Update: The Dolphins have signed four-year veteran DT Vaughn Martin today, according to his agent. Martin, who turns 27 next month, has three sacks in four seasons with San Diego and will compete for a roster spot to be a rotation/depth player behind Randy Starks and Paul Soliai.
A trio of Talking Points for your Thursday midday reading:
1. Dolphins’ starting lineup will look vastly different in 2013.
The Dolphins will have a new look in 2013, and not just because of the new logo and uniforms.
The Dolphins finally have salary cap and roster flexibility this year after getting out from several onerous contracts from the previous regime. And Jeff Ireland is taking full advantage of it by creating the roster in Joe Philbin’s image this offseason.
As we can see in this chart, at least 10 of 22 starters could be new this year. Some of the “new” starters are holdovers from last year, but starting in different positions, such as Jonathan Martin, who is likely to be the new left tackle, and Koa Misi, who we hear might be the new middle linebacker:
| 2012 Starter | 2013 Starter | |
|---|---|---|
| QB | Ryan Tannehill | Ryan Tannehill |
| RB | Reggie Bush | Lamar Miller |
| FB | Jorvorskie Lane | Jorvorskie Lane |
| WR | Brian Hartline | Brian Hartline |
| WR | Davone Bess | Mike Wallace |
| TE | Anthony Fasano | Dustin Keller |
| LT | Jake Long | Jonathan Martin |
| LG | Richie Incognito | Richie Incognito |
| C | Mike Pouncey | Mike Pouncey |
| RG | John Jerry | Lance Louis |
| RT | Jonathan Martin | ??? |
| DE | Cameron Wake | Cameron Wake |
| DT | Randy Starks | Randy Starks |
| DT | Paul Soliai | Paul Soliai |
| DE | Jared Odrick | Jared Odrick |
| SLB | Koa Misi | Misi/Dannell Ellerbe |
| MLB | Karlos Dansby | Misi/Dannell Ellerbe |
| WLB | Kevin Burnett | Philip Wheeler |
| CB | Sean Smith | Nolan Carroll |
| CB | Richard Marshall | Richard Marshall |
| FS | Chris Clemons | Chris Clemons |
| SS | Reshad Jones | Reshad Jones |
And Ireland may not be done yet. The Dolphins still may have a new starting cornerback and a new starting fullback before the offseason is done.
It seems like a lot of change for one offseason, but when a team has four straight losing seasons, change is good.
2. Eric Winston seems ready to move on from the idea of playing in Miami.
We wrote earlier this week that Winston, the former University of Miami star and seven-year NFL veteran, wants to play in Miami, but the Dolphins aren’t biting.
Now it appears that Winston, 29, is close to moving on from the idea of coming back to South Florida.
Winston appeared on NFL Network’s NFL-AM on Thursday morning and said playing in Miami is “not the be all, end all.”
“Obviously I have ties down in South Florida, I have a lot of friends down there from college that still live down there. I know the area pretty well. Obviously that is an added bonus, being able to play for a franchise like the Dolphins,” he said. “Like I said, if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out. Being down there is not the be all, end all. I am excited about what is going to happen. It is a new chapter in my life and my family’s life. We are going to keep moving forward with this until something happens.”
The Dolphins need to find a right tackle, and it’s looking more and more like the answer will come in the draft, not with Winston or any other available free agent.
And the answer isn’t John Jerry, either. While he filled in capably at right tackle in 2011 under former coach Tony Sparano, he’s too big and not a good fit for the zone blocking scheme. If the Dolphins really liked Jerry, they wouldn’t have signed Lance Louis yesterday to replace him at right guard.
3. New helmets will look like…..
The Dolphins finally confirmed the worst-kept secret in the NFL yesterday, that the logo that’s been floating around the internet the past couple of weeks is officially the Dolphins’ new logo. CEO Mike Dee also said the new helmets will have white facemasks.
Here’s a close approximation of what the new helmets will look like, thanks to reader Lisa Johnson (@LJ1303 on Twitter), although we’re not sure about the solid aqua stripe down the middle:
And if the Dolphins want to have some fun with the new look, may we suggest this marketing slogan for 2013: “Aqua Fresh.” (Hat tip to reader Thomas in Nashville)
