Omar - Ten of the Dolphins' Best Training Camp Battles for 2023

Not sure about Brandon Jones vs Deshon Elliott because I thought Elliott was brought in for depth, not to compete for a starting position. Need to dig deeper into him. I also would have found room to write about the return of Trill Williams and Nik Needham in the discussion(s) about cornerback. We're going to wind up letting go a quality player at CB, so the battle(s) should have been broader than what he listed.

Kelly: Ten of the Dolphins' Best Training Camp Battles for 2023
Liam Eichenberg, Brandon Jones and Mike White are among the players who figure to be involved in position battles this summer

• OMAR KELLY
• 2 HOURS AGO

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MIAMI DOLPHINS


The Miami Dolphins have an established roster filled with veterans, many of whom are returning starters, free agent additions expected to fill prominent roles, and youngsters expected to elevate their games.

Still, the roster features a handful of position battles for contributing roles, if not starting spots.

Allow us to preview 10 position battles to watch closely when camp and the preseason arrives.

Liam Eichenberg vs. Isaiah Wynn for starting left guard role
Eichenberg, who the Dolphins took in the second round of the 2021 draft, has struggled in the 26 games he started the past two seasons. He’ll have a chance to prove he’s an NFL starter and the right fit for this O-line early. But if he struggles in his second season at left guard, expect Miami to move to Wynn, who has started 40 of the 43 games he’s played in the past four seasons. But left guard will be a transition for the Patriots' former starting left tackle.

Austin Jackson vs. Cedric Ogbuehi for starting right tackle role
Jackson missed all but two games of the 2023 season because of an ankle injury that needed to be surgically repaired this offseason. He’s presently in the best shape of his career and realizes if he doesn’t excel this season he’ll be viewed as a first-round bust, and likely will become an NFL journeyman. He’ll basically become Ogbuehi, a 2015 first-round pick who has evolved into an NFL journeyman after eight seasons. Ogbuehi has made 35 NFL starts throughout his career, but only 11 of those have been since 2020.

Brandon Jones vs. DeShon Elliott for starting strong safety role
These two former University of Texas teammates will be competing to see who serves as the best complement for Jevon Holland. Jones, who is rehabbing an ACL injury he suffered in late October, has thrived as an in-the-box safety who specializes in blitzing (eight sacks in previous three seasons). However, his coverage skills need to improve. Elliott, who sat out most of Miami’s team drills during the offseason program, has started 35 games in his four seasons. He was four tackles shy of producing 100 tackles for the first time in his NFL career last season as a 14-game starter for the Detroit Lions.

Kader Kohou vs Nik Needham for nickel cornerback spot
Kohou became one of Miami’s pleasant surprises last season, contributing 72 tackles, one interception and forcing one fumble while starting 13 games as a rookie free agent. He became Miami’s full-time nickel cornerback once Needham suffered an Achilles injury in late October. Needham, who has started 27 games the past four seasons, will be nine months into his rehabilitation once training camp opens and he’ll eventually push for his old spot once cleared to practice without limitations.

Mike White vs. Skylar Thompson for No. 2 quarterback
The disclaimer that’s usually placed on the Dolphins season is that Miami will challenge for the AFC East crown IF Tua Tagovailoa is healthy. The assumption is that there’s a huge talent drop-off between Tagovailoa and the No. 2 quarterback. The Dolphins added White instead of re-signing Teddy Bridgewater, who also struggled to stay healthy last season, but at this point it’s not clear whether he’s an upgrade. White’s arm wasn’t top shelf in the offseason work the media watched and he was outperformed by Thompson, who struggled mightily when pressed into duty last season. Could Thompson, who had a 76.3 passer rating in his rookie season, settle in and become a reliable backup?

