What Exactly Is The Miami Dolphins Plan? (Ft Kyle Crabbs) | 2025 NFL Team Previews

What Exactly Is The Miami Dolphins Plan? (Ft Kyle Crabbs) | 2025 NFL Team Previews

The Miami Dolphins finished the 2024 season with an 8-9 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2021. Again, underthrown and intercepted. It was a very frustrating year for the Dolphins as they started out 2 and six before winning six of their next eight games to improve to 8 and 8, ultimately before falling to the New York Jets in week 18 to finish with an 8-9 record. Aaron Rogers leads the Jets to a 32-20 win. It was a really unfortunate year for Miami as quarterback Tua Tugoa got hurt in week two against the Bills. Star pass rusher Jaylen Phillips got hurt in week four against the Titans. And by the time Miami got it together and Tua came back, it was too little too late. And even without the injuries, 2024 was a very frustrating year for Miami. Tyreek Hill has made more noise this year talking about racing against Noah LS than he has on the football field. They couldn’t run the ball. They were very soft up front offensively. And I think the perfect summarization for this team season was the week 18 game against the Jets when they could have made the playoffs yet lost by double digits to a team that disappointed their fans too. And for anyone who may not remember, Miami needed to beat the Jets in week 18 and have the Broncos lose to the Chiefs backups to get into the postseason. And those games were played at the same time. We now know Denver won against the Chiefs 38 to nothing. But the point is Miami failed in what was essentially a playoff game for them. And that’s been the story of this team over the last few years is coming up short when it matters. And as we enter 2025, I simply ask the question, what is the Miami Dolphins plan? Well, we’re going to try and answer that in today’s video and break down the 2025 Miami Dolphins. And before we start, if you could like the video, I would really appreciate it. And without further ado, let’s begin. And we are starting today’s video like we do with every team preview. and it’s what the Dolphins did in free agency. This team wasn’t all that active in free agency, at least in the sense of bringing in players. And a reason for that is because of how much deadcap money they have entering 2025. They have nearly 53 million in deadcap money this year and have Xavier Howard and Jaylen Ramsay, both on the books for over $13 million, and Terron Armstead and Kendall Fuller each on the books for north of $5 million. And if you know anything about the 2024 Dolphins offense, it was that the offensive line wasn’t good and that they tried to use the short quick passing game as an extension of the run. And we’ll have the Tuite Tega Vioa discussion later. But there was a reason he had the shortest time to throw in the NFL in 2024 and by far. And it was because of how much they emphasized the quick passing game because they couldn’t run the football the way they wanted to like they did in 2023. And because of this, they brought in guard James Daniels from the Steelers on a three-year, $24 million deal. I thought this was a great signing by Miami because he’s coming off of a torn Achilles. And if he works out, then they have solid guard play for $8 million per year, which is a price every team would gladly pay. And if he doesn’t, then they only guaranteed him $10 million. And it’s water under the bridge. And over the past few years, I’ve been really frustrated with GM Chris Greer at times because I’ve simply asked the question, what is their plan? And really couldn’t find an answer. But with the addition of James Daniels and even their first two picks and Kenneth Grant and Jonas 7 Na, you can at least start to see something. I wasn’t a big fan of what this team had entering 2024 because I didn’t think they were strong enough up front. And in the shortest explanation possible, there’s a reason they went from ninth in EPA per rushing play offensively in 2023 to 31st in 2024. There is also a reason Robert Jones, their starting left guard from last year, only signed a one-year, $3.75 million contract with Dallas. Meaning, if he were viewed that highly by anyone else, he would have received more and a lot more. Now, the big player Miami lost in free agency was 2021 second round pick Javon Holland, who signed a three-year $45 million deal with the New York Giants. Holland was a fixture on the Dolphins defense over the last four years as he played in 60 of 68 possible games and had a few really, really good years with Miami and will not be an easy guy to replace. They also lost three other guys who played over 500 snaps defensively last year and Emanuel Agbot to the Jags, Kias Campbell to the Cardinals, and Anthony Walker Jr. to the Bucks. And aside from the affforementioned James Daniels, they only brought in a few guys that were not Miami Dolphins last year. They signed DB of Fatu Fonw, wide receiver Nick Westbrook Ain, former Jet safety Ashton Davis, and former Bears tackle Larry Borum. Now, regarding Zach Wilson, because he is a former number two overall pick and of course plays quarterback, I do like the prioritization of the backup position for Miami, but I know Dolphins fans are probably all thinking the same thing. They hope he never has to play. I also don’t think because