Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Heading into this spring’s OTAs there was no doubt that one of the strengths of the Miami Dolphins was the defensive line. Signing Ndamukong Suh will do that for you. On Wednesday afternoon, that defensive front may have become even better. The Dolphins once again opened up their pocketbooks and signed defensive tackle C.J. Mosley to a one-year contract. While this move may seem like one that makes the interior even more intimidating, does it also raise concern that the players surrounding Suh are a bit overrated?
Miami lost seasoned starters Randy Starks and Jared Odrick during the free agent period, leaving veteran Earl Mitchell and a few novices next to Suh. If this group was so potentially potent, then why did the Dolphins need to make room for Mosley? Behind Mitchell will be rookie Jordan Phillips who seems like a steal since he was drafted late in the second round. The knock on the sizable former Oklahoma Sooner has been his inability to keep his motor running on every play. Maybe Mosley’s signing will motivate Phillips to stay engaged all the time.
Two other youngsters who are fighting for time in the defensive line rotation are A.J. Francis and Anthony Johnson. Francis was MIA in Miami last year due to an injury, while Johnson showed some skill in limited playing time. There is little chance that both of those kids will make the final roster now that Mosley is in town. Heightened competition between the two will make the winner that much stronger. One casualty already has been Kamal Johnson who was jettisoned right after Mosley was inked.
Although Mosley was brought into the fold, it may not even be a guarantee that he makes the team. There have been many instances, on the Dolphins and other NFL squads, when a veteran was signed before training camp only to act as a stimulator for some of his unseasoned teammates. Let’s face it; Mosley has played on five other teams over his 11-year career, amassing less than 200 tackles and only 14 sacks. Not exactly the type of production a team would like to see from a possible standout. He did spend the past two seasons stopping opposing rushers as a member of the Detroit Lions’ fearsome front four. We all know the stud of that set was Suh, so maybe the two ex-Lions have some chemistry already. That doesn’t bode well for Mitchell, who was less than spectacular in his initial campaign in Miami. Perhaps the real battle in training camp will be between Mosley and Mitchell, not Francis and Johnson.
Stopping the run was a priority that Miami’s coaches wanted to address before this season. So-called experts bragged that the Dolphins did indeed solve that puzzle, but the Dolphins must have decided that they didn’t do enough. Bringing in Mosley may make the defensive line the rush-destroying gang the Dolphins so desire. It may also be a sign that after Suh, there aren’t any sure things on Miami’s front wall.
