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The Miami Dolphins are back at practice this morning as they enter the second day of training camp. That leads to questions about what fans can expect.
Welcome to our new segment at PhinPhantic, PhanMail Friday. Every Friday we will answer your Miami Dolphins questions here. Send your questions via Twitter to @247MiamiSports or email 247MiamiSports@gmail.com.
Q: Do you think RaeKwon McMillan starts at outside or middle linebacker? He played middle linebacker at Ohio State but projects to be more of an outside linebacker in the 4-3 scheme that the Dolphins play. Dave – Lake City.
A: With the injury to Koa Misi the Dolphins linebacker group is in a bit of disarray. McMillan has the opportunity to start from Week 1 and will likely get a look at both weak and strong side linebacker spots. He excels in run stopping but has been exploited in pass coverage, in my opinion he should get a look at strong side linebacker. He has the speed and athleticism to shed blocks from the tight end and set the edge, combined with the size to stand up against bigger running backs. Lawrence Timmons has played middle linebacker his entire career, albeit primarily in the 3-4 defense with Pittsburgh. Asking a veteran of his stature and experience level to switch outside may not be the best option for the Dolphins. Kiko Alonso should remain at the other outside linebacker spot considering he is the best in pass coverage and moving sideline to sideline.
Q: Is Ryan Tannehill ready to take the next step and become a franchise quarterback? Kathy – Chapel Hill, NC
A: Tannehill is entering his sixth season under center, and now is the time where he needs to put it all together. Prior to his injury Tannehill was having a great season under first year coach Adam Gase and looked to be taking the next step. He still needs to work on his pocket presence but last year his accuracy on deep passes drastically improved. Tannehill seemed much more poised in the pocket and progressed through his reads a lot smoother. He has great weapons around him and with the addition of Julius Thomas now has a legitimate threat at tight end. All indications are that he is fully healthy and with another year in Gase’s system there is no reason why he cannot become a top ten quarterback.
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Q:Will the Dolphins be able to replicate or even exceed their production from the running game in 2017? Randy – Key Largo
A: Jay Ajayi had a breakout season in 2016 and is expected to be an even bigger part of the offense in 2017. Adam Gase has stated he wants to get Ajayi 350 carries this year so don’t be surprised if he is getting 25-30 carries a game. Ajayi is also expected to be a big part of the passing game so it remains to be seen how this extra workload will affect Ajayi as the season wears on. Opposing defenses will surely make stopping Miami’s run game a top priority. With Laremy Tunsil moving to left tackle and a healthy Mike Pouncey (hopefully), the Miami offensive line should be capable of opening lanes for all of the Dolphins’ backs. There are questions at guard but Miami drafted Isaac Asiata in the 5th round for competition and perhaps he can take over down the road. Asiata is known as a mauler and is a raw project at this point, so expect either Ted Larsen or Kraig Urbik to get the start at left guard Week 1. Since Ajayi missed the first game last year and with his expected amount of carries to increase, I see an even better statistical output this year for Ajayi and the Dolphins running game as a whole.
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Q: Have the Dolphins made any upgrades to help their run defense? Ari – Boynton Beach
A: Miami made the defense a priority in the draft selecting five defensive players in total, including their first three picks. The defensive tackle spot remains a concern as there is little proven depth behind Ndamukong Suh and Jordan Phillips. The Dolphins drafted defensive tackles Vincent Taylor and Davon Godchaux to provide competition to Phillips and add depth to a thin unit. The addition of Lawrence Timmons should help as well, he can be a steady presence in the middle and help rookie RaeKwon McMillan learn the game from a true professional. I see Miami making a concerted effort to stop the run and will likely be much better against the run than last year, given that they were ranked 30th in the league in that department a substantial improvement is likely.