Sam Darnold had a good year after leaving the Jets that Zach Wilson is going to follow in his footsteps and eventually have that type of career path, too. No, I think he would provide about the same as what Tyler Huntley did and respectfully hope that Zach Wilson doesn’t have to play much for Miami in 2025 because that would mean a two-way injury or a very bad game for the Dolphins all around or technically a few victory kneel downs, but you get the point. Now, regarding their defense entering 2025, well, I’m excited for twothirds of the defense, meaning one part really, really concerns me. But the front seven for the Miami Dolphins this year is going to be a fun unit to watch if they stay healthy. I think Zack Celler is one of the best kept secrets in the entire NFL. And if you see a Dolphins fans hyping up Zack Celler on social media, trust me, it is for good reason. He is coming off of back-to- back 10 sack seasons and has a total of 92 pressures in the last two years. They have another player who I also believe is underrated in Chop Robinson. And I thought Chop showed flashes of stardom in 2024. And I thought this was a player who gradually got better throughout his rookie year. He only had six sacks, but he had 56 pressures and led the team in pressures. And why I am really high in the Dolphins pass rush entering this year is because they’re going to have four legit guys get after the quarterback in Chop Robinson, Zack Celler, Bradley Chub, and when he’s healthy, Jaylen Phillips. Jaylen Phillips is 26 years old and there was a point in his collegiate career where he medically retired from football before having a great final season at the U and they were due to primarily concussions. Unfortunately, Jaylen Phillips tore his Achilles near the end of the 2023 season and in just week four of 2024 he tore his ACL. Back-to-back season ending injuries are very serious for any player, let alone an edge rusher who needs to be an explosive athlete at the position to get off the line to get after the quarterback. I am hoping Jaylen Phillips gets back to the player he was pre-injjury and in the scenario he is then Jaylen Phillips and Chop Robinson will be one of the best edge rushing duos in football. And like we mentioned they’ll also be getting a healthy Bradley Chub back too. Credit where it is due. Despite the Dolphins getting the soft label and don’t get me wrong they definitely deserve that in 2024 offensively. Their run defense was really solid. Generally for run defense, I don’t like to go off of raw numbers because a team that’s always winning, like the 2024 Lions, who put up over 550 points in 2024, would naturally have teams run the ball less against them. And for reference, they had the lowest rushing attempts against in the entire NFL. And it was because they’d get up in a lot of games where they were up multiple scores at half. But Miami’s defensive EPA per rushing play ranked 13th. And despite their rushing DVOA ranking 23rd, they only allowed 12 rushing touchdowns last year. Jordan Brooks is a really, really good linebacker and I know Miami has several really good players defensively without a true star, but the front seven is a really solid unit. They can get after the quarterback and I also really like the depth Miami has in their front seven, but corner is where I have a lot of questions with this team. Corner Storm Duck was a UDFA from Louisville last year and had an up and down rookie year. He is in a tough position this year because the Dolphins just traded Jaylen Ramsay and those are very big shoes to fill. Now, I know the Dolphins culture at times has been questioned, and I completely understand wanting to get rid of a player that didn’t want to be there to begin with, but heading into the year with Storm Duck, Jason Marshall Jr., Cam Smith, Ethan Bonner, and no disrespect to Kater Coo, but guys, that is a difficult room to get behind. Football is also a very violent game. And even if this DB room stays healthy, is it going to be enough? I certainly don’t think so. And that kind of goes back to the question of what exactly is Miami’s plan? Speaking from a defensive backroom standpoint, my main thing here is I don’t know how you go into a year with this corner room and legitimately say to yourself, “We are going to be good and we have this under control.” I think there’s going to be several games where the Dolphins allow 250 plus passing yards rather easily and there’s going to be a few games where they inevitably get into a shootout. The Miami Dolphins 2025 rookie impact. I’ll just go ahead and rip the band-aid off. I don’t think there’s going to be all that much rookie impact and certainly not sexy rookie impact the way that a team like the Giants had last year with Malik Neighbors and Tyrone Tracy. Now, that does not mean that GM Chris Greer whiffed on the entire draft class because I certainly don’t think that’s the case either. With Kenneth Grant, they selected him in the first round at pick 13. I personally had him at player 26 on my big board. And the reason that I was a little lower on Kenneth Grant, I know a lot of people had him in their top 15, top 20, I was a little lower at 26, was because I thought there was a lot of inconsistency in his tape. Now, when he showed the flashes, they were really, really high. But for me, the lows were also considerably