Miami Dolphins may have some Diamonds in the Rough
By Oscar Bode
The Miami Dolphins have quite a few diamonds in the rough on their roster that should really shine this year. They have had these players on the roster for either one or two years however they have been in more limited roles. This year for one reason or another I am expecting these players to really break out with some additional playing time allotted to them.
Jamar Taylor– Assuming the Dolphins don’t bring in a starting caliber veteran(which it doesn’t seem like they will) or draft a CB in the first round( also something they don’t seem like they are going to do) then Jamar Taylor will be starting opposite of Brent Grimes. I think this is a good thing, a really good thing. If he can stay healthy, admittedly a big if, he will be a real bright spot in this defense. He picked a great time to see the lion’s share of the snaps because he will have to cover for less time than ever. The entire secondary will in fact. This is due to one man, Ndamukong Suh. Suh’s interior pressure coupled with Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon bringing the outside pressure is going to give a quarterback fits. The QB will have a much quicker clock in their head when they face this front. That means Jamar will get to feast off of the mistakes of these QB’s. Given that he is also generally stout in run support, I think this is the year where we will see how much of a complete player he could be.
Damien Williams– He really showed some spark in the preseason which caught my eye. But it was the night game against Buffalo that showed me that this guy is a true baller. There was one play in particular that amazed me. It was 9:05 left in the first quarter, it was 3rd and 25, Ryan Tannehill threw a short pass to Damien Williams which he caught with one hand in impressive fashion. He then changed directions and turned on the burners to evade three Buffalo defenders en route to a first down and more, getting run out of bounds about seven yards after the marker. He is a great pass catcher and moves with great power due to his quick feet. He is someone that should really shine given the proper playing time as the firmly entrenched second stringer.
Michael Thomas– This guy revealed himself to Dolphins fans in impressive fashion during the Patriots game of 2013 when he had the game sealing interception of Tom Brady in the red zone. Obviously this was all instinct as he had received zero practice snaps that week with the defense, playing only scout team. Thomas was also a special teams ace for the Phins last year before getting injured. Assuming he stays healthy, which seems to be a common theme for these diamonds, he could really open some eyes this year.