Breaking down the Miami Dolphins first depth chart that Mike McDaniel hates
The Miami Dolphins are required by the NFL to release a depth chart ahead of a teams first pre-season game. Mike McDaniel, despite hating it, released his today.
By Brian Miller
McDaniel doesn't necessarily hate pre-season depth charts but he and his coaches continue to evaluate players, move players around, and it becomes one of those things that really doesn't seem to be a need.
"...preseason depth charts are like my nemesis because I just make sure that they have every player on the team..." - Mike McDaniel
He didn't completely say he hated them but you got the opinion he didn't put a lot of thought into it. Regardless, the Dolphins released a pre-season depth chart and here are the takeaways that in reality, mean little.
Quarterback - Should we be surprised that Mike Whate is listed ahead of Skylar Thompson? Probably not. The Dolphins view White as the preferred immediate back-up to Tua Tagovailoa but they have no problem putting Thompson in if needed...as we saw last season.
Running back - It is a tad bit intriguing that De'Von (I finally spelled it right) Achane is 3rd behind Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson, Jr. Behind Achane shouldn't be any surprise. Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin find themselves at the bottom and that is what should be expected. Both are outsiders in the race for a 53 man roster spot.
Wide Receiver - The big camp race is at WR where six spots are likely available...maybe...a BIG maybe...a 7th. Tyreek Hill and Waddle both are at the top as expected. The big surprise is Erik Ezukanma who is listed 4th behind Waddle, Cracraft, and Chosen. On the other side behind Hill, Wilson is listed over Berrios with Sanders, Swain, and Davis behind him. Sanders was lost to a knee injury on Tuesday.
Does this mean anything? Not really. For example, Berrios is considered a slot receiver and Miami didn't put any WRs in the slot on the DC.
Tight End - No real surprises here. Durham Smythe, Tyler Kroft, and Eric Saubert have the top three with Tanner Conner, Elijaih Higgins, and Hill after them. The competition for this unit will likely be between Conner and Higgins.
Offensive line - The Dolphins continual carousel of moving lineman probably means nothing in the big picture. Armstead, Lamm, and Christian are the LTs, Eichenberg, Wynn, and Smith are the LGs. Williams, Feeney, and Uluave are the centers.
On the right side, Jackson, Ogbuehi, Hayes, and Tunstall are listed at RT while Hunt, Robert Jones, and Lester Cotton are RGs.
Defensively, there are no big surprises
The defensive front - Wilkins, Davis, Sieler are the starting front three.
Linebacker - Phillips, Baker, Long, and Chubb are at the front with Ogbah moving inside on the chart behind Sieler. Ogbah has been moving back and forth from outside to inside and back again.
In the secondary, Howard, Needham, Igbinoghene, and rookie Cam Smith round out one side while Ramsey remains at the top of his side despite injury. Behind him is Kohou, Bethel, Crossen, and then Eli Apple.
Safety - If there is any surprises with this chart, it would have to be that Trill Williams is now officially listed as a safety.