low, especially for a player that has the potential that Kenneth Grant has shown, not just once, but repeatedly on tape. And if he can become that player on a consistent basis, rather than be this flash in a pan at times throughout a game, and then go five, six, seven, eight plays where he doesn’t really make any sort of impact at all, then he will prove to be one of the top 15 players in this draft class beyond a shadow of a doubt. Now, Kenneth Grant is a player that I like a lot and I like the idea of who Kenneth Grant can be and language here. I really think he is built like a brick house. And I don’t use that term often, but he’s 330 plus pounds and does not carry a lot of bad weight. A lot of times whenever you have defensive tackles that are 330 plus, you inevitably think of guys like Vince Wilfork and guys that are kind of that zero tech that you just plug in the middle of the defense, hey, if you want to run the football, you are going to have to go elsewhere or we are going to have to put two bodies on you. And that is not who Kenneth Grant is. I mean, everybody saw the clip of him running down the Penn State running back and it’s to show that he is extremely athletic for his size. Now, that also does not mean that he’s soft for being that size. I just think at times that his hands get a little out of place at times, but the good news is is he’s only 21. He’ll turn 22 in October, and he obviously has time to grow and mature in the league, and that I don’t think he’s going to be this inconsistent player throughout the entirety of his career. Now, there definitely are NFL coaches that will see a guy like Kenneth Grant have these insane flashes like he did against Ohio State and basically say, “Hey, we’ve seen what he can do. Now, let it be up to me to maximize what this guy can do on a play-by-play basis and that we will get him to a Pro Bowl level by the end of year two.” win. While I don’t necessarily buy in with every prospect of that said belief of, hey, this guy had this great game. We can have this guy play like this in every single week, I do think there is some merit to that with Kenneth Grant. And he’s in a really good situation, especially with all the guys around him like Jaylen Phillips, Chop Robinson, and Zack Caler. And Kenneth Grant early in his career is definitely in a position to succeed. I just worry about him as a 21-year-old rookie transitioning to the NFL level. I don’t think he’s going to be bad. I just don’t think he’s going to have all that good of a rookie season specifically. I think he’ll be a great player in the long run. 2025 will probably just be an adjustment period. Now for Jonas Sava, I was not a fan of the process in which Miami traded up to go get him. Miami along with several other teams, most notably Houston, needed offensive line help in the worst way. And what was unfortunate for Miami and Houston was how the board broke pertaining to offensive line in the 2025 draft. there was really Jonas Savagna, Anthony Belton, and Arante Ursery left. And to me, after that, there was a pretty substantial gap between the offensive line. So, Miami was kind of in a position of, hey, do we let the board try and come to us and have every offensive lineman go and then we’re at a point where we have really no offensive line help or draft a fourth or fifth round offensive lineman at pick 48, or do we overpay a bit and go up to pick 37 and draft Jonah Savania, which is exactly what they did. Now, I was a little lower on Jonas Savana than the consensus. And my biggest thing with Seania, like it was with Kenneth Grant, was consistency. And when your first two picks, and ultimately only two top 100 or top 140 selections both have issues around consistency, that stems from the original belief or the idea of I don’t think there’s going to be all that much rookie impact for the 2025 Miami Dolphins. I do think Savana, like with Kenneth Grant, can develop into a solid player over the course of their rookie contract. And Jonas Aana is only 21 years old. So the room for him or the runway for him is certainly there. And I think that he can be a good player in the long run. I just really worry early on when he has to go up against six times a year guys like Christian Barmore, Quinnon Williams, and Ed Oliver within the division alone. And the AFC is absolutely loaded at defensive tackle. And one of the biggest concerns for the 2024 Dolphins offense was the run game and consistency within the run game. And if there is a liability along the interior offensive line, then I really worry about how Jonah 7 is going to do in 2025. I think he’ll be a good player in the long run. I think there will certainly be plays where he has these knockback blocks and there certainly were during his time at Arizona. But I also think there’s going to be a fair share of plays where he mis times his punches and he has guys that make him look pretty silly and unfortunately end up on the highlight reel. But it’s all part of growing pains. And there’s a reason he was a second round pick to begin with and a developmental second round pick. And I think whenever fans have a developmental pick, they only want to envision the best like Jonah 7 winning a one-on-one rep against Quinnon Williams. But when you are in a division with Quinnon Williams, Ed Oliver, and Christian Barour, and also in a