DAVIE, Fla. _ Leave no stone unturned.
That's what the 2019 Miami Dolphins season is about, right?
That's why the team's crusade to find salvageable young talent _ all this roster rummaging _ should be put on hyper-drive for the final month of the year.
That explains the five newcomers added this week.
The Dolphins (3-9) should be executing every waiver wire claim that makes sense, scouring the league for practice squad players they've rated high on their past draft boards and playing every youngster _ 18 rookies so far _ who had a solid week of practice.
Every first-year Dolphins coach this decade has exited their first season with the same regret.
From the late Tony Sparano to Adam Gase, they all wished the team had played (INSERT NAME HERE) more in the final month of season to improve their end-of-the season evaluation.
Outside of pride (and maybe a couple more wins), the Dolphins don't have anything to play for in December, so this is the time coach Brian Flores and his staff need to put the players with question marks next to their names on the field.
And General Manager Chris Grier must chip in by raiding the good teams _ the Ravens, the Chiefs, the Seahawks and Texans _ for any talent they happen to be trying to stash, or players who fell through the cracks such as Mack Hollins, a receiver I loved in the 2017 NFL draft, who got claimed by Miami earlier this week after the Eagles released him.
"We don't make every move we could possibly make, but the ones that we think feel like will help us, we try to make," Flores said.
The Dolphins have been the NFL's most active team when it comes to waiver wire rummaging this season, adding 15 players off the waiver wire who have contributed to at least one game this year.
And why stop there?
There are four weeks left in the season and the Dolphins must continue to evaluate this roster as if its an extended preseason.
So the Patrick Laird, Myles Gaskin, De'Lance Turner and Zach Zenners of the world all need carries in the season's final month. Who knows? Maybe one of those tailbacks might get hot and prevent the Dolphins from becoming the worst rushing team in the modern era of football.
Miami has been starting two offensive linemen in Julien Davenport and Shaq Calhoun the past few weeks because of their upside. The Dolphins traded for Davenport in the Laremy Tunsil deal with Houston and need to gauge where he is as a potential starting tackle, and Calhoun is a young, promising run blocker who must adjust to the speed and challenges of the NFL.
Although that pair might be struggling now, why not give them the opportunity to learn and grow in this stretch?
On Wednesday, Miami was awarded defensive tackle Zach Sieler off waivers from the Ravens, who used a seventh-round pick select the former Ferris State standout back in 2018.
I'll take an Ozzie Newsome leftover any day, considering the Ravens' retired GM was the best talent evaluator in football, and apparently so will Grier. So what if it potentially costs the franchise Isaiah Prince, the team's 2019 sixth-round pick? Considering how much that unit has struggled this season, if Prince was a potential difference-maker like Davenport or Calhoun, he'd already be in the starting lineup.
At this point Miami needs more depth at defensive tackle, so adding Sieler or including Gerald Willis in the playing rotation could be beneficial. It'll certainly be helpful for the offseason evaluation, which will help this rebuilding franchise chart the proper course in free agency and the 2020 NFL draft.
Former Hurricanes safety Adrian Colbert joined the Dolphins on Nov. 20 after being claimed off Seattle's practice squad. He played in his first game for the Dolphins four days later, and started the next week.
And that's been the norm for the Dolphins in this season that's about discovery. You never know if Colbert, who contributed four tackles in Miami's win over the Eagles, might become the next Michael Thomas or Jesse Davis, transforming himself from former practice squad player to NFL starter.
