WEBVTT - Rookie Contracts, Undrafted Free Agent Intros, Twitter Mailbag 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:07.000 Factors are Alfins, Patrick Drawing, Parford textole what a win 0:00:07.160 --> 0:00:12.680 for this Miami Dolphin team. Wow? What is up? Dolphins? 0:00:12.760 --> 0:00:16.280 And welcome to the Drivetime Podcast, part of the Miami 0:00:16.320 --> 0:00:21.400 Dolphins official podcast network, covering your Miami Dolphins each and 0:00:21.560 --> 0:00:24.360 every day. How's it going everybody? I am your host, 0:00:24.560 --> 0:00:27.240 Travis Wingfield, and I am here to bring you your 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:30.760 daily dose of Miami Dolphins football. And on today's show, 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:33.199 we have a bunch of your questions to get to 0:00:33.400 --> 0:00:36.279 via the Twitter mail bag. But first we're gonna roll 0:00:36.360 --> 0:00:39.720 through an introduction of the undrafted free agent class and 0:00:40.040 --> 0:00:43.080 get you updated on all the rookies that are signed, sealed, 0:00:43.120 --> 0:00:46.120 and delivered, plus a brief look at the notion that 0:00:46.240 --> 0:00:50.080 quarterbacks on big contracts can't win Super Bowl titles, as 0:00:50.120 --> 0:00:53.000 well as the benefit of a quarterback on a rookie deal. 0:00:53.120 --> 0:00:55.160 All of that and more on this Thursday, May the 0:00:55.200 --> 0:01:01.400 fourteenth edition of the Drivetime Podcast. Miami First, and we 0:01:01.520 --> 0:01:05.160 have signed, sealed, and delivered seven of the Miami Dolphins 0:01:05.160 --> 0:01:09.120 eleven draft picks from last month's annual NFL Selection Meeting. 0:01:09.160 --> 0:01:13.039 First Real Quick, Ray Kwon, Davis, Brandon Jones, Solomon Kinley, 0:01:13.120 --> 0:01:17.000 Jason Strowbridge, Curtis Weaver, and Blake Ferguson all signed four 0:01:17.080 --> 0:01:20.800 year rookie contracts and quarterback to a tongue. Voloa is 0:01:20.840 --> 0:01:23.440 the first of the first round selections both for the 0:01:23.480 --> 0:01:27.240 Dolphins and the NFL league wide to sign his rookie contract, 0:01:27.280 --> 0:01:29.560 and that, of course is a four year deal with 0:01:29.640 --> 0:01:32.720 a fifth year team option. Standard business there in the 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:35.440 first round. Great work by the Dolphins to get the 0:01:35.480 --> 0:01:38.039 business side out of the way and make football the 0:01:38.120 --> 0:01:40.600 only thing most of our draft class has to worry 0:01:40.640 --> 0:01:43.960 about right now. And that rookie contract for twa brings 0:01:44.040 --> 0:01:46.840 up a topic that I always see debated and one 0:01:46.880 --> 0:01:48.680 that I just don't think holds a lot of water 0:01:49.000 --> 0:01:52.480 once you bring context to the table. First, though, let's 0:01:52.520 --> 0:01:54.680 just call a spade a spade. In a league that 0:01:54.720 --> 0:01:57.560 has a salary cap and a league where one position 0:01:57.640 --> 0:02:01.280 commands by far the greatest chunk of that cap, when 0:02:01.320 --> 0:02:04.120 you have an established veteran at the position, I mean, 0:02:04.200 --> 0:02:06.520 we're seeing contracts start to go up to thirty million 0:02:06.520 --> 0:02:09.760 dollars a p y for quarterbacks, and I'm sure Super 0:02:09.800 --> 0:02:13.799 Bowl champion and League m v P. Patrick Mahomes will 0:02:13.880 --> 0:02:17.200 nudge that number closer to forty million when he is 0:02:17.240 --> 0:02:20.440 finally due his payday. So in a league where the 0:02:20.480 --> 0:02:24.040 cap is roughly two million, of course, having a thirty 0:02:24.080 --> 0:02:26.560 million dollar quarterback makes filling out the rest of the 0:02:26.639 --> 0:02:30.040 roster the other fifty two spots a little more challenging. 