conference with guys like Chris Jones and Nomi Matabke and several others, this is going to be an uphill battle from the start. I do think he will be fine in 2026 and beyond, but I definitely think there will be some struggles early in Jonah Savin’s career. I did like the selection of Jordan Phillips along the interior defensive line as I think that can be a tone setting player and a guy that can eventually take over for Bonito Jones who I don’t think is all that good to begin with. But again, specifically as a rookie in 2025, Jordan Phillips probably won’t play all that much, especially as the 143rd pick in the draft. So, I wouldn’t expect too much from him either. Jason Marshall, the fifth round corner from Florida, unfortunately will probably have a much bigger role than he initially thought. And obviously, we’ll see if he’s going to be up to the challenge this year, but I didn’t think his tape was all that good at Florida. And if he couldn’t defend SEC receivers consistently, then I really struggle to think how he’ll defend NFL receivers consistently. So, we’ll see how that plays out. But the biggest concern I have with the Dolphins heading into 2025 is undoubtedly the cornerback room. Now, pertaining to the Miami Dolphins offense and the recent edition of tight end Darren Waller, we welcome on the host of the Locked Dolphins podcast and the locked on NFL scouting podcast. and it is an NFL analyst that I have a lot of respect for and that is the one and only Kyle Krabs. All right, we now welcome on a special guest. It is Kyle Krabs, host of the Locked On Dolphins podcast and the Locked On NFL scouting podcast. Kyle, welcome to the channel. How are you doing? I’m doing great, man. I’m I’m looking forward to talking about Dolphins football. I know this is one of those intrigue teams for a lot of people and uh they are kind of at a very interesting uh crossroads organizationally. So, uh looking forward to kind of diving in with him here. Yeah, absolutely. So, full transparency for everyone watching, uh, we did the AFC East team previews, you know, early July and and conflicting schedules have have prevailed the Dolphins preview till now, but I’ve had a couple comments recently specifically that, hey, when’s the Dolphins preview? And if you have a special guest, they were hoping, they said specifically, I hope it’s Kyle Crab. So, we’re here. Um, and I figured that I’d start off with a pretty non-controversial topic, especially surrounding the Dolphins. So, uh, Dolphins Twitter can get a little a little rowdy, if you will. So, where does where does Tua rank a general area amongst current starting quarterbacks? I think when he’s healthy and available, I think he’s got a strong conversation for somewhere in that 11 to 15 range would be the general consensus. I’d probably take him on one of the closer to to 12 personally, but you can’t have the conversation without acknowledging the availability element that’s existed for so much of his career. And I think that is a big part of of why Miami maybe they didn’t do anything with his contract this year where you know they could have really restructured that and got $19.3 million in spending power to go out and spend on free agents but he kind of made a boneheaded move and gave himself a concussion and landed on IR last year and it was in the first year after he got that deal. So, um I I kind you kind of get the sense they want to lean into the youth movement and um what that means with a quarterback on a contract that they realistically have an out after 2026 is don’t make life a lot harder on yourself and let’s let’s really figure out if we want to continue to commit to this. But I think from a talent perspective, he’s very talented. I don’t think he gets a lot of credit for the things that he does well because it’s not like the aesthetically pleasing things that really pass the sniff test for quarterbacks. these days. Uh, and I think because he’s uniquely talented, I think it makes him a more polarizing player, but I do think when he’s when he’s locked in and I think he’s shown some growth as far as play processing and and defensive processing, uh, I I think he can be a quality starter at the NFL level. I would agree with that. And I kind of wanted to, you know, dive a little more into not just well, Tua, but regarding, you know, you brought up the the concussion last year and everything and obviously, you know, everyone knows to his injury history. So, how do you feel as a Dolphins fan just heading into 25 about where the team is and then with Tua as as the starting quarterback and then ultimately the supporting cast around Tua? Yeah, I think part of the conversation with Miami and and how they go about this season is is they had to take some bad medicine with the way that we tried to build it wasn’t going to work completely. And I think that’s why you saw the one kind of marquee investment they made was James Daniels and and he’s coming off of an Achilles, but he’s been an active participant in the team periods here in the first couple of days of camp. And then they trade up for Jonah Savaniah. And then you look at some of their skill players that they added. Then their ancillary players, their complimentary players that have a lot of physicality to their their game is where they win with Nick Westbrook AEN and Ali Gordon and Alexander