ORLANDO — The last time Mike McDaniel talked to reporters, the Miami Dolphins were some $40 million over the salary cap, Christian Wilkins and Robert Hunt were still on the roster, and four of the five starting offensive line spots were a mystery.
Those questions have been mostly answered in the four weeks since. But that doesn’t mean McDaniel and Chris Grier have it all figured out.
So as the Dolphins arrive here Sunday for the NFL‘s Annual League Meeting, we put together a list of queries for McDaniel during his 30-minute media availability Monday.
Miami Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel Speaks at NFL Annual League Meeting
Where Do Things Stand Contractually With Tua Tagovailoa?
Credit the Dolphins for putting together a pretty solid free agent class despite their upside-down balance sheet — particularly since Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill together still account for more than a fifth of the team’s cap.
A Tua extension — which the team “is hopeful” will occur in the coming months, Grier said last month — would give the Dolphins more money to spend on third-wave free agents like Odell Beckham Jr.
But easing short-term pain shouldn’t come at the expense of the team’s long-term health. The Dolphins have a valuation in mind for Tua. Will they stick to it?
How the Dolphins handle the Tagovailoa negotiations is the biggest decision the team has made since hiring McDaniel in early 2022.
Do You Regret Not Locking Down Wilkins, Hunt a Year Ago?
Hunt and Wilkins were two of the biggest free agent prizes, with the Carolina Panthers and Las Vegas Raiders (respectively) pledging a combined $210 million to the former Dolphins standouts.
Given their tight finances, there’s no way the Dolphins could compete with that — and that’s assuming the team even valued Wilkins and Hunt at that level.
But the exploding market doesn’t excuse the Dolphins for not getting ahead of the situation long before it got to this point.
Wilkins has been eligible for an extension since before the 2022 season. The Dolphins could have worked out a deal with Hunt any time in the previous 12 months.
Losing both in free agency is a bitter pill, one the Dolphins better not swallow again with Jaylen Waddle, Jaelan Phillips, and Jevon Holland all in line for extensions.
Seriously, What’s Up With Tyreek Hill?
As we wrote last week, Hill’s off-field antics might be reaching a tipping point.
This offseason alone, he’s been accused in a lawsuit of breaking an Instagram model’s leg in a blocking tutorial gone awry and had the police summoned to his home due to a dispute with his wife.
Those incidents in a vacuum alone would be problematic. But they’re even more worrisome given his history of anger management issues.
Hill has the team’s biggest contract and its biggest 2024 cap number ($31.3 million). But the Dolphins neither restructured nor (as some suggested they might) extended Hill to create more space in 2024.
Perhaps they still do. But if not, it’ll certainly be a sign that Hill’s time in Miami is closer to its end than its beginning.
Raheem Mostert or De’Von Achane as RB1 in 2024?
The Dolphins are running it back at running back.
Despite a loaded free agent class at the position, the Dolphins made no external moves at running back this cycle.
Their top five ball carriers from 2023 — Raheem Mostert, De’Von Achane, Jeff Wilson Jr., Chris Brooks, and Salvon Ahmed — are all under contract in 2024.
The Dolphins’ ground game was by far the most efficient when Achane had the ball in his hands last year. Will the carry allocations (209 for Mostert, 103 for Achane in 2023) flip as De’Von enters Year 2?
Odell, the Draft – or Someone Else – for WR3?
No matter Hill’s future, he’s a big part of the Dolphins’ present. McDaniel plans to pair him again with Waddle on an offense that should be more diverse with the addition of tight end Jonnu Smith.
But the Dolphins know they need more pass catchers, which is why McDaniel met with free agent Beckham last week in between trips to Austin and Ann Arbor for Texas and Michigan’s pro days.
KEEP READING: Chargers and Chiefs Other Potential Teams To Sign OBJ in Free Agency
Beckham left team HQ without a deal, suggesting that right now, he wants more than the Dolphins are willing to pay.
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