New Years Miami Dolphins Offensive Additions 2016

One week into the New Years Free Agency period and the Miami Dolphins have acquired four defensive players (with 3 of them for sure being day one starters). Our favorite team came about these players via trade and/or as free agents that we spoke of at the previous piece titled Miami Dolphins 2016 New Year Defensive Additions. Those players include potential starter at safety Isa Abdul-Quddus, as well as definitive starters at Cornerback with Byron Maxwell, Middle Linebacker Kiko Alonso, and perennial star Defensive End Mario Williams.

Now comes the Offensive Additions of which.
Even the media, (haters of most every Miami addition) over the last however many years suggest that the lesser of the two offensive lineman that the Dolphins have signed in this New Year is a vast improvement over what existed at said positions in 2015.

2016's offensive landings thus-far include.

Swing Tackle Sam Young at 6 - 8, 320 pounds as a 6 year veteran Tackle was the Dolphins first offensive acquisition in Free Agency. He ( seen here detouring OV/others ) was acquired as a backup Tackle to fill the role of (Adam Gase' first day cut) of backup Jason Fox who struggled mightily while starting 11 games at one or the other tackle positions in 2015.

Young has been in the league since 2010's two games played with the Cowboys. In 2011 he wound up in Buffalo where he played in four games while in o12 he played in twelve Bills games and started four. He played for both the Bills (4 games) and Jaguars (11 games) in 2013. For Jacksonville in 2014 he started 6 of 9 games played, and in o15 he started 3 of all 16 games played.

Excluding the 2013 season when he played for two different teams, he has started more than a third of the games he played in while at Buffalo and Jacksonville (13 games started of 37 games played). With Miami as a swing tackle (meaning he can play either tackle position), Sam Young can (for the most part) focus on the right tackle backup position.


As The Dolphins second offensive addition in the 2016 Free Agency period was.


Left Tackle Jermon Bushrod who has started at that particular position in 96 of the 108 games he's played in over his 9 year career. He played in just 3 games of his first two years in New Orleans while his 96 starts have come over the last seven seasons with the (o9 - o12 Saints, and o13 - o15 Bears). Dolphin head coach Adam Gase was the Bears o15 Offensive Coordinator.

Miami hasn't had the commodity of a true Left Tackle on their bench for many a year, let alone a player with any starting experience whatsoever at the Left Tackle position. Whenever starting LT Brandon Albert has been out of the lineup for a breather or his annual injury the Dolphins have been filling the void with wanna-be right tackles (Jason Fox etc) and/or guards (Dallas Thomas etc) which suggest that those positions themselves have also been forced into fielding the lesser talents of the offensive line. Let-alone at the quarterbacks blindside protector position of LT.

With a pure Left Tackle behind Brandon Albert now on the roster the Dolphins offensive line has immediately become more stable as the true guards and right tackles can stay focused on the position at which they belong and not become a big fat Bull-Eye when playing out of position. Maybe those guards can even excel when surrounded by a pure right tackle Ju'Waun James/Sam Young, Center Mike Pouncey, and Left Tackle Brandon Albert (and/or Jermon Bushrod) should the occasion arise.

Meanwhile, both Young & (Bushrod who knows the LT position inside-out with his eye's closed) are willing to play the guard position, so that (if need be) they can get on the field before being needed at tackle in place of Ju'Waun James and/or Brandon Albert.

Jermon Bushrod is 6 - 5, 320 pounds as a nine year veteran Left Tackle with (again) 96 NFL starts, Two Pro-Bowl selections (2011/12), and a Super Bowl ring from his tenure with the Saints!


Folks suggest that Miami has done nothing to help the offensive line, and it's the only offensive position that the Dolphins have actually addressed. Well besides the re-signing of backup quarterback Matt Moore. Meanwhile player rates drop with each passing day, free agencies second wave has yet to crest and fresh sets continue rollin-in throughout the season, and the draft is still six weeks away.

Thank You for an open minded read,
and as always, we look forward to your angle of view : )) !!

GOFINS!!!


The Defensive Roundup can be re-viewed here ;
http://www.dolphinshout.com/2016/03/2016-miami-dolphins-new-year-defensive.html