The Dolphins are three deep in potentially solid QBs for the 2009 season.  Veteran Chad Pennington led the Dolphins to the playoffs last season and he will start again in 2009.  Pennington’s arm is pretty weak but he’s a team leader and he’s excellent on throwing the short stuff.  Chad Henne will be the #2 QB for the Dolphins and he’s the prototype NFL QB with nice size and a good throwing arm.  The Dolphins think Henne would be ready to step in this season if anything were to happen to Pennington.  Rookie Pat White will be the author of the “Wildcat” formation for the Dolphins in 2009.  He’s deadly with his feet and he has a good throwing arm.  He could battle Henne for the starting job down the road if he does well until Pennington is out of the picture.

GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON:  B

The Dolphins have signed 32-year old QB Chad Pennington to a 2-year, $7.9 million dollar contract.  Pennington will likely be the starting QB for the Dolphins with either John Beck or Josh McCown losing a roster spot before the season starts.  Pennington became available after the Jets acquired Brett Favre in a trade with the Packers.  Pennington played in 9 games (8 starts) with the Jets last season and he completed 179 of 260 passes (68.8%) for 1,765 yards with 10 TD passes and 9 interceptions (86.1 QB Rating). He also carried the football 20 times for 32 yards (1.6 ypc) with 1 TD run last year.    Pennington’s lack of arm strength won’t likely hurt as much in the heat of Miami as it would in the cold conditions in New Jersey.  Pennington has now played in 69 games (61 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 1,259 of 1,919 passes (65.6%) for 13,738 yards with 82 TD passes and 55 interceptions (88.9 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 147 times for 396 yards (2.7 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  You can bet Pennington has the games with the Jets circled on his calendar already as he would like to prove that they made a big mistake in letting him go.

32-year old Jay Feely was almost automatic kicking for the Dolphins last season and they hope it will continue in 2008.  Feely played in 16 games for the Dolphins last season and he was 21 of 23 on field goals (91.3%) and he also made all 26 of his extra point attempts.  The Dolphins really need Feely to be effective in the 2008 season because it’s probable that the offense won’t be high flying.  Feely has now played in 112 games in his NFL career and he has hit 177 of 219 field goals (80.8%) and 249 of 251 extra points (99.2%).  Look for him to have a solid 2008 season for the Dolphins.

The Dolphins have 4 decent tight ends but none of them are elite.  6′4″, 265 pound Anthony Fasano tops the depth chart for the Fins heading into training camp.  That’s because Bill Parcells drafted him in Dallas and he brought him over in a trade that happened the day before this year’s NFL Draft.  Fasano played in 16 games (6 starts) for the Cowboys last season and he caught 14 passes for 143 yards (10.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Look for the Dolphins to get Fasano the ball more than the Cowboys’ did last season.  Fasano has now played in 32 games (11 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 28 passes for 269 yards (9.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.

6′4″, 255 pound Justin Peelle’s best asset is his blocking but he does have decent hands.  Peelle played in 16 games (10 starts) for the Dolphins last season and he caught 29 passes for 228 yards (7.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He might see his catches drop a little bit this season due to the depth the Dolphins have at TE now.  Peelle has now played in 93 games (39 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 85 passes for 614 yards (7.2 avg) with 7 TD grabs.

6′4″, 265 pound David Martin was the best receiver at TE that the Dolphins had last season.  He played in 15 games (all starts) for the Dolphins last season and he caught 34 passes for 303 yards (8.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Martin will also have to fight for every pass this season due to the Fins’ new depth chart which has him listed #3.  Martin has now played in 85 games (36 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 121 passes for 1,069 yards (8.8 avg) with 11 TD grabs.

6′5″, 265 pound Sean Ryan is a good blocker but the Jets’ didn’t use him much in the passing game last season.  Ryan played in 10 games (1 start) last season with the Jets and he caught 3 passes for 46 yards (15.3 avg).  He will have a hard time making the team this season unless he helps out on special teams.  Ryan has now played in 35 games (6 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 9 passes for 90 yards (10.0 avg).

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

The Miami Dolphins don’t look much better heading into this season than last at WR.  2nd year man Ted Ginn Jr. will be the deep threat for the Fins in 2008 but he better play better than last season because the Dolphins passed up on Brady Quinn to draft him.  Ginn has big time speed but he’s soft as a roll of charmin as he can get tackled by a stiff wind.  Ginn played in 16 games (9 starts) for the Dolphins as a rookie last season and he caught 34 passes for 420 yards (12.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  The Dolphins expect much more out of him both in 2008 and in the future.

6′4″, 218 pound Ernest Wilford was brought in to handle the dirty work over the middle for the Dolphins this season.  He played in 16 games (14 starts) for the Jaguars last season and he caught 45 passes for 518 yards (11.5 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Look for Wilford to have the best season of his career in 2008 as he will likely get more passes thrown to him than ever before.  Wilford has now played in 63 games (37 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 141 passes for 1,994 yards (14.1 avg) with 14 TD catches.

Derek Hagan will be the #3 WR for the Dolphins this season.  He has good hands but he’s not the fastest WR around so he will likely work underneath patterns and take some hits to make some grabs.  Hagan is 6′2″, 203 pounds so he should be able to handle the beating that he will definately take this season.  Hagan played in 16 games (1 start) for the Dolphins last season and he caught 29 passes for 373 yards (12.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Look for Hagan to catch the most passes of his career this season as he has moved up the depth chart.  He has now played in 32 games (1 start) in his career with the Dolphins and he has caught 50 passes for 594 yards (11.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.

Greg Camarillo made the biggest catch of last season for the Dolphins as it was a game winning grab against the Ravens.  The only game the Fins won last season.  He is only 6′1″, 190 pounds but he’s sneaky quick which should help him avoid taking a lot of big hits.  Camarillo played in 15 games (0 starts) for the Dolphins last season and he caught 8 passes for 160 yards (20.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Camarillo played in 4 games in the NFL before last season and he didn’t touch the ball.  Look for Camarillo to battle Derek Hagan for the #3 WR role in 2008.

6′2″, 192 pound veteran David Kircus could be a surprise in the pre season and training camp this year.  He hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2006 season with the Denver Broncos.  He has played in 28 games (2 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 15 passes for 308 yards (20.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  D