Miami Dolphins Off-Season; A Quick Look

The Miami Dolphins are not officially in the off-season yet but they are heading into the off-season a week from today after they close our their season against the New York Jets. We already know that Joe Philbin will be back but it remains to be seen whether or not coaching changes will be made elsewhere. That is the start of our rather quick look, pre-off-season look if you will, at what Miami might, won’t, and should do come the off-season.

Coordinators

Bill Lazor should stay and I would be shocked if Joe Philbin let him go. The Dolphins offense hasn’t looked this good in years and that is because of Bill Lazor. That being said, there will be other teams looking for coaches and Bill Lazor is not the top dog in Miami after Joe Philbin so if a team really wanted Bill Lazor for something other than an HC, it’s possible. The good news is that his is Lazor’s first year as an OC so it’s very unlikely any other team will try or want to take him. This year.

Kevin Coyle should be fired but he won’t be. His defense is ranked in the top 10 in several categories and ranked low in several others but this isn’t about NFL rankings. Sorry to say it’s about one thing. Joe Philbin. Whether he would want to or not, Joe Philbin doesn’t possess the backbone needed to make this type of change heading into what will yet again be a hot seat year for himself. What the Dolphins should do is fire Kevin Coyle and hire Rex Ryan to motivate this defense but the issue with that is Rex Ryan would be the looming shadow over Joe Philbin’s potentially final season. It won’t work. So expect Coyle to stay.

Dennis Hickey

Hickey has one year left on his contract and he won’t be going anywhere. Two months ago I would have laughed at the notion as he appeared to be a gem uncovered by default but when the team began to suffer injuries it became clear that there was no back-up plans in place. Perhaps that was Joe Philbin’s fault or at his own insistence but when you lose your pro-bowl left tackle to an injury you don’t throw your season away on a guy like Dallas Thomas to anchor the right side while you move the rookie to the left. Not when there are viable options available in free agency. This was a normal occurrence as the season progressed so while decisions have been made that have benefited the team well, there are lingering questions as to whether or not Hickey has the vision to account for hiccups along the way. Regardless he deserves to stay and will be tasked with fixing the personnel issues on the field.

Roster

The Dolphins need to make some moves on the roster. There will not be $30 million to spend in 2015 like there has been the last few years. Decisions on several players long term deals will come into play. Mike Pouncey, Ryan Tannehill, to name two. The Dolphins need a decision on Dannell Ellerbe and Phillip Wheeler as well. Needs however will be a focus of the off-season and the Dolphins have plenty of them.

Linebacker was especially weak for the Dolphins in 2014 and the team needs to make moves to improve the group. Wheeler is not an answer and while Jelani Jenkins has jumped out to become a solid player there are still questions elsewhere. Is Koa Misi an answer? The Dolphins need additions here.

The Dolphins secondary looked good early but injuries took their toll. Cortland Finnegan will be a free agent but is Jamar Taylor or Will Davis ready to take over the starting job in his place? Taylor might be but the Dolphins will lack depth. The same thing, once again, at safety.

The Dolphins don’t have a need at wide-receiver but Brian Hartline isn’t playing up to his contract and while Jarvis Landry has been the most impressive skill position player this season, the Dolphins still lack a big red zone threat. Could the Dolphins opt to move Hartline out and bring in a big physical wide receiver to replace him? It might be time.

While the Dolphins are set with Ryan Tannehill for another season, Matt Moore will be a free agent. Will the Dolphins sign him to another short term deal or look for someone else? Moore may not be a starter but no quarterback is more familiar with this team than Moore so it might be a good idea to convince him to stay. He won’t likely find a starter job in the FA market.

Tight end is a big issue. Charles Clay is set to become a free agent and while he want’s to stay in Miami, yesterday’s personal best game might increase what he will be asking for. Clay is a good tight end but can’t block well and he is not a big red zone threat or even a seam threat. Is he worth the money he will likely be asking for? Is Dion Sims ready to step up? Those are tough questions but ones that Dennis Hickey must answer. In this offensive scheme the Dolphins need a big threat TE and while they have two decent TE’s right now, they don’t have what they need.

The offensive line is a mess. Mike Pouncey is entering his final year and will move back to center. Daryn Colledge played well enough at left guard but not well enough to warrant a guaranteed spot on next years roster. There is no assurances that Branden Albert will be back in time for the start of the season so it’s unknown where rookie Ja’wuan James will play to start it. The Dolphins still have a turnstile at right guard that even Pouncey could’t fix and the teams depth consists of Jason Fox, Dallas Thomas, Nate Garner, and Billy Turner. Turner, Garner, and Fox rarely see the active list. It’s likely Garner’s last year as a Dolphin. The offensive line will be a focal point in free agency and the draft, or at least it should be.

This off-season will be critical for Dennis Hickey and Joe Philbin as the two will enter the 2015 season making decisions for their jobs. While it’s possible and likely that Philbin receives a one year extension this year it’s also known that Stephen Ross is “expecting big things” next year. Or at least that’s what he said after Sunday’s game against the Vikings.

I do feel comfortable with Hickey making the moves necessary to win this year. The question is whether or not Philbin can make them into winners.