Madison’s not a great running back, but he’s got a pretty decent short yardage conversion rate, which the Dolphins have been horrible at for for the last several years. So, I think you put all those pieces of the puzzle together and hey, ripping the ball with two or 600 times and throwing fades in the low red zone, maybe we need to diversify what we do and get a little bit more punch. And I think that that in and of itself, I think, can can help Tua by staying out of the long and late downs a little bit more. But it just comes down to him making good decisions with what he can control and living to fight for the next down instead of living and dying with every snap which he’s done at times. It’s very fair. So with the Dolphins run game and uh with Devon Chain and Jaylen Wright and now Alexander Madison and with the improved offensive line specifically you mentioned James Daniels. They finished 30th in rushing DVOA last year and 31st in rushing EPA per play. So, with the changes they made up front this off seasonason, how much do you think that improves over the course of the 25 season? I think I I don’t know that they’ll be as explosive play effective as they were in 23 when Han averaged what, eight and a half yards a carry it felt like, or 8.8. Um, but I I I think it will look closer to 23 as far as the effectiveness because I think they have better guys on the perimeter that can kind of help you capture the edge. And then I think their interior trio as a whole collectively is going to be a more athletic group and a more powerful group to both create better displacement on the first level of the defense, but then if you got to climb to a backer, if you’re uncovered and you got to get up to the mic, I think these guys have a better opportunity to get up and secure those blocks so that the cutback lanes will be a little bit bit more clear as well because really Everything was muddy. It felt like whether it was the front side tight end or the front side wide receiver or the backside guard or the playside tackle didn’t get movement, one guy was losing reps and it was a different guy seemingly every time. So, I think the consistency of that unit is the key. But I also do think they need to be a little bit more diverse in how they run the ball and a little bit less wide zone focused and hyperfocused at times. And I do feel like with James Daniels and Jonas of Ianayiah and now bringing in Daniel Brunskill at the start of training camp as a guy who has experience in the scheme and some positional flexibility, I think they’re better suited than what they were last year with Liam Iikenberg and Robert Jones as the starting guards to run downhill if they want to run downhill because they’ve got bigger backs and they got guys with more punch inside. So, I noticed on the uh on the Twitter timeline over the past couple days that you’re really really excited for Daniel Brunskill and during, you know, I did the research and everything for the Dolphins and and recorded everything a couple weeks ago, so that was not an offseason move that I discussed during that portion of the video. So, can you talk just a little bit about what Daniel Brunskill will bring to the offense if and how much he’ll play this year? I don’t expect him to be a starter. Um, everything with for me since April has been how do you ensure that your depth players are the right depth players? Uh, because the Dolphins have had one of the worst stretches of having a healthy starting five for a really long time. They they very consistently are struggling to keep the same guys on the field. So, Brunkill being a guy that has experience with this offense and playing with Mike McDaniel and having experience at both guard uh both guard spots and center, I think makes him a valuable piece where you don’t have to start moving the other guys to disadvantageous spots along the offensive line because he’s so diverse. And the answer to that before signing Daniel Brunskill was Liam Mikeberg, who everybody who roots for the Dolphins is just ready to not see play any more football. Gotcha. So, um, is there we’re not just with Daniel Brunskill, but I do want to talk about, you know, the O line as a whole. Is there any part and you mentioned just being able to stay healthy, which obviously is going to play a major part in this. I I mean, my I’m a Minnesota Vikings fan. We had Christian Daros go down last year and it was a different unit after Darasol went down. So, is there I mean, we have to assume that there’s going to be some sort of stability within the O line. You can’t just project injuries, but if you had to rank your concerns entering the 25 season with the Dolphins, how high in that list would the O line be? I based on the way in which it has derailed some of your consistency, particularly in the Mike McDaniel era because it was not very impactful in 22 either. You were very pass reliant. Um, I would say it’s fairly high up on the list with the injury elements, but I think they’ve done what they can to protect themselves. Even looking at the change that they made uh with the swing tackle where I Kendall Lamb’s a really good player who’s the swing tackle for Miami last year, but he’s a really good pass protector and he was not able to consistently get pushed once Austin Jackson went down in week nine in the run game. Austin Jackson’s a