Raheem Mostert vs. Jeff Wilson for the lead back role
Mostert accounted for 1,093 rushing and receiving yards and scored five touchdowns in the 16 games he played last season. And that was accomplished while still recovering from a knee injury that cost him all but one game in 2022. Wilson, who the Dolphins acquired in a midseason trade last year, has a little bit more physicality to his game. Both will share the backfield, but who gets the bulk of the carries comes down to which tailback’s style fits best with this offensive line. Of course, things could change if the Dolphins added Dalvin Cook, signing the Pro Bowl tailback to a deal, or De’Von Achane proved he was able to handle a lead role in his rookie season by learning the playbook quickly and showing that he’s a capable pass protector.

Eric Saubert vs. Tyler Kroft for 2nd tight end role
Durham Smythe should handle the in-line role he’s filled for the past four seasons, but Miami needs to find another in-line capable tight end for those rare instances where they want to use a two-tight-end package. Both Kroft and Saubert have established, respected reputations for their abilities as blockers, which means they could fill in for Smythe without much drop-off. But the Dolphins need to find a tight end who could threaten the seam and become a factor in the red zone by creating separation from linebackers.

Tanner Conner vs. Elijah Higgins for H-back role
Both of these college receivers are making the difficult, but not impossible, transition to tight end. Conner has an advantage because he’s got a year’s worth of experience in the scheme and has spent the entire offseason building up his body and strength. But Higgins, a former slot weapon at Stanford, has draft status on his side considering Miami used a sixth-round pick to select him in the 2023 NFL draft. This battle could become tricky if the Dolphins only have room for three tight ends on this year’s 53-man roster.

Robbie Chosen vs. Braxton Berrios for No. 3 receiver role
Both these former Jets receivers bring something different to the offense. Chosen has a rare blend of height and speed, which means he could be used interchangeably with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and opens up certain red zone plays. Berrios is an accomplished slot receiver who knows how to make himself quarterback-friendly by reading defenses quickly and dropping into open zones. Who becomes the Dolphins’ third receiver likely will depend on the opponent they play, but Chosen’s resume and showing in the offseason program hints he might have an edge.

Cam Smith vs. Noah Igbinoghene for backup boundary cornerback role
The Dolphins used the team’s first selection in this year’s draft to add a physical cornerback who is being groomed to play the boundary spots. If Smith can learn Miami’s playbook and scheme concepts quickly, he’ll likely serve as Xavien Howard and Jalen Ramsey’s primary backup. Miami wouldn’t have felt it was a priority to draft Smith if Igbinoghene, the 30th pick in the 2020 NFL draft, had panned out. This is the former Auburn standout’s last chance to prove he can be a playmaker before the Dolphins decide it’s time to move on.

https://www.si.com/nfl/dolphins/news/miami-dolphins-position-battles-for-training-camp

 

On a forum full of bold posters and during an offseason full of hyperbolic statements about the team's direction, this might be the hottest take I've seen. I salute you.

 

I understood your point fully. It was still a hot take, IMO. Wouldn't it be something if we eventually replaced X with a UDFA when we first tried to do it (and miserably failed) by taking Noah with a first-round pick? Goes to show that it's not the size of the dog in the fight that matters, but the size of the fight in the dog.

Here's my hot take regarding Kader: If he can show improvement this season, he might be the best UDFA cornerback in the league since Brent Grimes.

 

I thought we drafted Noah in the hopes that he'd replace X in his second season. It's why X didn't give two ****s about holding out almost immediately after his previous deal was struck. If Kader or Phillips plays well - not even to X's level - I wouldn't be surprised to see X gone before 2024.

 

Absolutely. If we get high-level play from Phillips and Kader, it makes little sense to put ~$40 million in the same position group.

This is why we exercised Tua's option, even though there are still concerns about durability. We have to strike while he's on his rookie deal because we're losing big depth afterward. Unless we replace him with a young stud, which will be hard to do in the draft for a team vying for a playoff spot. Also hard to bring in a free agent, because it also blows up depth. At some point, we have to hit on our draft picks, which is a dicey proposition since we have been trading or forfeiting them away.