The Miami Dolphins expect the fullback to block in the running game and that’s about it.  With that in mind they should feel real happy with what they have.  23-year old Reagan Mauia will be the starting fullback this season and having him in there is like having a guard in the backfield as he stands 6′0″, 270 pounds.  Mauia played in all 16 games (9 starts) as a rookie for the Dolphins last season and he carried the ball 4 times for 5 yards (1.3 ypc).  He also caught 2 passes for 5 yards (2.5 avg).  Mauia also helps out on special teams.

Converted linebacker Boomer Grigsby is the backup at fullback this season for the Fins.  Grigsby is 26-years old and he has the size to be a decent fullback at 5′11″, 249 pounds.  Grigsby played in 13 games (1 start) for the Chiefs last season and he made 5 tackles.  He has now played in 44 games (1 start) in his NFL career and he has 32 tackles.  It will be interesing to see how well Grigsby adjusts to his new role.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

The Miami Dolphins want to be a power running team and they have the backs to succeed at that type of ball if they get the blocking and can stay healthy.  Ronnie Brown was off to a great start last season before suffering a major injury that ended his year early.  He is a good runner and receiver but the Dolphins’ need him to be more durable.  If he is, the Dolphins will just keep feeding him the football.  Brown played in 7 games (all starts) last season for the Dolphins and he carried the ball 119 times for 602 yards (5.1 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He also caught 39 passes for 389 yards (10.0 avg) with 1 TD run.  Look for Brown to add to his impressive career numbers this season as Miami’s main man on offense.  Brown has now played in 35 games (33 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 567 times for 2,517 yards (4.4 ypc) with 13 TD runs.  He has also caught 104 passes for 897 yards (8.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

Ricky Williams is back and he’s drug free for at least this moment.  The Dolphins hope he will be able to give Ronnie Brown a break once in a while as the #2 RB on the team.  Williams only played in 1 game (0 starts) for the Dolphins last season and he carried the football 6 times for 15 yards (2.5 ypc) before suffering a season ending injury.  The Dolphins aren’t expecting him to play to his previous levels as he has been out of action most of the last two seasons.  Williams has now played in 83 games (73 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 1,763 times for 7,112 yards (4.0 ypc) with 47 TD runs.  He also has caught 246 passes for 1,899 yards (7.7 avg) with 4 TD grabs.

Rookie RB Jalen Parmele will likely be the #3 back for the Dolphins as a rookie.  He is a power runner who should fit right in with the new style of the offense that the Fins will be running in 2008.  It’s quite possible that he will get a lot of playing time as a rookie due to Ronnie Brown’s fragile past and Ricky Williams being rusty.

Patrick Cobbs will likely be #4 in line for carries this season.  He doesn’t bring much to the table as evidenced by his production in limited playing time.  Cobbs played in 14 games (0 starts) for the Dolphins last season and he carried the ball 15 times for 47 yards (3.1 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 2 passes for 20 yards (10.0 avg).  Cobbs played 3 games (0 starts) previous to last season and he didn’t touch the football.

Rookie Lex Hilliard of Montana might be able to beat out Patrick Cobbs for a spot on the roster.  He’s a physical fullback type as he’s a decent runner, receiver and blocker.  The big question is….can he handle the jump in competition?  We will find out in training camp.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B-

The QB competition for the starting job is wide open for the Miami Dolphins this season.  Josh McCown, John Beck and Chad Henne are all on even ground heading into training camp.  Josh McCown might seem to be the logical choice to start at the beginning of the season based on experience, but the Dolphins won’t be contending for the Super Bowl this year so the Fins might elect to go with one of the youngsters.  McCown is a big guy and he can run the ball when needed.  He’s bounced around the league for a few year’s now without establishing himself as a starter anywhere.  McCown played in 9 games (all starts) for the Raiders last season and he completed 111 of 190 passes (58.4%) for 1,151 yards with 10 TD passes and 11 interceptions (69.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 29 times for 143 yards (4.9 ypc) last season.  McCown has not really improved in his career as he’s a lot like he was when he came into the league.  He can start on a bad team (like the Dolphins) but he won’t bring up the level of the play around him.  McCown has now played in 44 games (31 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 609 of 1,052 passes (57.9%) for 6,582 yards with 35 TD passes and 40 interceptions (71.6 QB Rating).  McCown has also carried the ball 123 times for 572 yards (4.7 ypc) with 3 TD runs. 

John Beck was put into a tough situation last year as he was thrown to the wolves and the results weren’t pretty.  Beck played in 5 games (4 starts) for the Dolphins and he completed 60 of 107 passes (56.1%) for 559 yards with 1 TD pass and 3 interceptions (62.0 QB Rating).  Beck also carried the football 9 times for 12 yards (1.3 ypc) with 1 TD run.  But, he fumbled the ball 7 times, losing 5 of them.  In defense of Beck, much of the time he was playing was when Ronnie Brown was out due to injury.  Still, he will need to show a ton of improvement in training camp and the pre season to beat out McCown and Henne for the starting job in 2008.

Chad Henne is a very polished QB as he was a 4-year starter at Michigan.  He also has a edge because he was drafted by the new regime in town.  It would be a surprise to see Henne win the starting job when the season starts but he might be the guy under center during the 2nd half of the season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR 2008:  D

Lionel Dotson is a converted DE so he might take a little more time to develop before he’s ready for the NFL.  But, he played well as a starter last season for Arizona.  Dotson can get into the backfield and provide a rush from the interior of the line but he has some trouble against the running game because of his size.  Dotson is 6′3″, 289 pounds so he will need to add a little more bulk to fight in the NFL.  Dotson played in 39 games (32 starts) at Arizona and he made 121 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, had 10.5 sacks, batted down 4 passes, forced 3 fumbles and he recovered 1 fumble.  He could be a nice little surprise for the Fins from the 7th round.

Lex Hilliard was a tailback in college but he will be a fullback in the NFL.  He can do everything pretty well but he will need to adjust to the jump from Montana to the NFL.  Hilliard is 5′11″, 233 and he runs a 4.7 40 so don’t expect him to run away from defenders in the NFL.  He played in 50 games (28 starts) at Montana and he carried the ball 805 times for 4,018 yards (5.0 ypc) with 50 TD runs.  He also caught 57 passes for 591 yards (10.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Hilliard will be the backup fullback and he will help out on special teams as a rookie.