better run blocker than he is a pass protector. So they have to really lean super heavy on the screen game just to survive and really to replace the run game in a lot of ways is the these perimeter quick hitters whether they flex a chan out there or they’re throwing him to Jonnu Smith and that’s how he sets all these career highs for for receiving production. They signed Larry Borne from Chicago who has his fair share of questions, but what he does from a strength perspective is he has mass and explosiveness and the ability to get off the line of scrimmage with urgency in the way in which they coach they want it done in the wide zone system. So, I think they’re the depth pieces that they have, I think, protect you better as well from some of the things that ended up being the fatal pitfalls to the Dolphins offense last year that made them so one-dimensional. But because of how one-dimensional it made you and handcuffed you last year, I think it has to be pretty high up on the list of, hey, we really hope this thing goes right for it because if it doesn’t, you’d hate to see it have to play out again the way it did last year. Very much agreed. It was frustrating to watch this team offensively last year just because of the short quick passing game was just such an extension of the run game and u there was another player last year for a couple of reasons that was not the player he was in the previous two years. So how do you think Dolphins fans should feel about Tyreek Hill and what are your expectations for him entering 2025? I am cautiously optimistic that Tyreek Hill uh will have a will look more true to form in 2025. Now, he lost a significant amount of weight. He lost about 15 pounds to try to keep his explosiveness and seeing him the first couple of days, I think it is very apparent uh that he still has the juice and he he probably looks a little bit more twitchy than what he did last year despite being 31 now. Uh, but I think the 1700 yard, 170 target days, like I think those days have come and gone. Um, I think for Tyreek, the big thing is obviously with the way the season ended last year, how focused and how bought in are you or when things get hard whenever that moment happens, how are you going to react to it? But because he’s in not a contract year, but he has $36 million in non-G guaranteed compensation next year, don’t think he’s going to play on Miami for that dollar amount. So, I think he kind of understands this is a big year for me to have continued earning power beyond the 2025 season. And I think that and he’s going through a a personal divorce, but I think with how Tyreek has handled distractions off the field, I think he can be a little bit more isolated and football focused this season. And because of that, I’m cautiously optimistic, but I I don’t think you’ll see the 2K run that he was on in 22 and 23. I would agree with that. And and you did mention the um one thing that I do want to discuss because it’s been brought up is the just the locker room and just when adversity hits that in some ways this team has I don’t want to say folded but just not answered or not answered to the call whenever it happens. So yeah, do you worry I mean because I would I mean no team’s going to go 20 and0 this year. No team is right. So whenever the Dolphins either lose in Buffalo or or just lose any g not just lose in Buffalo but lose to a tough team. We’ll say that lose to a tough team and there’s a specific stretch where they they have a couple of games where it’s something like the the Bills, the Ravens, and the Browns are sandwiched somewhere in there and then the Commanders. How do you feel? I mean, is there any all like preconcern about the potential culture and with everything that has uh developed and and been just leaked in the media over the past couple of years if and when adversity hits with the 2025 Dolphins? Yeah, I think you look at some of the departing players and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that those players are departing players and I think them leaning into they went from one of the oldest rosters in football to one of the youngest rosters in football in one off season and right now a lot of their older players is like Joe Cardona they brought in as the long snapper I think is the oldest player on the roster and they trade for Darren Waller in a kind of like a lottery ticket move that we don’t even know how well it’s going to play out and I don’t believe he has any guaranteed money on that contract. So, um I think Lewis Riddick did a recent interview in which I thought he hit the nail on the head. When you bring in all the players and all your best players and all your highest paid players and all your loudest voices have been somewhere else first, they can compare and contrast how we’re doing it here versus how I’ve done it in other places. And I think when you take a a youth movement the way that the Dolphins really have and they’re veteran players that they brought in are guys that are kind of ancillary. They got chips on their shoulders. They’re not highly paid players as far as the players they brought in. I think part of the objective of that is to have a collection of guys that says this is how our coach says we’re going to go about our business. This is how our coach says we need to react in these moments. and those players believe