than Fede, so both deserve a spot especially with Jordan out for 4 games.) (Jordan is out for 4 games, so when he gets back they can cut someone, not necessarily from this group.) (7) LB: Misi, Ellerbe, Wheeler, McCain, Tripp, Trusnik, Freeny (I'd keep these 7 cause there is still competition going on, you have to look to next year as well, and the ST also.) (4) S: Thomas, Kovacs, Delmas, Wilson (Whn Reshad gets back, one of them can be cut.) (Dolphins should be on the look out for FS and SS.) (4) CB: Grimes, Finnegan, Davis, Taylor (2) DB: Aikens, Jones (Jones stays bc of special teams. Aikens deserves developing on the roster imo, and he seems good at tackling so should contribute on ST as well.) ST (3): Denney, Fields, and I don't care whether Sturgis or Potter wins the job, it's up to medical.
My version - REVISION QB - 2 Tannehill Moore RB - 4 or possibly 5 Miller Moreno Gillislee or Thigpen (I like Thiggy's versatility) Williams could take Thomas's spot, but then again that could be Moreno as well TE/FB/H-back - 3 Clay Sims Egnew WR - 6 or 7 (I really hate the thought of losing any of these guys) Wallace Hartline Gibson Landry Matthews Williams Binns OL - 9 Albert Colledge Pouncey/Satele (from practice reports I'm betting Pouncey makes it back week 1) Thomas or insert guard from waiver wire James Smith Turner Fox Garner DL - 9 Wake Starks Odrick Mitchell Vernon Shelby Fede A. Johnson Francis LB - 7 Wheeler (I SOOOO WISH WE HAD A REPLACEMENT!) Misi Ellerbe Tripp (PLEASE step up and take Wheeler's spot!) Trusnik Jenkins (PLEASE step up and take Wheeler's spot!) McCain (PLEASE step up and take Wheeler's spot!) DB - 9 Grimes Finnegan Davis Taylor Delmas Wilson (I'd love to see someone take Wilson's spot. He is still a little inconsistent. Waiver wire!) D. Jones Thomas Aikens Specialists - 3 Sturgis Fields Denney (Suspended: Jordan, R. Jones. PUP: Pouncey) I still don't trust Wilson. I am going to see him as a liability until he proves otherwise.
I guess I will take a crack at this now that we've got some preseason games in the books. 2 QB: Ryan Tannehill, Matt Moore 4 RB: Lamar Miller, Knowshon Moreno, Damien Williams, Mike Gillislee 4 TE: Charles Clay, Dion Sims, Michael Egnew, Arthur Lynch 5 WR: Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson, Jarvis Landry, Rishard Matthews 9 OL: Branden Albert, Daryn Colledge, Samson Satele, Shelley Smith, JaWuan James, Billy Turner, Nate Garner, Dallas Thomas, Sam Brenner 9 DL: Cameron Wake, Randy Starks, Jared Odrick, Olivier Vernon, Earl Mitchell, Terrence Fede, Derrick Shelby, Anthony Johnson, Garrison Smith 7 LB: Philip Wheeler, Koa Misi, Dannell Ellerbe, Chris McCain, Jordan Tripp, Jelani Jenkins, Jason Trusnik 5 CB: Brent Grimes, Cortland Finnegan, Will Davis, Jamar Taylor, Michael Thomas 5 DS: Louis Delmas, Jimmy Wilson, Walt Aikens, Don Jones, Jordan Kovacs 3 ST: Brandon Fields, John Denney, John Potter Reserve List (roster exemptions until return): Mike Pouncey (PUP), Dion Jordan (suspension), Reshad Jones (suspension) Practice Squad: Seth Lobato, Orleans Darkwa, Matt Hazel, Gator Hoskins, David Arkin, Isaako Aaitui, Tevin Mims, Andrew Wilson, Jalil Brown, Demetrius Wright
thats close to how i have it ,maybe change francis for smith , brenner ,smith/johnson and jones/kovacs on hot seat when the 3 players return
To me, Gibson is the most reliable WR on the entire roster. He is also their best WR once they reach the red zone. Cutting or trading Gibson would be ridiculous and I hope this is only some absurd speculation by someone at Rotoworld. I am sure the Jets, Bills, and Patriots would love to see the Dolphins release what is probably their best WR at this time. Gibson is already better than any of the receivers on the Jets and Patriots and he would instantly make their receiving corp much better if he were to sign with one of these teams. I can see getting rid of Hartline to keep one of the younger WR's, but getting rid of Gibson makes no sense to me at all.
