Dolphins fans excited about Vic Fangio addition, expect Jonathan Taylor trade

The Miami Dolphins face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night in the preseason finale for both teams. A lot of questions remain to be answered for the Dolphins before the regular season kicks off, with tonight’s game potentially the last chance for some players to prove they deserve a roster spot. How will it all shake out, and is the shadow of a possible trade for running back Jonathan Taylor impacting the team?

Earlier in the week, we asked three questions of Dolphins fans in our latest edition of the SB Nation Reacts poll brought to us by DraftKings Sportsbook. First, we asked the fans which Dolphins newcomer would have the biggest impact on the team this year. New defensive coordinator Vic Fangio dominated the results, picking up 74 percent of the vote. Likely starting inside linebacker David Long, Jr., was a distant second in the results.

Rookie running back De’Von Achane was third in the standings, picking up seven percent, while wide receiver and returner Braxton Berrios was fourth at five percent. Rookie cornerback Cam Smith, who could claim a starting role this year, finished with just three percent of the vote, while potential starting left guard Isaiah Wynn received just two percent of the responses.

While Miami’s starting quarterback position is locked down by Tua Tagovailoa, the backup role behind him is in question. The Dolphins signed free agent Mike White from the New York Jets this offseason and brought back second-year passer Skylar Thompson, who was thrust into the starting lineup last year with injuries to Tagovailoa and 2022 backup Teddy Bridgewater, opening a position battle throughout training camp. Heading into tonight’s game, that battle would appear to be ongoing, though White is dealing with a concussion and has been limited over the last week.

While the battle may still be happening in practice, Dolphins fans seem to think it is a fairly lopsided fight. Our Reacts poll resulted in 75 percent of the fans selecting Thompson to come out ahead and serve as Tagovailoa’s primary backup. White collected 25 percent of the vote.

Our final question for the week turned to the rumors swirling around the team and the running back position. While Miami appears to be heading into the regular season with Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, Jr., Achane, and potentially Salvon Ahmed and/or Myles Gaskin on the running back depth chart, there still are talks that the team could trade for Indianapolis Colts runner Jonathan Taylor.

The Colts are believed to be looking for a first-round draft pick in exchange for Taylor, while Miami does not seem in a hurry to give up that much in compensation. While trade negotiations could still be ongoing, 67 percent of the fans want Miami to make a trade to acquire Taylor.

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