0:02:30.160 --> 0:02:33.400 That's basic logic. That's why you often see teams get 0:02:33.400 --> 0:02:36.799 aggressive early in that rookie contract window for the quarterback 0:02:36.960 --> 0:02:39.400 and will typically start to surround the young quarterback with 0:02:39.440 --> 0:02:42.320 weapons by year number two. Hell, we even saw it 0:02:42.400 --> 0:02:44.839 last year from our two rivals, with the Jets going 0:02:44.840 --> 0:02:47.400 out and getting Levy on Bell and Jamison Crowder for 0:02:47.440 --> 0:02:49.920 Sam Donald and the Bills going out and getting John 0:02:49.960 --> 0:02:52.919 Brown and Cole Beasley last year, on top of trading 0:02:53.120 --> 0:02:55.600 first to fawn digs this year. But the Dolphins are 0:02:55.600 --> 0:02:58.560 in a unique position as far as the general league 0:02:58.600 --> 0:03:02.080 is concerned because of the work last year to sort 0:03:02.360 --> 0:03:05.440 sort of reset the cap and really clear off essentially 0:03:05.480 --> 0:03:08.800 every penny of those old contracts from the previous regime 0:03:08.840 --> 0:03:11.960 and give themselves such a fresh slate. They were able 0:03:12.000 --> 0:03:15.200 to build this thing under one succinct vision, and we've 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:18.200 talked about that on length on this podcast. Even with 0:03:18.560 --> 0:03:21.440 this past free agency class, Miami are in a good 0:03:21.480 --> 0:03:24.119 position to be aggressive if they want to be next 0:03:24.200 --> 0:03:27.480 year and can continue building out this roster with both 0:03:27.560 --> 0:03:31.400 quality starters and depth from top down. I ask, what's 0:03:31.440 --> 0:03:34.119 the harm and adding more talent and giving yourself more 0:03:34.160 --> 0:03:37.880 flexibility and more depth. It's a win win because salary 0:03:37.920 --> 0:03:41.000 cap unused. Though it can be rolled over, it's there 0:03:41.040 --> 0:03:43.840 to be used. So I look at the idea of 0:03:43.960 --> 0:03:47.520 bolstering positions, bolstering your roster, and just being the best 0:03:47.560 --> 0:03:50.360 possible team you can be from player number one, whoever 0:03:50.400 --> 0:03:52.560 that might be, all the way down to player number 0:03:52.560 --> 0:03:55.800 fifty three, whoever that might be, and really extend that 0:03:56.000 --> 0:03:58.480 to the ninety man roster. Actually I should go back 0:03:58.480 --> 0:04:01.080 and say fifty five men on roster now with the 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:03.880 new rules. But going down to the man on the roster, 0:04:04.160 --> 0:04:06.400 Brian Flores and Chris Career, this is what they do. 0:04:06.600 --> 0:04:09.320 They evaluate, They turn over stones. They are not going 0:04:09.360 --> 0:04:12.080 to arrest until they think of all the options that 0:04:12.120 --> 0:04:15.520 are available to them. Obviously not using other teams rosters, 0:04:15.520 --> 0:04:17.560 because you can't just go out there and sign someone 0:04:17.600 --> 0:04:19.640 else's player unless you have to give something back to 0:04:19.680 --> 0:04:22.040 them in a trade. But if there's a player out 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:24.800 there that's available and they think that player is an 0:04:24.880 --> 0:04:27.279 upgrade to one of the nineties spots on the roster, 0:04:27.800 --> 0:04:30.520 take it. That's how you become a better football team. 0:04:30.640 --> 0:04:33.440 That's how you create more competition, and so you not 0:04:33.520 --> 0:04:37.360 only have more talent on the roster, you create this environment. 0:04:37.440 --> 0:04:41.320 You breed this culture of competition, which just makes everybody 0:04:41.320 --> 0:04:44.120 on the roster better because you have to work. I mean, 0:04:44.200 --> 0:04:48.000 even personally speaking, before I got hired by the Miami Dolphins, 0:04:48.400 --> 0:04:51.120 other podcasts out there drove me to be better. If 0:04:51.120 --> 0:04:53.480 someone dropped an episode or dropped an article that I 0:04:53.480 --> 0:04:55.920 thought was maybe ahead of me, or looked at something 0:04:55.960 --> 0:04:58.159 that I hadn't done yet. I wanted to make something 0:04:58.200 --> 0:05:00.760 of my own that was better, to make myself stand 0:05:00.800 --> 0:05:03.120 out more because I want to make this a career 0:05:03.120 --> 0:05:06.240 for myself. So I was driven by my competitors. Same 0:05:06.320 --> 0:05:09.320 thing works here on the football field. So the Dolphins 0:05:09.320 --> 0:05:11.200 are in a position where they can go out there 0:05:11.360 --> 0:05:13.640 and search for players on the open market, even if 0:05:13.680 --> 0:05:16.720 they are deep at that position, because improve the roster. 