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The Miami Dolphins are in the midst of their offseason workout program, with two of three Organized Team Activities complete. While the media has only been allowed to watch the first day of each of the first two OTAs, enough information has been published to give us a better idea of the team's depth chart, starting with the offense.
First-and-foremost, this is an early June depth chart. Much will change between now and the end of the preseason in August. This also takes some assumptions into who will have the starting role by the end of training camp, or once injuries have completely healed.
Quarterbacks
Ryan Tannehill |
Matt Moore |
Pat Devlin |
Brock Jensen |
Nothing here should be surprising. Tannehill will start, with Moore behind him, and Devlin will man the third position. Jensen, who was thought to be coming to camp to challenge Devlin's roster spot, has to improve in a hurry if he is to have a chance to stick around Miami this year.
Running Backs
Knowshon Moreno |
Lamar Miller |
Daniel Thomas |
Mike Gillislee |
Damien Williams |
Orleans Darkwa |
Miller has been primarily taking the first team snaps from what the Dolphins have shown the media, though there have been sets with both Moreno and Miller in the game. Reports have indicated that Moreno may be a little heavy right now, but, he should eventually overtake Miller as the starter. Tomas, Gillisille, Williams, and Darkwa are likely fighting for one, maybe two, roster spots, with the latter two eligible for the practice squad if needed.
Fullbacks
Emmanuel Ogbuehi |
Harold Hoskins |
Both Ogbuehi and Hoskins are playing this offseason and preseason to justify a roster position. They are both, essentially, the H-back reserve for Clay at tight end, but they are not necessarily tight ends at the NFL level. They have to prove they can be effective at leading Miller and Moreno, picking up blitzes, and leaking out to the flat as a safety valve for Tannehill.
Tight Ends
Charles Clay |
Michael Egnew |
Dion Sims |
Arthur Lynch |
Kyle Miller |
A lot of people are going to have issue with this depth chart projection, because it does put Egnew as the second tight end, despite two years of disappointment from him. He is developing, and is only heading into his third year, meaning this is finally the year we should be able get an answer on if he is a bust or not. The team has been lining him up out wide, this offseason, meaning new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor is looking to play to Egnew's strengths, which gets him the second spot on the depth chart. Behind Clay and Egnew, Sims and Lynch should be locks for the roster, meaning Miller has an uphill battle in front of him.
Wide Receivers
WR | Slot WR | WR |
Brian Hartline | Brandon Gibson | Mike Wallace |
Jarvis Landry | Rishard Matthews | Armon Binns |
Matt Hazel | Marcus Thigpen | Stephen Williams |
Damian Williams | Ryan Spadola | Kevin Cone |
Rantavious Wooten |
The Dolphins are deep at the wide receiver position right now, with around 10 players vying for a spot or two. Hartline, Wallace, and Gibson should hold on to their top spots on the chart, though Landry, Matthews, and Binns should all be challenging for playing time as well. Add in the wildcard of Thigpen getting time as a receiver instead of a running back, and there's not really an easy way to predict the outcome of this position battle.
Offensive Line
LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
Branden Albert | Dallas Thomas | Mike Pouncey | Shelley Smith | Ja'Wuan James |
Nate Garner | Billy Turner | Sam Brenner | David Arkin | Jason Fox |
Samuel Longo | Michael Philipp | Tyler Larsen | Davonte Wallace | Evan Finkenberg |
Somewhere along the line, the Miami offensive line went from a gaping black hole of nothingness to actually being a position of depth. James, Pouncey, and Albert will start, with Thomas and Smith seeming to have the early lead on the two guard positions, though Billy Turner is in the mix as well. Essentially, the team looks like they have size starters for five positions. The area of concern, however, is left tackle, where Albert is currently being understudied by Garner, who struggles at the position despite being a utility reserve for the other four positions. The team has plenty of talent in the reserve positions right now, particularly Brenner, Arkin, and Fox. The rest of the players are looking to make an impression to claim either a 53-man roster position of a slot on the practice squad.