So here is 2nd part of my wildly popular post of my Miami Dolphins off-season moves. I know, I know you just couldn't wait anymore. I know you all wanted this more than you wanted the Dark Knight to come out. Alas my adoring public I have finished and am inclined to bestow my vast knowledge with the masses. Thus I shall begin

POSITION: DE

                                  

DEPTH CHART: Kendall Langford, Randy Starks, Jared Odrick, Phillip Merling

Roster Moves: N/A

ANALYSIS: This is easily the strongest area of our team considering total depth and talent even after losing DE Tony McDaniel to FA. I was very impressed at how well Tony played last year in our D-line rotation unfortunately other teams scouts saw this as well. He is young enough to warrant a pretty hefty contract as a starting 3-4 DE and we have too much talent at the position to be affected by his departure. That said the pressure on Jared Odrick and Phillip Merling to STAY HEALTHY and perform is very real and we will need at least one of them to step up and play well in our rotation.

POSITION: NT

DEPTH CHART: Paul Soliai, Jamal Williams

Roster Moves: Sign Jamal Williams to a 1 year incentive laden contract, Sign Frank Kearse to the practice squad

ANALYSIS: So as I predicted the Randy Starks experiment at NT didn't last. Mike Nolan's defense would have been in serious trouble in Paul Soliai hadn't stepped up his game so dramatically in one year. The poison pill of this however is that Paul was in a contract year before he decided to put it all together. Motivation has always been the main factor when it comes to just how good Paul Soliai wants to be. Lets hope that his recent windfall won't affect his play. If it does we need some semblance of insurance and that is where the "Big Man" Jamal Williams comes into play. To me this is a no brainer FA signee. Nolan has worked with him before in Denver. He is a leader with a solid work ethic that is still productive on the field. Williams will be an ideal role model for both Soliai and Frank Kearse.

POSITION OLB:

DEPTH CHART: Cameron Wake, Mathias Kiwanuka, Koa Misi, Ugo Chiansa

ROSTER MOVES: Sign Kiwanuka to a 3 year deal, Sign UDFA Ugo Chiansa, Cut Ikaika Alama-Francis, Cut Quentin Moses, Sign UDFA Pierre Allen to the PS

ANALYSIS: Ladies and gentlemen we know have a LB corps rivaling the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mathias Kiwanuka "Kiwi" needs and should be our #1 priority free agent. As solid as Misi was as a rookie he left much to be desired in the pass rush department. Kiwi excels in both areas. In fact, he was poised for a beastly year posting 4 sacks in 3 games before being lost for the season to a neck injury last year. This in a way helps the Dolphins. No way the New  York Giants would have even considered losing him to free agency if this injury hadn't occurred. Now, it not only makes him available but he may come at an even more affordable rate as teams attempt to low ball him. I am also quite sure than Kiwi will be able to transition to a 3-4 since he played some OLB in NY's 4-3 as a rookie.     A sleeper prospect that I think the Phins need to jump on is UDFA DE/OLB Ugo Chiansa. He is a 6-5 255 player out of Oklahoma State that had 6 and a half sacks as a senior. In the link here gives a short bio on him. If he doesn't make the team then he needs to be assigned to the PS at least

POSITION: ILB

DEPTH CHART: Karlos Dansby, Kirk Morrison, A.J. Edds, Alex Wucjciak

ROSTER MOVES: Sign FA Kirk Morrison, Trade/Cut Channing Crowder, Cut Tim Dobbins, Cut Austin Spitler

ANALYSIS: Wait what? Something’s different…Did it just get much quieter in the locker room? Yes my dream scenario involves the forced departure of one loudmouth Channing Crowder. If you ask me its been a long time a comin. Despite his obvious distractive nature Channing Crowder’s contributions to this team are consistently overstated. The one thing that Crowder can do is clog a run lane. That’s it! That is the only thing he brings to the table. The minimum requirement for a Jack LB is to hit any lineman or rb’s in the hole as to keep the Will (Dansby) free of  defenders. Just because Dobbins was SO BAD last year in this role is no outlier for how good Crowder is.  He isn’t a playmaker by any means and tackle number are down right pathetic the past 2 years.  In comparison, Kirk Morrison is just as stout against the run AND has the tackling and playmaking numbers to boot. Seriously people compare the numbers and the games played. [Crowder stats Morrison stats] Whatever Crowder is getting paid needs to go to a starting LB that can actually help this team in more than 1 area.

If you like Jack LB’s like Crowder then I give you a LB that fits that mold but is actually productive as well, Alex Wucjiak!

He is a big, high motor tackling machine out of Maryland. STATS He is definitely not the most athletic guy available but has made up for that with effort and film study. If you want to get a little more familiar with him yahoo sports did a nice article on him

POSITION: CB

DEPTH CHART: Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, Will Allen, Al Harris, Nolan Carroll

ROSTER MOVES: Cut Benny Sapp, Re-sign Al Harris, Sign Jimmy Wilson to the PS

ANALYSIS: Not much change. We get Will Allen back and he slides over to nickel which s a role that he is well suited for. I don’t know why there hassn’t much talk about bringing CB Al Harris back to the Phins. From the small amount of playing time he received it looked like he played very well in that time. I personally don’t get the undue optimism when it comes to CB Nolan Carroll. The guy has done nothing as of yet except allow inferior corners to pass him up on the depth chart. He will have a hard time fending off Jimmy Wilson for that last CB spot.

POSITION SAFETY

DEPTH CHART: FS- Chris Clemons, Tyrone Culver, SS- Yeremiah Bell, Reshad Jones, Jonathan Amaya

ROSTER MOVES: Sign UDFA DeAndre McDaniel to the PS

ANALYSIS: Little change to this group as well. There is already a good mix of reliable veterans and young players with potential. I would like to see a lot more of Reshad Jones at SS during the regular season . It is well known that Yeremiah Bell struggles against the pass  while Reshad Jones has shown an ability to play the pass quite well in college and in the pro’s.

Reshad Jones First Career Interception vs Titans HD (via NightmareTeeVee)

Quick note on DeAndre McDaniel (Clemson) is that he has pretty major character concerns. Get this, he beat up his girlfriend. He’ll fit right in! That combining with a so so year lead him to go undrafted. As a junior,  he grabbed 8 interceptions and he was thought to be a  top 2 draft choice at safety. Yeah he shoulda left early LOL

POSITION: ST’s

DEPTH CHART: Kicker- Dan Carpenter Punter Brandon Fields

ANALYSIS:....................................