0:05:17.120 --> 0:05:19.560 So to tie this whole thing back to the quarterback. 0:05:19.760 --> 0:05:22.479 According to over the cap dot Com, the Dolphins have 0:05:22.560 --> 0:05:26.080 the eighteenth most expensive quarterback room in all of football 0:05:26.279 --> 0:05:29.359 and among the least amount of future assets owed. And 0:05:29.400 --> 0:05:32.720 with the experience veteran who played really well last year 0:05:32.839 --> 0:05:35.560 and Ryan Fitzpatrick we all know, the fifth overall pick 0:05:35.600 --> 0:05:37.520 in the draft and to a tongue of Valoa and 0:05:37.560 --> 0:05:40.160 the fanfare and the praise he gets from so many 0:05:40.200 --> 0:05:43.359 scouts and pundits around the league. And still speaking of 0:05:43.480 --> 0:05:46.320 cheap quarterback contracts, we still have a twenty three year 0:05:46.360 --> 0:05:49.440 old Josh Rosen here, who really because the Cardinals paid 0:05:49.480 --> 0:05:52.239 so much of the initial money on his contract upfront, 0:05:52.440 --> 0:05:55.480 with that signing bonus, the Dolphins have a super cheap 0:05:55.560 --> 0:05:58.680 contract on a twenty three year old Josh Rosen who 0:05:58.760 --> 0:06:01.680 is still growing and developed upping and Brian Flores has 0:06:01.720 --> 0:06:04.240 mentioned that growth he's seen from Josh Rosen and Jake 0:06:04.320 --> 0:06:06.919 Rudoc there as well, who had a strong preseason and 0:06:06.960 --> 0:06:09.359 training camp last year. So that's a great spot for 0:06:09.360 --> 0:06:12.880 this team to be in. The talent to financial resources 0:06:12.920 --> 0:06:15.960 committed balance is really in favor of the team because 0:06:16.000 --> 0:06:18.760 you've got a good deep quarterback room and it's not 0:06:18.839 --> 0:06:21.320 costing you all that much, so that means a window 0:06:21.640 --> 0:06:24.840 of four to five years for your championship. Your quote unquote, 0:06:24.839 --> 0:06:28.040 and I'm doing air quotes right now, you're super Bowl window. Right. 0:06:28.480 --> 0:06:32.279 That's where I disagree, because sure, factually it is true 0:06:32.440 --> 0:06:35.440 that the quarterback on the big top five level contract 0:06:35.480 --> 0:06:37.920 hasn't won a Super Bowl and quite some time. That 0:06:38.120 --> 0:06:41.400 is a fact. But facts don't mean a lot without context, 0:06:41.600 --> 0:06:44.680 like the context that Matt Ryan is in that category. 0:06:44.839 --> 0:06:48.279 When the Falcons led to three in a Super Bowl game, 0:06:48.520 --> 0:06:52.839 does that nearly improbable? Actually, until that point was improbable comeback? 0:06:53.120 --> 0:06:55.760 Mean that he was the team's problem that year? Far 0:06:55.880 --> 0:06:58.360 from it, of course not. He was the league m 0:06:58.400 --> 0:07:01.039 v P and broke the record for passer rating in 0:07:01.080 --> 0:07:04.080 a single season. What about the year prior Cam Newton 0:07:04.360 --> 0:07:06.960 goes off for an m v P season, played in 0:07:07.000 --> 0:07:09.400 a Super Bowl game, didn't win it, but they played 0:07:09.400 --> 0:07:11.640 in it. Would you take a fifteen and one season 0:07:11.680 --> 0:07:14.360 and come up just one game short of a championship? 0:07:14.640 --> 0:07:17.160 How about in two thousand nine when Peyton Manning and 0:07:17.160 --> 0:07:19.400 the Colts were on the fringe of a championship, but 0:07:19.480 --> 0:07:21.600 that on side kick at halftime or to start a 0:07:21.600 --> 0:07:24.960 second half rather really swung the game towards the underdog Saints. 