Dolphins Saturday Mailbag: What Are Fair Expectations for Wright, Gordon?
Part 1 of a Memorial Day weekend Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:
From Mark Lever:
I haven't heard much about any other running backs. I thought we had a lot of promise with Wright and Ollie. Any thought on if they're going to be contributing factors this season?
Hey Mark, based on what we saw last season I hesitate to make any kind of predictions on either of those two backs. I'd like to think that one or both of them could become contributors on offense, but there were inconsistency issues with both. I'm not sure I would entirely discount Donovan Edwards making a push for a roster spot and maybe a role as a backup behind De'Von Achane. The bottom line is it's one of the many positions with players with something to prove.
From Shula's Playbook:
Who are 2 surprises on each side of the ball from last year's roster who have impressed so far in OTAs?
This will apply to any and all questions regarding OTAs and the offseason program, and it's the fact that the media viewing so far has consisted of 40 minutes of the first rookie minicamp practice and the two-hour OTA that was open Tuesday. We'll get two more OTAs and the three minicamp practices in the next three weeks and it'll be a lot easier to form opinions on any player after that. For now, if you're looking for some names, I'll say safety Dante Trader Jr. looks bigger than he did last year, Malik Washington looked very good during the one OTA we saw, and JuJu Brents also looked good. Best I can do for now.
From Dave Campbell:
Greetings Alain ! The last Dolphins Collective you & Omar remarked that the defense was small. Showing my age, I kept remembering entire Killer B's defense (slight exaggeration on my part) bouncing off John Riggins on his way for a TD in Super Bowl XVII. With both Green Bay background GM & HC who favored big guys, I'm confused. Josh Allen & any average O- lineman will shake these guys off. Any clues? Also, I know it was first day & everything but did ANYONE look promising? I always look forward to informative stuff on SI.Com & both All Dolphins and Dolphins Collective podcasts.
Thanks Dave, Omar's point, which I concurred with, was that the rookie draft picks on defense all are on the smallish, and that includes Chris Johnson, Jacob Rodriguez, Trey Moore and Kyle Louis. As I've written before, it appeared the focus for the Dolphins in the draft was to get bigger and more physical on offense and to get versatile players on defense with players who can play different roles. As for who looked good, see the previous response, but we can throw in Louis for his pick-six.
From Jon Russell:
Hi Alain. The Dolphins want to be a running team this year but we can't expect Achane to run it 25-30 times a game. With the jury out on Gordon and Wright hardly featuring plus the sudden retirement of Moss, what are the chances of adding a power back before the season starts?
Hey Jon, I would say at this time the chances of adding a power back are not as good as those of the Dolphins adding, say, a safety or a defensive end/edge defender. I think the Dolphins would be OK with giving Gordon and Wright another shot because there is potential with both players.
From Jorge boyd:
Hi Alain in videos showing Dolphins' OTA practices I saw Achane and thought he looked overweight and out of shape; do you think this could be another Tua situation where a player gets paid and then underperforms.
Hey Jorge, I saw somebody make the same comment about Achane, but he didn't look overweight to me, he looked bigger, as in stronger. And, no, I'm not worried about Achane underperforming, but we also have to realize he might not be able to duplicate his numbers from last season without the threat of Hill (for the first four games) or Waddle (the whole season) at wide receiver. But if your concern is that Achane is going to coast (not to suggest that's what Tua did), I'm not worried about that.
From Jayco:
Dante Trader Jr., previous regime increased his playing time and this new staff has him penciled in as a starter. As a day three pick, what do coaches seem to like about him?
I would not go along with "new staff has him penciled in as a starter," though he might end up being just that in part because the Dolphins don't have proven options at that position. What coaches this year and now like about Trader is his physicality and his attitude. Those two qualities will go along toward endearing any player to a new staff.
From Lloyd Heilbrunn:
In your many years covering the team, this is the worst Miami Dolphins' roster on paper since…
Hey Lloyd, that's a very easy question to answer and that answer is 2019. And this is the part where I remind everyone that team went 5-4 in its final games after starting off 0-7, and that included that gigantic upset against the New England Patriots in the season finale.
From JWay:
In reality, the only question that any fan of the Miami Dolphins needs to know and that you need to ask is Malik Willis, can you lead the Miami Dolphins to the playoffs, yes or no?
If only it were that simple. It's going to take more than just Malik Willis to get the Dolphins to the playoffs and there's going to have to be some patience involved because this isn't going to happen overnight. Of course, if Willis turns out to be a high-end starting quarterback, that's going to make the challenge of getting back to the playoffs a lot simpler.
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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 12:46 PM.