it instead of compare Jaylen Ramsey comparing how Mike McDaniel handles a situation to how Shawn McVey handles the situation is just a singular example. So I I think that’s the vision. Now whether or not it actually happens I think is dependent on uh some of the voices within the locker room. It seems like Bradley Chub is going to have a big voice this year and he did not play at all last year. I think he has a chance to to fill some of that void. Uh to a tongue of Aloa is much more vocal than he was just two years ago as far as what I saw. But is he playing in any given week? Because if the answer is no, then that power vacuum I think can further sew kind of the dissent and and compound that to be an issue that you have to worry about. That’s very fair. And I I agree with the sense of of, you know, not out with the old in with the new, at least not with that phrasing, but out with the potential toxins of the locker room, if if if you will. And that’s uh one thing that I think Miami, I mean, obviously did with the recent trade and off of the the Jaylen Ramsay part. How do you feel about the the Minka Fitzpatrick trade and then the Darren Waller the Darren Waller trade as well because those are I mean both relatively recent news news. So, how do you feel about the acquisitions of of of bringing back Minka and then out of retirement with Darren Waller? Yeah, I I think the way that I have kind of vocalized it on my programming has been I don’t think the Dolphins are going to be as talented of a football team as they were last year, but they have a chance to be a better team based on the collection of personalities. And and I think uh these two guys that you mentioned coming in, I think have very different uh backgrounds, but I think the the Darren Waller piece, he has an amazing relationship with Frank Smith, who was his tight end’s coach in Las Vegas, and that’s when he had the best years of his career. and Waller has already attributed the the presence of Frank Smith as hey I I have feel like I’ve refound the itch and whether or not that sustains through training camp and whether that sustains in August is to be determined but at least right now um that personal relationship that he has with that key coach on Miami staff I think can help ensure that he ingrains himself into what Miami is trying to do whereas as Minka Fitzpatrick u obviously has has developed a sterling reputation for how he goes about his business in Pittsburgh but he had the unceremonious exit from Miami and he hasn’t talked to the media yet and I know everybody’s losing their minds about that but uh Mike McDaniel said when when we were in talks to trade for him part of that process was ensuring he was comfortable to play here so whatever Minka’s issue is with wanting to talk it’s not about the locker room or being back in Miami Miami or his family and his family’s from here. He has a home down here. Uh so this is in some ways has still been home for Minka. So, uh, that being the player with the allp pro pedigree who has the reputation that he does surrounding all the young players that they have at the cornerback room, I think puts Mink in a position to uh, very uniquely be the outside voice that’s coming in that can kind of commandeer uh, that secondary because a lot of the guys that have left that have had bad things to say about Miami from a culture, it was the Shawn Elliot and Jordan Puyer. The common thread with a lot of those guys has been they’ve been guys in the secondary and what they’ve been exposed to and experienced. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Dolphins took a blowtorrch to the secondary after this year and and said the year before it was Xavier Howard was gone. This year it was Jaylen Ramsay’s gone. They got rid of both safeties from this past year. They didn’t really have a competitive offer for Javon Holland. They really it kind of felt like they were just like, you know what, we we just need to start fresh here. and young guys with Minka, I think, can can empower Minka to take the leadership role and and you’ve seen that in the first two days of training camp where he’s really been active as the vocal leader in that group. That’s interesting. And and I hope that Ma was obviously I mean he was a tremendous player in the earlier years in Pittsburgh and I know there’s been a lot of questions about his role and usage over the last couple of years during his his final days as a sealer. I hope that he gets back to the player that he was in the the 19 through through 21 area, if you will, and and and becomes that leader with Miami. Now, I want to kind of just ask two and one here. Um, do you at all kind of worry about the secondary regarding that? I know you just mentioned the the uh talent fall off but kind of rise with the culture and also within that to go off of that. Is there any concern that hey if the Dolphins go seven and 10 this year because like you mentioned the talent may not collectively be there this year do you worry that despite the improvements that Mike McDaniel and and and Chris Greer strived for this offseason don’t potentially get to see it through because of of what would be backtoback years missing the postseason and then backto-back years with ultimately a losing record. Yeah, I absolutely think it’s it’s on the table and it should be the concern of of