Former Dolphins Exec Dishes on Miami Offseason, Future

One day after releasing a mock draft in his role as an ESPN analyst, former Miami Dolphins VP Mike Tannenbaum explained his pick for his former team and addressed other topics.

In his mock draft, which he emphasized was not a prediction but rather what he would do, Tannenbaum selected Ohio State tackle Josh Simmons for the Dolphins.

In a Zoom media session Wednesday, Tannenbaum expounded on why he picked Simmons for the Dolphins even after selecting tackle Patrick Paul in the second round of the draft last year.

"I think Patrick Paul can be a good player," Tannenbaum said. "He has a lot of ability. I like his length a lot. I just felt like the way my mock was falling, Simmons, if healthy, I think has a chance to be like a front-line difference maker. So that's why I felt like maybe not as much of a need as much as it was an opportunity for Miami."

The idea of the Dolphins taking an offensive lineman has been and will continue to be debated until the start of the draft April 24, and Tannenbaum isn't the first one to mock or select a player at that position for Miami at pick number 13.

TANNENBAUM'S TAKE ON WILSON SIGNING

Among other Dolphins topics we asked Tannenbaum to address were the idea of taking a quarterback in the draft and the overall outlook for the team in terms of its ability to compete in the AFC.

On the topic of the quarterback position, Tannenbaum limited his answer to the addition of former second overall pick Zach Wilson, a move he clearly seemed to like.

"We've already joked at ESPN, like, you could already see, like, the irony of Zach Wilson starting in a game this year against the Jets, right?" Tannenbaum said. "Like, it just seems like that's just the way our sport works, right? Jimmy Butler playing the (Miami) Heat last night. I thought Zach Wilson was really a good signing. When you look at Geno Smith, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, each of those quarterbacks are actually on their fourth team. So I'm not saying like Zach Wilson is going to turn into one of those guys, but I'm also saying that you never know. So it's, to me, a very good sort of opportunistic signing, a lot of upside, because obviously ability, it just hasn't worked so far."

Still on the quarterback topic, Tannenbaum said team always should plan ahead when it comes to that position.

"I would look back at my time in Miami and say, like, we could have done a better job of having ... once Ryan Tannehill got hurt, we were pretty bare. I think it's so important that you win for today and develop for tomorrow."

That certainly sounds like a shot at Matt Moore, who actually was a good backup for the Dolphins. After Tannehill was injured in December 2016, the Dolphins won their next two games — scoring 34 points each times — with Moore starting at quarterback to clinch the team's first playoff berth in eight years.

After Tannehill re-injured his knee at the start of training camp the next year, the Dolphins never gave Moore a shot at the starting job, instead signing Jay Cutler out of retirement. Then in 2018, the Dolphins moved on from Moore as the backup in favor of Brock Osweiler.

Moore finished with an 8-9 record in his 17 starts with the Dolphins, including a respectable 6-6 mark after the 2011 team started 0-4 with Chad Henne as the starter.

Back to the present, Tannenbaum said he thinks the Dolphins can be contenders in 2025 — with the always-present caveat when it comes to Miami.

"I think their offseason was efficient," he said. "Look, you hate to see a guy like Jevon Holland leave, but you can't pay them all, obviously. But I thought it was efficient. A guy like (K.J.) Britt could come in and contribute right away. James Daniels, if he's healthy, he's a very good guard, so I think they'll be right there.

"The big question for them is going to continue to be health. When they're healthy, they're certainly top five on offense. And if Bradley Chubb comes back healthy and Jalen Phillips can stay healthy, they're top 10 on defense. So health is certainly in the order of the day for them."

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