The board has been really down...with good reason. So lets have some fun. I’ve posed this question before a few years ago….but let’s rehash an old idea! There is an NFL Fantasy Draft. All players are placed into player pool, except each team can protect 3 core players. WHO ARE THEY? Obviously, make sure to take age and position importance into consideration. The NFL is wiping the theoretical slate clean! Here are mine: 1) Ryan Tannehill: He is a competent NFL QB in a QB driven league. He has flaws, he is young, and is arguably already Top 15. In this scenario, there will likely not be a better QB available in the “draft” and he needs to be kept. 2) Mike Pouncey: He is a knucklehead, and he plays a devalued position. But he also may be the best in the game. 4 years into career. Many years ahead…give me Pouncey. 3) Ja’wuan James. Ughhh, I really struggled here. I initially thought Albert, but with his torn up knee and back injuries I went with the young gun. He held his own and will likely only get better. Just Missed: Cam Wake: I love you Cam, but he is getting older, and was even used less this year. Grimes: Again the age thing. Jarvis Landry: Really like what he did this year. Think he may be a special player. I just don’t think I can keep a slot receiver. Look at Tannehill’s rapport from last year with Gibson/Mathews getting a ton of work too. Extra Credit: Is there a team with a less exciting set of keepers than the Miami Dolphins? I can think of the Raiders and Titans. Maybe the Jets? Some team may not be as depth but at least have elite players at “sexy” positions.
Tannehill, for obvious reasons. James, because he can play LT and be paid comparatively little for it for the next few years. Landry, because he's a good player at an important position, and likewise can be paid relatively little for the next few years.
Lamar Miller belongs on the list, and is really under-appreciated. He had a better year than Reggie Bush's breakout year here and no one is really talking about it. I think Mike Pouncey shouldn't be on the list. He was awful this year, he's a huge problem child, and I wouldn't call him a top Center, either.
I thought about Miller, but I can't get around the idea that he isn't anything special. I may have thought a little bit too far into this silly senerio, but I think the "pool" of players would include a lot of solid RB's. And I would think that Miller would not be difficult to get back in the "draft" because he is so undervalued.
If we can get anything for Pouncey we should explore it.. A second or third round pick... or a player that can help.. Just do it.. this guy is going to command a lot of money and he has not proven his worth. and we don't have money to give. Same goes for Cam.. Love Wake but we aren't making the playoffs next year and if you can get some good value for him, do it. Send him to a contending team.
You still have to keep Wake. He is still a premier pass rusher and even though he is aging, with the way he takes care of his body, I can see him continuing to give excellent contributions for at least 2 more seasons. so: 1) Ryan Tannehill - Very good season and continues to improve. With your parameters, everyone with a decent QB is going to protect them in their 3, so you won't be able to snag anyone better. 2) Cameron Wake - Still great. Won't likely find an upgrade to him easily if at all. 3)Ja'wuan James - Young talented tackle who had a good rookie season as a RT, even if he struggled a bit when switched to LT.
As it relates to Pouncey, it should be noted that Miami kept Sam Brenner, who worked as a center in camp, AND Michael Brewster, a natural C, on the practice squad for considerable lengths of time. Just FYI.
I considered Miller because I do view him as an important building block of the team going forward, but it would be easier to replace him than it would be to replace James or Landry in my opinion.
There really isn't that many runningbacks out there right now. Miller's top 10 in yardage, and behind only Justin Forsett for yards per carry among primary backs, and he did it with a ****ty OL situation.
He's got the talent to be but rarely ever plays to it. Hence he's been more of a barely top 10 center and a piss poor excuse for a guard. Not worth the money he'll command in the least. Highly overrated by the fan base.
I don't know if there are a shortage of "keepers" on the roster. There are many players that make no sense to get rid of because they're cheap and nobody's likely offering anything for them. So they're all "keepers" technically. Now if you're asking who I consider to be the "core" of the team going forward I think that's a different description: QB Ryan Tannehill RB Lamar Miller TE Charles Clay WR Jarvis Landry LT Branden Albert RT JaWuan James DE Cameron Wake DE Olivier Vernon DT Jared Odrick DT Earl Mitchell LB Jelani Jenkins CB Brent Grimes SS Reshad Jones Not in my opinion the most impressive of team cores, but then the team is a 7-9/8-8 type, so what do we expect?
