Pre-Training Camp Final Roster Predictions

With final cutdowns still over a month away, odds are these predictions wind up horrible off. But I figured it would still be fun at this point to try and make my best guess at the 53-man roster come September. A few things to keep in mind:

• A lot of things can and will change between now and September 1, so I don't expect these to be very accurate
• I am not taking into account any possible signings or roster additions (Terry Glenn, anyone?) during camp or the preseason, and such occurrences would obviously throw these predictions off

Quarterbacks (3): Josh McCown, John Beck, Chad Henne

Running backs (4): Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, Jalen Parmele, Lex Hilliard

Fullbacks (2): Reagan Mauia, Boomer Grigsby

Wide receivers (5): Ernest Wilford, Ted Ginn, Jr., Derek Hagan, Greg Camarillo, Davone Bess

Tight ends (3): Anthony Fasano, Justin Peelle, Sean Ryan

Offensive tackles (3): Jake Long, Vernon Carey, Trey Darilek

Offensive guards (4): Justin Smiley, Steve McKinney, Shawn Murphy, Donald Thomas

Centers (2): Samson Satele, Mike Byrne

Defensive ends (5): Randy Starks, Vonnie Holliday, Philip Merling, Kendall Langford, Rodrique Wright

Defensive tackles (2): Jason Ferguson, Paul Soliai

Outside linebackers (5): Joey Porter, Charlie Anderson, Quentin Moses, Junior Glymph, Titus Brown

Inside linebackers (3): Channing Crowder, Akin Ayodele, Reggie Torbor

Cornerbacks (5): Will Allen, Michael Lehan, Andre' Goodman, Nathan Jones, Joey Thomas

Safeties (4): Jason Allen, Yeremiah Bell, Chris Crocker, Keith Davis

Special teams (3): Jay Feely, Brandon Fields, John Denney

Total: 53

Some of my the most notable cuts:

• RB Patrick Cobbs - if Lex Hilliard can show ability on special teams, the team will probably keep him around in lieu of Cobbs.
  
• TE David Martin - Fasano was clearly acquired to be a starter and Martin was pretty much horrible in all aspects last season. I think they go with some stronger blockers in Peelle and Ryan to back up
  
• DE Matt Roth - Roth has shown flashes during his three-year career but has yet to establish himself as a legitimate starter with only three sacks last season. I also don't see him as a good fit in the 3-4, and with all the bodies added to the position in the offseason I don't see the use for him here.
  
• CB Travis Daniels - Daniels has regressed since his 2005 rookie season and is not a legitimate starter, which is why I think former Cowboys Nathan Jones and Joey Thomas beat him out.
  
• FS Renaldo Hill - Hill is solid and could make the team, but I think Jason Allen will start and the Dolphins go with a healthier Chris Crocker as backup.

I can't imagine we'll all see eye-to-eye on this, so I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on my predictions and what you see happening differently! Also, you can check out my latest projected depth chart spreadsheet here.

Most Intriguing Training Camp Battles, No. 6: FS spots

Dolphins fans got high on Jason Allen last season, as posted three interceptions and at times looked like a respectable defender. Still, the 16th overall pick in 2006 has a long way to go to live up to his draft status and is far from a quality starter in the NFL.

That being the case, Allen still has to be considered the favorite for the job, if only due to lack of options and his potential upside. Without a real quality starting free safety, there seems little harm in giving Allen the job in hopes he'll live up to the No. 16 pick. If that does indeed happen, then the real battle is between Renaldo Hill and Chris Crocker for the backup job.

Hill was a solid starter for Miami in 2006, but is coming off a torn ACL and is pushing 30. Crocker isn't much better, but has plenty of starting experience himself and at worst is a viable fill-in at free safety. Both also have experience at corner, so that's a wash. The one key difference is Crocker was brought in by Parcells and Ireland, while Hill is a Saban holdover.

Crocker probably has the edge at this point, though Hill will definitely give him a run for his money. It's possible the Dolphins could opt to put Hill on the PUP list, which would give them six weeks in the regular season to determine if they wanted his services. Very unlikely to earn a spot is Courtney Bryan - a second-year undrafted player out of New Mexio State. There's just too much experience ahead of him for him to have a realistic shot.

The position(s): Free safety spots
Number of spots: Two
The contenders: Jason Allen, Chris Crocker, Renaldo Hill, Courtney Bryan
Predicted winner(s): Allen and Crocker
Reason: Allen will get a chance to prove himself to the new regime, while Crocker should win out over holdover and rehabbing Renaldo Hill. Bryan never really had a shot.

DB Will Billingsley signed; regular season schedule released

The Dolphins finally got me, signing someone so obscure even I had never heard of him. The team added safety Will Billingsley on Monday. Billingsley was undrafted in 2007 and had yet to sign with anyone until we picked him up two days ago.
Also, the team's regular season schedule has been released. To find out more about Billingsley and hear some of my comments on the schedule, check out the following video. Enjoy!

Links:

• MiamiDolphins.com article on Billingsley signing
• Billingsley's North Carolina A&T Aggies bio
• Updated Projected Depth Chart
  
• Dolphins' 2008 regular season schedule
  

Analysis Video: Safety Keith Davis signed

On March 11, the Dolphins added yet another former Cowboy in safety Keith Davis. Watch the following video for more info and analysis. Enjoy!

Analysis Video: Safety Yeremiah Bell re-signed

As promised, here is the first of six videos of mine catching back up on all the Miami transactions I've missed thus far. This first one is on the re-signing of strong safety Yeremiah Bell, which happened in early March. (Don't know how I missed this one!) Enjoy!

Apologies for lack of recent content

First off, let me apologize for being so behind on my analysis of Miami's most recent signings. I am still missing a handful of them, and I need to catch back up.

Unfortunately, school comes first and things have been pretty busy in that department of late. This week especially has been particularly hectic with exams every day of the week. Fortunately, things should cool down a bit after today.

As a result, I should be able to bang out 4-5 analysis videos in the coming days. By my count, I still have to do videos for the signings of Keith Davis, Dave Rayner, Nathan Jones and Tab Perry. Plus, I forgot to do a video for the re-signing of Yeremiah Bell a long time ago so I'd like to get that one done as well.

So again, sorry for the lack of content of late, but be sure to check back over the weekend as I will definitely have some new stuff up.

2008 Offseason Preview: Safeties

As I continue my offseason preview, this video is on the Dolphins' situation at safety. The following video discusses who the Dolphins have at the position, who are their free agents and where they might look for help. Be sure to also check out my video discussing the safety position.