Brandon Gibson WAS in a position where he could have ended up squeezed out, given his recovering from injury and his higher salary, plus the drafting of Jarvis Landry. However he has easily put those notions out of the coaches minds by stepping up during camp and preseason and looking every bit like he did a year ago.
I assume you meant Matthews and not Marshall for the WR position. I wish we still had Marshall as part of this WR group. I do agree that Thomas has no role on this team and he should not be on the final 53 man roster. Egnew is another player who I have not been impressed with and will be surprised if he makes the team this year. If he does, it only shows how weak this position is behind Clay. Unless Sturgis can show he is 100% healthy, I wouldn't take a chance on him and I would keep Potter heading into the season. I noticed you didn't include Jenkins in the LB's you would keep. Do you feel Trusnik and Freeney have more upside than him? I have read several comments on this forum that some members were high on Jenkins, but obviously that doesn't include you. Living here in Hawaii, I don't have the opportunity to get a lot of news on the Dolphins and I was just curious if Jenkins has dropped below these other LB's on the roster. I was high on Binns going into the preseason, but I haven't heard or read much about him in recent weeks. So it would surprise me if he gets a roster spot and they only keep 3 RB's. I have felt for the past two years that Thomas should be cut, but I could see Williams or Gillislee making the final roster as RB's and Binns not making the final roster at WR.
Geez I'm losing my mind. Thank you! I think someone will and should make the roster as a TE who plays FB, and Engew is the guy. No, it's not about upside obviously, I don't see him making plays, and I do see the other two making plays at times, and they have experience. I maybe wrong on this, but I decided to put a little more weight on those considerations than jenkins's upside/youth. I'm fully aware that Jenkins will likely make it. I know. However, I see no reason to keep Damien Williams or any of the other running backs. I feel that what they bring can be picked up anytime. Also, RBs will have 20-25 carries if that. If Moreno runs 15 and miller 10, what are we keeping one of the other guys for? To force him to play 2-3 carries a game? I just don't see a good reason to keep the 3rd Rb other than Thigpen for STs and versatility reason.
Thanks for the explanation. I can see your point of view, except with Moreno coming off injury, I don't know if would be wise for the Dolphins to go into the season with just two other backs on the roster. Hopefully if that is the case, Williams would be kept around on the practice squad just in case he is needed to be added to the roster some time in the season. As far as Egnew is concerned. I was hoping the Dolphins could add a second TE in the off season to complement Clay. I think Egnew is very mediocre, but the Dolphins don't have a lot of talent at the position behind Clay and that might just mean he makes the roster, as you predict.
I'll be shocked if we don't carry 4 TEs. I read at least once in OTAs we ran a play with 3 TEs on the field at the same time.