It's remarkable to me the amount of disrespect Cameron Wake gets despite him still being one of the very best pass rushers in football. That's not past tense. That's present tense. The guy pressures the quarterback at a ridiculous rate. But he has a few games where he looks human and everyone thinks he's lost it and should be dumped. LeBron James isn't the LeBron James of a few years ago. But I'm pretty sure he's still LeBron James. The only reason I would send Cameron Wake to any other team would be out of pure charity to get him out of this sh-thole of a franchise that we're all stuck following for various reasons. I could be convinced to send him to a team that could actually win a championship just because he's so good he deserves one, and won't get one in Miami.
Tannehill - because even though he's not quite there yet, he's made progress and QB prospects are way too hard to come by Miller - functioned well behind a crappy line and is in a good offense right now that fits his skill set J James - for reasons already mentioned honorable mention: J Landry.
I agree we have a lot of core players. We have some talent on the team. I think thinking about the process makes you realize it. It is a silly exercise, in which all teams can only "keep" 3 players. So if you had to pick 3 who would they be?
Cameron Wake and Ryan Tannehill. There isn't really a third that belongs with them. And even those two aren't "keep at all costs". I would have put Branden Albert in there before he tore his ACL. He was playing at that high a level.
Wake and Tanny are 1 & 2 for me. No doubt. Especially considering everyone with an elite QB is going to keep him as one of their 3 in this scenario. I'd assume the #2 for those teams would be their elite pass rushers. You win in this league having a QB, and being able to pressure a QB. So those two are going to be kept by every team that has them on their roster. They are our safest bets. I'd try and upgrade Ryan, but again, in this scenario, I think you have to assume every other team (with a QB considered better than Ryan) would keep their QB, so an upgrade would be hard to come by. Same goes for Pass rusher. I'd keep a third though. It'd probably be Brent Grimes. Simply because I'd want a good solid corner to work with as well since it's a passing league. Defending the pass would be helpful. Again, I see it as a position where teams would keep their top guys here. The only benefit here, there's alot of corners in the league. I think though if you held a gun to my head and said pick 3... They'd have to be my 3. If not Grimes, I'd say Albert, but his injury history would worry me in this scenario. Given that, I'd probably take my chances that someone doesn't peg their LT as a top 3 priority.
If I'm considering value by the league's standard on talent alone: 1. Tannehill 2. Wake 3. Wallace Those may be the only 3 guys on the roster that would all fetch at least a 3rd round pick talent-wise. If we're bringing players back at their current contracts, then Wallace is clearly not on that list and I'd much rather put someone like Ju'wann James on there. If the question assumes that we are rebuilding with new coaches and that all players contracts are being written freshly today, you might as well keep the most talented and/or most valuable pieces. But since none of that is the case, I'm happy to keep players like Landry, James and Miller and trade away guys like Wake so we can rebuild and don't have to watch him dissolve into a 7-8 sack per year type of player. I don't want to make the Jason Taylor & Joey Porter mistake again.
Hmm I don't know if Miller had a better year than Bush's first here.....perhaps a few more short TDs but Bush was an elusive big play machine that probably shed more tackles and made more happen on his own.
1. Ryan Tannehill, you can be sure there would be plenty of teams that would like a QB option like RT. He's young, cheap and still on the upswing and has shown improvement each season. 2. Juwuan James, you need a lineman to help build protection of your QB around and for the same reason he's young, under a rookie contract and can still develop into a really solid player. Why give up on a first round player after a year by not protecting him. 3. Jarvis Landry, maybe he can be more than a slot receiver. He's suppose to be a Aquan Boldin comparable and if he reaches that level he'd be the perfect guy to have opposite your true number one you eventually draft. I just don't see it with Lamar Miller, great season but you can find a RB almost anywhere to get 1,000 yards. Someone mentioned Justin Forsett who's a journeyman finally having that kind of season. I think offense is harder to build then defense, which is the only reason I didn't list some defensive players, but I would think about keeping Wake
Our tackling machine Our ballhawking playmaking safety Our bookend tackle Our elusive feature back Our always-aware shutdown corner
Second post nails it. Three young players that could be around for the next decade. Two will be fairly cheap for the next three years or so too.
I couldn't 54fins. He's had moments...but I put him squarely in the Vontae Davis category where it could take him 6+ seasons to finally play great and use his talents.