Miami Dolphins problems will be hard to fix in one off-season

TAMPA, FL - NOVEMBER 11: Owner Stephen Ross of the Miami Dolphins talks to the media about the NFL's investigation of locker room practices before play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers November 11, 2013 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - NOVEMBER 11: Owner Stephen Ross of the Miami Dolphins talks to the media about the NFL's investigation of locker room practices before play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers November 11, 2013 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images) /
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MIAMI, FL – NOVEMBER 04: Head coach Adam Gase of the Miami Dolphins looks on ahead of their game against the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium on November 4, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL – NOVEMBER 04: Head coach Adam Gase of the Miami Dolphins looks on ahead of their game against the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium on November 4, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

The biggest question for the Miami Dolphins this off-season will be who is making the decisions and who will be the coach or coaches in place to solve the issues?

If the Dolphins created holes at defensive end and wide-receiver they will still need to fix other problem areas as well. The aforementioned guard position on the right side of the line and maybe even right tackle. They still need to find a corner to play opposite Xavien Howard. They need to get better at linebacker and a replacement for T.J. McDonald wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

Then there is quarterback. Ryan Tannehill will carry a $16 million dollar tag, Brock Osweiler should be long gone, and then it becomes a question of where do you find another quarterback? Free agency will be very slim as in the best option might be Nick Foles and he can be just as erratic as Tannehill. Or perhaps Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco who has seen the best of his career.

The draft of course is an option but this years class is considered paper-thin at the top and any quarterback taken in the mid-rounds will need more time to develop and not likely to challenge Tanenhill. Stephen Ross wanted a quarterback added in the last draft and he may put his foot down this year.

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Free agency is going to help in some areas. Maybe a cornerback or a linebacker. Maybe the Dolphins can get more defensive end help but DE free agents are always expensive. A right guard should come from free agency and maybe a right tackle if Ja’Wuan James leaves.

Defensive end and defensive tackle however need to come from the draft and early in the draft. This years draft is good for defensive lineman so the Dolphins should get a solid blue-chip option when they select. Doubling down in rounds one and two could also be beneficial if Miami goes D-lineman/DE. If that is the case where do you get the quarterback?

All indications are that Miami will draft a quarterback given the current opinions regarding Stephen Ross’ unhappiness. That could mean Miami moving up in the draft which would take away the use of draft picks on other positions.

Of course Ross could simply blow this all up and start over with a new front office and a new coaching regime. Or he could suffer through one more year with Gase and Tannehill ask the team to build the defensive line and secondary in the draft and let Gase have one more season to prove he can win. If not, blow it all up after the 2019 season and let the next head coach pick his quarterback from a much better class of talent.