0:07:25.000 --> 0:07:27.280 These are all examples of how you could still be 0:07:27.320 --> 0:07:30.240 a damn good football team if you have an elite 0:07:30.320 --> 0:07:33.440 quarterback on that big contract. And the best tweet I saw, 0:07:33.640 --> 0:07:35.560 I forget who was from some My apologies for not 0:07:35.600 --> 0:07:38.840 crediting properly, but someone had tweeted out that sure it 0:07:38.960 --> 0:07:42.480 is tougher to build a roster with the massive contract quarterback, 0:07:42.640 --> 0:07:45.520 but you know, it's even harder winning a championship without 0:07:45.560 --> 0:07:48.960 having that guy established at quarterback. So the point is this, 0:07:49.200 --> 0:07:51.400 there's no one way to skin a cat, so to speak. 0:07:51.520 --> 0:07:53.560 As long as you have clear vision and are not 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:56.840 making moves from desperation to bill voids on the roster 0:07:57.120 --> 0:07:59.600 and try to prolong your own job security, then you 0:07:59.600 --> 0:08:02.239 can find find ways into the winner circle from really 0:08:02.280 --> 0:08:04.600 any route. There's no one way to do it. But 0:08:04.800 --> 0:08:07.160 for the time being, the Dolphins are in a nice 0:08:07.200 --> 0:08:10.200 spot in regards to the cap situation for the immediate 0:08:10.280 --> 0:08:12.280 and long term future, and a lot of that has 0:08:12.280 --> 0:08:14.720 to do with the quarterback room being more talented than 0:08:14.720 --> 0:08:17.760 the money it's owed. Alright, speaking of contracts, we have 0:08:17.920 --> 0:08:20.920 ten brand new undrafted free agents that we haven't talked 0:08:20.920 --> 0:08:23.320 about on this podcast. Let's go ahead and dive into 0:08:23.320 --> 0:08:25.600 the ten players we have not broken down, the only 0:08:25.600 --> 0:08:28.520 ten players on this roster we have not yet broken down, 0:08:28.880 --> 0:08:32.080 and we start at the wide receiver position with Matt Cole, 0:08:32.120 --> 0:08:35.480 who was a four year letter winner at McKendree University, 0:08:35.600 --> 0:08:38.400 where he was named Great Lakes Valley Conference Special Teams 0:08:38.440 --> 0:08:41.160 Player of the Year as a senior in twenty nineteen. 0:08:41.480 --> 0:08:43.959 He caught forty three balls for nine hundred thirty nine 0:08:44.000 --> 0:08:47.560 yards last year and twelve touchdowns. Both the yardage and 0:08:47.600 --> 0:08:50.960 touchdowns were school records there at McKendree. He also had 0:08:50.960 --> 0:08:53.559 twenty three kickoff returns for six hundred and twenty five 0:08:53.640 --> 0:08:56.920 yards one score, and eight punt returns for two hundred 0:08:57.120 --> 0:08:59.160 and eight yards. And a cool thing about Matt Cole, 0:08:59.400 --> 0:09:02.400 he was the Prospect X from this year. And what 0:09:02.440 --> 0:09:05.960 that is is the mm QBS Kalin Coller has an 0:09:05.960 --> 0:09:09.200 annual Prospect X where they kind of hide the sleeper 0:09:09.240 --> 0:09:11.719 type of prospect that no one knows about, and they 0:09:11.720 --> 0:09:14.240 reveal him once he signs or gets drafted by a team. 0:09:14.400 --> 0:09:16.439 And this year that happened to be Matt Cole. And 0:09:16.520 --> 0:09:18.400 there's a really cool story up on the Palm Beach 0:09:18.400 --> 0:09:21.520 post written by hal Habib about Matt Cole and about 0:09:21.520 --> 0:09:24.199 the phone call between he and Brian Flores and how 0:09:24.240 --> 0:09:26.960 that phone call left Matt in tears and he knew 0:09:27.120 --> 0:09:29.400 that Miami was the place for him. So this kid 0:09:29.440 --> 0:09:32.360 can return kicks. He is a big, big play waiting 0:09:32.400 --> 0:09:34.760 to happen. And you see that return ability after he 0:09:34.840 --> 0:09:37.839 catches the football. He can turn basic little screens or 0:09:37.960 --> 0:09:41.040 drag routes or mesh concepts and turn them into big 0:09:41.080 --> 0:09:43.680 place for touchdowns with a subtle little move in the 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:46.200 open field. And he creates a lot of big plays 0:09:46.240 --> 0:09:49.079 after the catch with that run after the catch ability. 