Mailbag: What has been the impact of NFL trade reports on Dolphins this season?
The NFL trade deadline is 4 p.m. Tuesday and whether the Dolphins make a trade — everyone is monitoring a potential deal involving Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson — the team will still hold a 1-7 record as it enters the second half of its schedule.
Miami’s next opponent just so happens to be the Texans, a team the Dolphins have been linked with only because of the continued Watson reports but because of the two franchises’ blockbuster deal in 2019 involving left tackle Laremy Tunsil.
In this week’s mailbag, I take a look at how the continued Watson reports have possibly impacted the team and more. And a reminder that if you have questions you would like me to answer in future mailbags, you can ask me on Twitter or email me.
Here we go:
Do you think Tua will EVER be comfortable on this team now? Even if the Watson trade doesn’t happen, the fact the front office and owner said nothing would make you think he is in fact NOT the Miami QB of the future. - @David13David
How much do you think the trade rumors have affected this team? It’s surely hard for Tua to have any leadership when the seniors at Miami won’t publicly back him? With so many issues on offense, a lack of leadership/ownership has to be part of it?
Despite coach Brian Flores continuing to call Tagovailoa the team’s “quarterback,” “starter” or some other variation of the Dolphins’ guy, there truly hasn’t been a strong endorsement to extinguish all the credible reports linking Miami to a Watson trade.
Tagovailoa has handled this situation as well as he can but in recent weeks, it’s become evident that he’s heard the reports and has at least spoken to Flores about it. The extent of the conversations we may never know but what has transpired over the past few months certainly can’t be viewed as the proper way to nurture and get the best out of a young quarterback.
I don’t think the Watson reports have impacted the team’s terrible start to the season too much but it’s hard for anyone, despite what Tagovailoa, Flores or others say, to believe this organization is 100 percent behind Tagovailoa. And as much as the organization may not believe in Tagovailoa, if I was him, I wouldn’t have a lot of faith in them to properly support me given how they’ve handled the situation. But as Tagovailoa said, that’s life and life can be unfair at times.
So there has been much talk about the shortcomings of the scouting staff and development personnel. Do we know if the front office is looking to make any major changes? If so, would we even hear about it? - @elijts
General manager Chris Grier hasn’t addressed reporters since the offseason so there’s no way to know until after the season. But the team typically announces changes in the scouting department. And the way this season has developed, changes — at the scouting, coaching and player level — should all be on the table. The misses in the draft and lack of player development in some areas continue to be a major stain on the season.
Why isn’t there more talk on how bad Flores’ defense has looked? This was the strength of the team last year and his area of expertise. - @MPellegrini13
It is a good point and at the Miami Herald, we’ve certainly looked into some of the defense’s problems, like here.
Big picture, it might be the most disappointing part of the team. The one part of the team that could be relied upon last year has come up short, and it’s been a collective letdown. I will give the defense credit for how it played in the first two or so quarters of the Bills game last Sunday. That was the defense we had all expected to see throughout the 2021 season, and if they can bottle up whatever worked early on, they might have something to work with over the second half of the season.
People want to say “draft picks don’t matter look at how many Miami has had.” With the right people making these picks they do matter. Besides the Rams, good teams are built through the draft. Best thing Grier can do is trade current assets for picks so someone else can make them. - @JonScharfman
I’ve never bought into the “draft picks don’t matter” narrative. As you pointed out, you can trade them for proven players but the best teams in the NFL are usually built through the draft. I’m not in the crowd of people thinking the Dolphins should be sellers at the trade deadline. I have seen wide receiver DeVante Parker as someone who has reportedly been in trade discussions. But what would be the incentive for the Dolphins to do that? Getting a mid-round draft pick in return and removing a reliable — if often-injured — pass-catcher for Tagovailoa and struggling offense? Many people might not want to hear it, but the Dolphins would be best not making any moves and riding out the rest of the season, however worse it may get. I tend to believe a minor retooling is needed, whether at general manager, coach, or both, is needed as opposed to a total tear-down again.
