The Miami Dolphins have a lot of holes, but they also have just as many, if not more, questions. Both sides of the ball have problems, but this is year one of at least a two-year process.
One of the biggest questions surrounds the tight end room. There are six players at the position after the Dolphins made a move one week into training camp. Of those six, only three have NFL experience, albeit limited.
Dolphins fans know that Greg Dulcich is going to be the leader in the room, but who is going to step up and fill the void behind him? Fans won't have to look far; the rookies could make a huge impact, especially Will Kacmarek, who is already making early strides in camp.
Will Kacmarek and Seydou Traore hope to fix the Miami Dolphins' tight end depth problems
On Wednesday, the Dolphins added another tight end to the mix when they claimed Jeremiah Franklin off waivers from the New England Patriots. It makes sense given the fact that Dulcich will miss a week of practice due to an undisclosed "minor" injury.
Having been drafted does have its perks; it also comes with a small sense of security. Teams don't typically give up on their draft class after one training camp. This year, the Dolphins invested little in the position, and that, too, will work in the rookie's favor.
Kacmarek is often overlooked. At Ohio State, he wasn't asked to run a lot of routes, considering he was primarily used as a blocker, but he can, and he isn't bad at it.
After one week of camp, Kacmarek is already setting the tone on offense. He is consistently part of the Dolphins' first-team package as a blocker. He is getting a lot of work in, and that will increase more with Dulcich out.
Kacmarek did well doing what he was asked to do during his time at Ohio State. He stayed on his assignments and always put the team first. This is a mentality the Dolphins loved about him. A leader in both voice and action, Kacmarek has the physical punch to develop quickly at the NFL level, and it appears he already is.
For Trarore, it's looking like a roster spot for him as well. He is making big plays and showcasing his ability to make contested catches. The timing still needs to be worked on, but he is making strides. With it still being early in camp, this is good news for a young tight end.
Ben Sims struggled during offseason workouts, and Cole Turner's two years in the league didn't produce starter-level stats. They are backups, players who are not relied upon consistently. For both Sims and Turner, the quality of their NFL experience isn't much better than that of a rookie with none.
Camp, however, hasn't been bad for either of them. Turner is having more of the eye-catching plays, but Sims isn't nearly as lost as he was during the OTAs.
Kacmarek is having a good camp and appears to already have the second TE spot locked down. He is a player positioning himself to make an impact in Week 1.
When camp is done, the Dolphins will likely carry three tight ends, potentially four. The odd man out might be Sims. Despite his connection to the Green Bay Packers, Sims didn't have impressive sessions during OTAs and minicamp.
Add us as a preferred source on Google