0:09:49.200 --> 0:09:52.320 Also in the wide receiver room. Kirk Merritt, who spent 0:09:52.360 --> 0:09:55.200 the last two years in Arkansas State after coming out 0:09:55.360 --> 0:09:58.200 of East Mississippi Community College, and we all know about 0:09:58.240 --> 0:10:01.120 them from the show on Netflix chance you which, by 0:10:01.160 --> 0:10:03.319 the way, if you haven't watched that show, go watch 0:10:03.360 --> 0:10:06.160 every single season front to back right now, a terrific 0:10:06.200 --> 0:10:10.200 program on Netflix. Kirk Merritt earned all Sunbelt honors both 0:10:10.280 --> 0:10:12.560 years he was there. He caught seventy balls for eight 0:10:12.679 --> 0:10:15.160 hundred and six yards and twelve touchdowns last year as 0:10:15.200 --> 0:10:17.920 a senior and eighty three grabs for one thousand five 0:10:18.000 --> 0:10:21.120 yards and seven touchdowns. As a junior, his eighty three 0:10:21.120 --> 0:10:23.560 catches were third in school history and led the Sun 0:10:23.559 --> 0:10:26.480 Belt Conference last season. And you want to talk about 0:10:26.520 --> 0:10:29.360 speed again with this player. He has a track background 0:10:29.360 --> 0:10:31.520 as well as so many of these Dolphins rookies do. 0:10:31.640 --> 0:10:34.080 He was a Louisiana state champion in high school in 0:10:34.080 --> 0:10:36.320 the one hundred meters, so he can flat out scoot. 0:10:36.440 --> 0:10:38.559 Those are the two receivers. Let's go ahead and move 0:10:38.600 --> 0:10:40.800 to the tight end position where the Dolphins bring in 0:10:40.840 --> 0:10:44.439 a former defensive player and Bryce Stirk out of Montana State. 0:10:44.679 --> 0:10:47.200 And though he was a defensive player playing off the edge, 0:10:47.200 --> 0:10:50.200 is kind of a linebacker slash defensive and conversion player. 0:10:50.400 --> 0:10:52.320 He will make that jump to tight end where he 0:10:52.360 --> 0:10:54.839 did play back in high school at the position before 0:10:54.840 --> 0:10:57.320 he got to Montana State. On the defensive side, he 0:10:57.360 --> 0:10:59.880 did play two seasons at Montana State where he was 0:11:00.040 --> 0:11:03.360 second team fcs L American Honors. And we're gonna start 0:11:03.400 --> 0:11:06.240 with don L. Stanley out of South Carolina. This guy 0:11:06.320 --> 0:11:09.000 is a six year college player. He started all three 0:11:09.080 --> 0:11:12.640 interior offensive line positions in his career, but primarily as 0:11:12.679 --> 0:11:15.520 a center each of the last two seasons, and Chris 0:11:15.640 --> 0:11:18.360 Kaufman on Twitter at c K Parrott, You guys probably 0:11:18.360 --> 0:11:20.240 know who he is, does a lot of great work 0:11:20.280 --> 0:11:22.760 for the three Yards per Carry podcast. He had some 0:11:22.880 --> 0:11:26.360 videos showing Stanley going up against Christian Wilkins and Dexter 0:11:26.480 --> 0:11:29.839 Lawrence and javon kinlaw and practice every single day. All 0:11:29.840 --> 0:11:32.679 the guys that he faces in the SEC really kind 0:11:32.720 --> 0:11:35.280 of have him battle tested throughout the course of his career, 0:11:35.559 --> 0:11:37.600 and you would think maybe that would get him drafted. 0:11:37.840 --> 0:11:39.880 It did not, But this guy just goes up there 0:11:39.880 --> 0:11:42.200 and physically matches up against some of the best players 0:11:42.400 --> 0:11:45.200 currently getting drafted high in the last couple of NFL 0:11:45.280 --> 0:11:48.120 drafts in Wilkins, in Lawrence, and obviously now this year 0:11:48.280 --> 0:11:51.040 in javon Kin law And So Stanley a five year 0:11:51.120 --> 0:11:54.800 letter winner there from twenty nineteen and three year starter 0:11:54.920 --> 0:11:58.160 at South Carolina. He finished his career with fifty games played, 0:11:58.360 --> 0:12:01.679 thirty eight starts, twenty three at center, eleven at left guard, 0:12:01.760 --> 0:12:04.400 and four at right guard. He was a team captain 0:12:04.440 --> 0:12:07.400 for his senior season and also won the team's Leadership Award, 0:12:07.600 --> 0:12:11.160 an Unselfish Teammate award on the offensive side of the ball, 0:12:11.200 --> 0:12:13.440 so sounds like he fits the bill here for being 0:12:13.480 --> 0:12:17.360 a team first, tough, smart player under Brian Flores in Miami. 0:12:17.720 --> 0:12:20.680 Also along the offensive line Jonathan Hubbard, who was a 0:12:20.720 --> 0:12:23.480 four year letterman out of Northwestern State. He played in 0:12:23.520 --> 0:12:26.760 thirty two games with twenty six starts, primarily at tackle. 