everybody here. Um, I think it’s it’s fair to question uh the X’s and O’s versus Jimmy’s and Joe’s component of it and and you do have to have a certain floor of talent and I know they’ve been knocking on the door of a couple veteran guys. They’ve shown some interest in Asante Samuel Jr. They’ve shown a lot of interest in Russul Douglas. If they go end up with one of those guys, does does it raise the floor of the room? Absolutely. I’d love to see them run some more big nickel. I think their safety room has more appealing players than what their quarterback room does. Um, but what Storm Duck’s the second most tenure or second most experienced guy in the cornerback room now and he’s got like 300 career snaps. So, it’s it’s a major question and it could be the Achilles heel for the team. And if they do end up finishing with a losing record, uh, I think it would probably reflect poorly on this entire season was supposed to be about Chris Greer and Mike McDaniel showing that they have the player development skills and the vision for a new direction of the offense to be the people that make the decision for the next iteration of the build. And if they don’t back up that end of the bargain, I think it’s totally fair and totally on the table for Steven Ross to look at his football operation and say, “We’re pretty well aligned because of how we handled this past off season. We we didn’t spend like crazy. We didn’t restructure a bunch of contracts. We have surplus in draft capital. Maybe it’s somebody else’s turn to take the the baton and run with it.” And I think that should be on the table depending on how this season plays out. That’s very fair. Now, um here I appreciate your time, Kyle. I just want to go ahead and dive into a quick um just quick rapidfire questions to to wrap up the the Dolphins preview. All right. Uh which rookie are you most looking forward to watching play? I’ll I’ll say Kenneth Grant because he’s the first round pick, but I selfishly also want to see uh the fifth round draft choice, Jordan Phillips. Uh big boy. Big boy. he is built like a refrigerator and uh he he’s showcased some really nice flashes already in the f the early days of camp. So I think he’s the unique fifth round draft choice that has uh the opportunity to to seize a really impactful rotational role within that defensive front. I I love me a good fire hydrant in the middle of the defense. So love love those guys. Uh Jordan Phillips, Jamar Caldwell, those those types of players. Um, now to a Tech Vloa over under 26 and a half passing touchdowns. I’ll take the under because of the double-edged risk of injury and then what I think they’re going to be as a running football team this year. Okay. Off of the running football team, Devon A Chain thousand yards on the dot rushing. By the way, I will take I will take over. Now, I I don’t think he’s going to be a guy that gets 300 carries. I I do think Jaylen Wright is going to have the opportunity to seize a pretty sizable role, but I think with Han’s explosiveness, even if he doesn’t get a whole lot more in the way of of carry share, I think the explosive play elements will come back. I think he goes over a thousand. Okay. Jaylen Wadd, thousand receiving yards. I will take the over. Um I he’s been very active and and Tyreek Hill was not a participant in the OTAAS in the spring and I think that’s kind of positioned Wadd to be the primary a little bit more. I think that’s carried through in the first two days. He’s had a number of explosive plays in the passing game. Um I think he’s due for a a healthy size bump in the targets versus what it’s been the last couple years. Okay. I love to hear that. And then overunder. Uh Dolphins wins this year eight and a half. I’ll take the over. Um I don’t know that they’ll they’ll make the playoffs, but I would see if if you get healthy to tongue, my expectation would be nine wins. Nine or 10 wins. Now that’s a big if. If if Tua gets hurt, then then I think under 500 is totally on the table. And then all those things we kind of talked about already uh would bring themselves to the forefront for what would be uh kind of difficult set of decisions for ownership to make on the direction of the team. Absolutely. as well. Kyle, appreciate your time and uh please let everybody know where they can find your work. Yeah, I am on Twitter, Kyle Krabs. I am the host of Locked on Dolphins, the co-host of Lockdown NFL Scouting with Joe Marino, um one of the staff writers over at a TOZ Sports, and I also do have a Substack where I do a lot of my all 22 film reviews called Touchdown Miami as well. Absolutely. Well, Kyle, appreciate you joining and thank you for the time. Of course. Glad to do it. I know the Dolphins team preview is out a couple of weeks after the rest of the AFC East, so I hope the wait was worth it. I personally really enjoyed the interview with Kyle Krabs. But that’s all I have for today. I hope you enjoyed and if you did, please like and subscribe as we are closing in at 200,000 subscribers and I cannot thank you guys enough for these support. A big thank you to Kyle Krabs for joining the channel for the Dolphin Steam preview. And until next time, please be safe and have a great day. Love you guys.

What Exactly Is The Miami Dolphins Plan? | 2025 NFL Team Previews

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