This question is from, once again, Barry West in London. Thank you Barry for yet another question. I really appreciate it. Here it is:
Do you think we have adequate depth at DE now merling is out? And, is Douglas a good enough replacement?
My Answer
The addition of Douglas gives the Miami Dolphins depth at the defensive end position. I'm not sure who will be the starter, but you can be confident that the backup will be capable to step in if needed.
If I had to predict the starter I would say that it will probably be Douglas because he is more experienced and gets a whole lot of tackles. He is also a better run stopper than Odrick.
The only downside to Douglas starting is that he doesn't get to the quarterback near as well as Odrick.
Other than that, Douglas has more advantages than Odrick. While Odrick is the long-term solution, Douglas will hold down the spot well and help Odrick develop.
I also believe that Douglas is a much better replacement than some people think. Douglas had almost twice as many tackles as Merling did last year. So, we are looking at an upgrade for this year on the d-line.
So, don't worry at all. Not only do we have a better player than we had originally, we also have depth at the position for when Douglass retires.
Thanks for the question Barry, and be thankful that training camp is finally among us.
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