0:12:27.000 --> 0:12:29.880 He helped the Demon offense established school records and passing 0:12:30.000 --> 0:12:33.280 yardage each of the last two seasons. And the third 0:12:33.320 --> 0:12:37.079 member of the undrafted offensive line group is Nick Kltmeyer, 0:12:37.240 --> 0:12:40.200 a three year letterman at Kansas State, playing in all 0:12:40.280 --> 0:12:43.320 thirty eight games of his career. He started all thirteen 0:12:43.360 --> 0:12:45.840 games at right tackle as a senior last year and 0:12:45.880 --> 0:12:48.599 earned honorable mention all Big Twelve honors. He played his 0:12:48.679 --> 0:12:52.640 freshman season at Western Illinois before transferring to Kansas State. 0:12:52.760 --> 0:12:55.000 And we do have some testing numbers here for colt 0:12:55.040 --> 0:12:58.160 Meyer did eight teen bench on the eighteen reps on 0:12:58.200 --> 0:13:00.600 the bench rather twenty five and a half inch vertical 0:13:00.679 --> 0:13:03.360 jump eight ft one on the broad here at eight 0:13:03.360 --> 0:13:06.120 to one three cone time. He has a massive wingspan. 0:13:06.320 --> 0:13:08.240 That's where you really see the impacts here. He has 0:13:08.240 --> 0:13:10.480 thirty four and a quarter inch arms and an eighty 0:13:10.559 --> 0:13:14.400 two and a half inch wingspan, a long, tall tackle 0:13:14.480 --> 0:13:16.960 there who goes six ft seven and has, of course 0:13:16.960 --> 0:13:19.679 those thirty four and a quarter inch arm So coming 0:13:19.679 --> 0:13:22.040 out of Old Miss, he was a four year letterman 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:24.120 and three year starter there at Old Miss, where he 0:13:24.120 --> 0:13:26.760 played in forty eight games with thirty six starts. He 0:13:26.800 --> 0:13:29.760 finished with a career one thirty two tackles, ten and 0:13:29.760 --> 0:13:32.400 a half sacks, and his ten point five career sacks 0:13:32.440 --> 0:13:35.719 are eleventh and program history. He earned second team All 0:13:35.920 --> 0:13:38.640 SEC honors as a senior last year, and his thirty 0:13:38.640 --> 0:13:41.160 tackles were the most in the conference by a nose 0:13:41.200 --> 0:14:06.880 tackle defensive line. So ray lima one of two defensive 0:14:06.920 --> 0:14:10.800 tackles signed as undrafted free agents. The other one Benito Jones. 0:14:10.960 --> 0:14:12.440 This is a guy's name you might have heard a 0:14:12.440 --> 0:14:15.160 lot in draft circles or on mock drafts. He goes 0:14:15.200 --> 0:14:18.400 six ft one and packs a three twenty one pound 0:14:18.679 --> 0:14:21.760 package in that tight contact compact frame that he has, 0:14:21.800 --> 0:14:24.760 and he uses his hands very active, can slip blocks 0:14:24.760 --> 0:14:27.400 in short spaces and just finds a way to keep 0:14:27.400 --> 0:14:29.880 active and keep moving and staying in the play as 0:14:29.880 --> 0:14:31.920 he's gonna go ahead and keep after even if he 0:14:32.000 --> 0:14:34.960 loses initially and gets himself into the backfield, into the 0:14:35.000 --> 0:14:38.520 gap and trying to make an impact on that defensive line. Up. Next, 0:14:38.520 --> 0:14:40.720 we've got Tysha and Render, who is an edge. He 0:14:40.760 --> 0:14:43.560 went to Middle Tennessee State, and you might recall him 0:14:43.600 --> 0:14:46.640 as the famed rainy photo of Belichick during the scouting 0:14:46.680 --> 0:14:49.920 combine when he went to scout Render individually at his 0:14:50.000 --> 0:14:52.720 pro day at Middle Tennessee State. He was a senior 0:14:52.760 --> 0:14:55.240 in twenty nineteen, started all twelve games and had a 0:14:55.280 --> 0:14:58.200 career high forty nine tackles. Also recorded three and a 0:14:58.240 --> 0:15:01.840 half sacks, one pick, five pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, 0:15:02.000 --> 0:15:04.680 and too forced fumbles. And while I can tell you 0:15:04.720 --> 0:15:07.000 I watched some Iowa State and Old Miss football this 0:15:07.080 --> 0:15:10.440 past season, I did not catch any Middle Tennessee State games. 