I did my prediction a couple months ago. Here is my updated one: OFFENSE (24) QB - Tannehill, Moore RB - Miller, Moreno, Gillislee, Williams WR - Wallace, Hartline, Gibson, Matthews, Landry, Williams TE - Clay, Sims, Brackett OL - Albert, Garner, Colledge, Smith, *Pouncey, Satele, Turner, James, Fox, *Brenner DEFENSE (26) DL - Wake, Shelby, Vernon, *Jordan, Fede, Starks, Odrick, Mitchell, Francis, *A. Johnson LB - Ellerbe, Jenkins, Tripp, Misi, Trusnik, Wheeler, McCain CB - Grimes, Finnegan, Taylor, Davis, Aikens, *Brown S - Delmas, *R. Jones, Wilson, D. Jones, Thomas SPECIAL TEAMS (3) ST - Fields, Potter, Denney PRACTICE SQUAD Larsen, Finkenberg, Lynch, Darkwa, Lobato, Hazel, G. Smith, Aaitui, Mims, Kovacs
Dallas Thomas has PS eligibility under the old rules, and I was not aware of any new rules. That maybe the best place for him. Brenner has more value on the 53 man roster. The high number of DBs last season was due to needing to carry the usually injured Taylor, and often injured Davis and Patterson. You need at least 8 healthy ones to be active on game days.
As DBs go, even when Coyle was in Cincinnati they kept 10 or 11 most years. I think it's more of a thing with him than it is with injuries.
My updated 53 man roster. QB - 2 Tannehill Moore RB - 4 Miller Moreno Gillislee Williams TE/FB/H-back - 4 Clay Sims Lynch Brackett WR - 6 Wallace Hartline Gibson Landry Matthews Williams OL - 9 Albert Colledge Satele Pouncey James Smith Turner Brenner Garner DL - 9 Wake Starks Odrick Mitchell Vernon Shelby Fede A. Johnson Francis LB - 7 Wheeler Misi Ellerbe Trusnik Jenkins Tripp McCain DB - 9 Grimes Finnegan Davis Taylor Delmas Wilson D. Jones Thomas Aikens Specialists - 3 Potter Fields Denney (Suspended: Jordan, R. Jones.) That should be 53.
After PS Game 3, this is what I'd like to see after suspensions are up and Pouncey's back: Offense - 25 Total QB (2) - Ryan Tannehill, Matt Moore RB (4) - Knowshon Moreno, Lamar Miller, Damien Williams, Mike Gillislee WR (6) - Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson, Rishard Matthews, Jarvis Landry, Damian Williams TE (4) - Charles Clay, Dion Sims, Gator Hoskins, Arthur Lynch OT (3) - Branden Albert, Ja'Wuan James, Nate Garner OG (4) - Daryn Colledge, Shelley Smith, Billy Turner, Sam Brenner OC (2) - Mike Pouncey, Samson Satele Defense - 25 Total DE (5) - Cameron Wake, Olivier Vernon, Derrick Shelby, Terrence Fede, Dion Jordan DT (4) - Earl Mitchell, Randy Starks, Jared Odrick, Anthony Johnson OLB (5) - Philip Wheeler, Dannell Ellerbe, Jordan Tripp, Chris McCain, Jelani Jenkins MLB (2) - Koa Misi, Jason Trusnik CB (4) - Brent Grimes, Cortland Finnegan, Jamar Taylor, Will Davis S (5) - Reshad Jones, Louis Delmas, Jimmy Wilson, Michael Thomas, Walt Aikens Specialists - 3 Total ST (3) K-<Insert Name Here>, Brandon Fields, John Denney
After last night RB and TE are a little hazy. Tight battles there, even if the quality isn't super. Who do you all think is most likely to get poached from the practice squad out of: Williams, Darkwa, Lynch, Brackett, Hoskins? Who would we have trouble stashing? I think we'll keep 4 RBs initially. But once cuts happen around the League we'll have better options, and end up cutting Gills or someone to make room for a new guy. We'll see some shuffling back there, imo. Honestly Miller does very little for me. I doubt he'd get many (if any) snaps if he were on another team. But whatever. It's a good thing that last night reminded us of what an actual starting NFL running back looks like. It's been a while, and we needed to see that. The bar has to be raised at that position.
I think Darkwa and Brackett to PS, and of the two I'd think Brackett would be the most poach-able. I think those others make the 53.
