MOBILE -- Miami Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland said Tuesday that his team needs a quarterback “that can lead us over the hump,” made clear he would love to add an explosive tight end and said the Dolphins do not have enough pass-rushers.

“We’ve got to make some strong acquisitions to get where we need to be,” Ireland said. “There will be a few changes for sure. I do not believe we are where we were in 2008, when we turned over 29 players out of the 53.

“Are we rebuilding? I do not believe so. Are we continuing to build? Yes. We are going to build around what [coach] Joe Philbin’s vision is, a collaborative effort [with] what I’m looking for. I do like the core pieces of this roster.”

Asked if he feels like he’s getting a fair shake from fans, Ireland said, “What’s a fair shake? We’re 6-10. You’ve got to do a better job of putting wins together. We’ve got a nucleus and foundation that has a chance to be good. We’ve got to build a roster to be better than good, because good is not good enough. We’ve got to be great. We’ve got to put the pieces together to make a much bolder statement in South Florida. We want championships.

“Whether it’s a fair shake, that’s up to you guys and the fans. I don’t worry about that. I continue working my tail off to get this team in position to win championships.”

Ireland addressed several issues during a conversation with reporters at the Senior Bowl:

• He said Matt Moore – who has one year left on his contract – “did a great job” even though “it took him a little while to get going.” But Ireland and owner Stephen Ross have left no doubt they want to upgrade.

“It’s a quarterback league,” Ireland said. “We’ve got to do our best to make the position better. … Aaron Rodgers was a 24th pick. Tom Brady was a sixth-round pick. Tony Romo was a free agent. There are guys out there. We’ve just got to find them.” Ireland was noncommittal on impending free agent Chad Henne, who is not expected back.

• Ireland said the Dolphins have some of the personnel to make a smooth transition to a 4-3 defense if they go ahead with that, which is under consideration. “There would be some pieces we would need to find,” Ireland said, noting he told his scouts to be on the lookout for players who can be effective in a 4-3.

Bengals defensive backs coach Kevin Coyle has emerged as a top candidate for the defensive coordinator job, and his team – under coordinator Mike Zimmer – used a 4-3 in Cincinnati. Coyle, the Bengals’ defensive backs coach the past 10 years, has spent 35 times in coaching, including working as the defensive coordinator at Syracuse, Maryland and Fresno State. Coyle will interview with Philbin this week.

As an aside, Cam Wake could play defensive end in a 4-3, with Randy Starks likely moving to tackle. Jared Odrick could play end or tackle in a 4-3. Ireland said the staff would have to decide where to play Koa Misi: “Koa’s got a lot of versatility. I really like the way he’s developing. He’s got to get better, though.”

• Offensively, Ireland said Philbin’s plan for an uptempo, aggressive style of offense “is what we’re going to try to accomplish this year.” But he said it doesn’t alter the type of player he’s looking for.