0:15:10.520 --> 0:15:13.320 So I'm gonna go off this scouting report from the 0:15:13.360 --> 0:15:17.000 sports hub dot com coaches speaking after his pro day 0:15:17.000 --> 0:15:19.840 there at Middle Tennessee quote, big Rend is a guy 0:15:19.880 --> 0:15:22.320 that can throw on Tuesday practice tape in the dog 0:15:22.400 --> 0:15:24.320 days of the season and witness him on the back 0:15:24.360 --> 0:15:27.160 side of a play run the opposite direction from him, 0:15:27.200 --> 0:15:29.400 and he would turn and bust his butt to make 0:15:29.440 --> 0:15:33.160 a quote save the day play. He consistently had effort 0:15:33.200 --> 0:15:35.280 that we would use as an example of how to 0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:38.960 play defensive football. Combine that with his physical attributes, he's 0:15:39.000 --> 0:15:41.840 got a chance to be great for somebody on Sundays. 0:15:41.880 --> 0:15:44.360 He grew a ton as a leader slash person over 0:15:44.400 --> 0:15:46.560 the years I was with him, and I enjoyed watching 0:15:46.600 --> 0:15:49.600 him work to become better end quote and last but 0:15:49.720 --> 0:15:52.640 not least, more of an off ball linebacker and kyl 0:15:52.720 --> 0:15:56.120 And Johnson out of Pittsburgh. He started all thirteen games 0:15:56.120 --> 0:15:59.560 there last season after transferring from Florida as a graduate 0:15:59.760 --> 0:16:02.680 pick up. Fifty four tackles, six and a half sacks, 0:16:02.680 --> 0:16:06.520 two forced fumbles earned honorable mention all a CC honors. 0:16:06.680 --> 0:16:10.120 At Florida, Johnson played in thirty three games with nine starts, 0:16:10.160 --> 0:16:13.520 totaling eighty three tackles and one sack for the Gators defense. 0:16:13.880 --> 0:16:16.320 So those are the ten undrafted free agents. And if 0:16:16.320 --> 0:16:18.480 you happen to find yourself at training camp and want 0:16:18.520 --> 0:16:20.400 to know what number of these guys where. The tight 0:16:20.520 --> 0:16:23.440 end Bryce Stirk number eighty seven, the wide receivers Kirk 0:16:23.480 --> 0:16:26.720 Merritt number eighty three, and Matt Cole number eighty two, 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:30.640 along the offensive line, Donnel Stanley seventy two, Nick Caltmeyer 0:16:30.720 --> 0:16:34.240 seventy nine, Jonathan Hubbard seventy one. On the defensive line, 0:16:34.320 --> 0:16:38.880 Ray Lima seventy six, Benito Jones off the edge, Tyshan 0:16:38.960 --> 0:16:44.200 Render number sixty four, and linebacker Kylan Johnson number fifty nine. Alright, 0:16:44.280 --> 0:16:46.640 let's go ahead and get to your questions on the mailbag. 0:16:46.680 --> 0:16:48.560 You guys know the drill by now. I put the 0:16:48.600 --> 0:16:51.280 call out on Twitter. You respond with your questions. I 0:16:51.320 --> 0:16:54.800 answered them here on the podcast best I can, and 0:16:54.840 --> 0:16:57.120 the first one to hear from Baron Brown. He's at 0:16:57.160 --> 0:16:59.720 Baron Brown. Makes it very easy on me not having 0:16:59.720 --> 0:17:02.640 to put anounced names I can't figure out with current personnel. 0:17:02.880 --> 0:17:05.480 How do you see the Dolphins safety position shaking out 0:17:05.760 --> 0:17:08.760 our McCain and row the week one starter as well. 0:17:09.000 --> 0:17:11.159 I think that you have to be very loose with 0:17:11.200 --> 0:17:14.600 your term starter by definition on this football team in general, 0:17:14.600 --> 0:17:16.960 because they're just gonna play guys that match up best 0:17:16.960 --> 0:17:19.040 with what they think the opponent does best, and that's 0:17:19.040 --> 0:17:21.560 gonna be a weekly thing they adapt to. Now, one 0:17:21.600 --> 0:17:23.800 thing you look at at the safety position, and we 0:17:23.840 --> 0:17:26.359 talked about it on the Tuesday podcast from the notes 0:17:26.560 --> 0:17:29.760 from Daniel Jeremiah the defensive principles of some of the 0:17:29.800 --> 0:17:32.240 defensive schemes that are similar to what the Dolphins do 0:17:32.359 --> 0:17:34.639 under Brian Flores. And this is the note for the 0:17:34.640 --> 0:17:37.600 safety's size speed. Guy have to be able to cover 0:17:37.680 --> 0:17:41.399 man to man. Former