Dolphins Special Teams: Better, worse, or same in 2016?

The Miami Dolphins are just 10 days away from the start of their 2016 training camp, which means we are down to the last few days before we finally start seeing what the 2016 version of the team will be. Can this version of the team improve over the team that was on the field the last few years?

We have been publishing a series of articles taking a look at that 2016 Dolphins roster in an effort to determine if the names on the roster this year are better, worse, or the same as the names on the roster last year. This ignores the coaching, or schemes, or any of those types of concepts. This is simply a look at the roster and trying to measure between the two versions of the Dolphins.

We continue that series today, having already covered the quarterback position,the running backs group, the wide receivers, the tight ends, the offensive line,the defensive ends, the defensive tackles, the linebackers, the cornerbacks, and the safeties. Today we move to the special teams players.

Long snappers

John Denney
Ryan DiSalvo

Punter

Matt Darr

Kickers

Andrew Franks
Marshall Koehn

Analysis

The incumbents, Denney, Darr, and Franks, are the most likely three special teams players Miami will carry into the season. Both Koehn and DiSalvo have a chance to unseat the players in front of them, but it will not be easy. Franks clearly out-kicked ___ in the offseason program, and you can never bet against Denney, who has been with the team since they signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2005. Of course, DiSalvo is the undrafted free agent trying to have the same long career Denney has had, so there should be some competition there.

Better, Worse, Same

Same. If the same three players make the roster this year, the better, worse, of same status of roster, by definition, will be the same. As a group, they probably will be better because Darr and Franks are no longer rookies, but looking at just the names on the roster, they should be the same. If Koehn and/or DiSalvo beat out one of the other players, maybe the roster could even be considered a little better, because they will have had to earn that roster spot.