corners moved inside ideal if they 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:44.680 have the size. Ball skills and judgment are essential more 0:17:44.720 --> 0:17:47.760 than speed and athletic abilities. So when you look at 0:17:47.800 --> 0:17:51.040 those notes, Brandon Jones played safety, played slot corner. Bobby 0:17:51.119 --> 0:17:54.040 McCain was drafted as a slot cornerback, played free safety 0:17:54.119 --> 0:17:57.400 last year. Eric Rowe played all three cornerback positions before 0:17:57.440 --> 0:18:00.480 moving to safety last season as well by n Jones 0:18:00.560 --> 0:18:02.280 quarterback safety, kind of a little bit of both of 0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:04.760 those in his time at Dallas and at Yukon. So 0:18:05.040 --> 0:18:07.400 these players can do multiple things, and so I think 0:18:07.400 --> 0:18:09.080 you're gonna see that they're gonna try to find a 0:18:09.119 --> 0:18:11.520 way to get the best five or six players on 0:18:11.560 --> 0:18:14.840 the field, regardless of what their exact position distinctions are. 0:18:15.040 --> 0:18:17.439 He also asked who are the leaders right now? To 0:18:17.560 --> 0:18:20.080 start he asked about McCain row. I think that's a 0:18:20.119 --> 0:18:22.560 good combination to start with because veterans guys that have 0:18:22.680 --> 0:18:25.280 proven themselves in this league. They're gonna get the job first, 0:18:25.280 --> 0:18:27.120 and the rookies are gonna have to play better than 0:18:27.119 --> 0:18:29.639 them and outperform them and beat them out for the jobs. 0:18:29.960 --> 0:18:32.880 This next one here from Salez Dice at Big Salas 0:18:32.880 --> 0:18:36.000 your thoughts on signing Warford, which is Larry Warford, the 0:18:36.040 --> 0:18:39.359 recently released offensive lineman of the New Orleans Saints on 0:18:39.400 --> 0:18:41.679 a one year deal like Ted Carriss. Well, first, I 0:18:41.720 --> 0:18:44.440 can't speculate on the length of his contract, how much 0:18:44.440 --> 0:18:47.040 money he might command. That would just be speculation, which 0:18:47.080 --> 0:18:49.560 I'm not really into here on this podcast. But I 0:18:49.560 --> 0:18:51.399 think that Larry Warford is a really good player. I 0:18:51.400 --> 0:18:53.639 think that last year maybe didn't fit with what the 0:18:53.680 --> 0:18:56.200 Saints want to be on offense. We talked about it previously. 0:18:56.240 --> 0:18:58.760 I think on an earlier podcast, how they have Alvin 0:18:58.800 --> 0:19:01.199 Kamara and mark ing him and ingram was kind of 0:19:01.200 --> 0:19:03.520 more of the power guy Alvin Camara gave him more 0:19:03.560 --> 0:19:06.040 options in the passing game, and then Ingram Lee's last 0:19:06.119 --> 0:19:07.760 year and they try to be a little more flexible 0:19:07.800 --> 0:19:09.920 that way with Kamara in the passing game and the 0:19:09.920 --> 0:19:12.159 stretch game and being more of a wide zone team, 0:19:12.440 --> 0:19:15.160 and they go out and get Caesar Ruise on top 0:19:15.200 --> 0:19:17.880 of getting Eric McCoy last year, and both those guys 0:19:17.920 --> 0:19:19.600 do a lot to get out in space. So I 0:19:19.600 --> 0:19:22.040 think in terms of salary cap commitments, they had to 0:19:22.119 --> 0:19:24.720 Larry Warford and what he did for their scheme, it 0:19:24.840 --> 0:19:27.480 just made sense for the two depart company because Warford 0:19:27.640 --> 0:19:29.760 might be a better fit somewhere else. As far as 0:19:29.800 --> 0:19:31.639 his fit on the field here, yeah, I think I 0:19:31.640 --> 0:19:33.960 think he's a good player that has that power and 0:19:34.000 --> 0:19:37.240 size combination. Of Dolphins are really going after this offseason 0:19:37.440 --> 0:19:39.560 and it always helps to add experience and talent to 0:19:39.600 --> 0:19:41.840 your offensive line. So if they think he's a player 0:19:42.040 --> 0:19:43.919 that can help them out and the price is right, 0:19:43.960 --> 0:19:45.800 I'm sure they'll explore it. Now. As far as my 0:19:45.840 --> 0:19:48.840 inside knowledge of that, I have none, so it's pure speculation, 0:19:48.880 --> 0:19:51.159