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NFL Team Reviews: Miami Dolphins

· Jun 09 - 3 minutes read

The Miami Dolphins barely missed out on the playoffs last season and have gone into the offseason looking to make profound changes. The roster has changed significantly with a new head coach, while keeping a solid core.

Improvements: The entire offense

The 2022 Dolphins will be a completely different team than last season, mainly due to the massive overhaul of their offense. It all starts with new head coach Mike McDaniel, the former offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. They also traded for and extended All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill, adding one of the NFL’s best weapons to the roster.

The Dolphins spent money on offensive linemen in Terron Armstead and Connor Williams. On top of all that, they also signed three new running backs in Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert, and Sony Michel. McDaniel was given free range to build the offense in his image, signing 10 players in free agency.

Stayed the same: Defensive constancy

Last season’s head coach Brian Flores was defensive-minded, from being the Patriots’ defensive coordinator. He had instilled a defensive philosophy with proven success, making the Dolphins one of the better defenses in the league. McDaniels doesn’t come from a defensive background, so keeping last season’s defensive coordinator Josh Boyer around is excellent news. Many of the defensive assistants Flores hired will be staying around to run McDaniels’ defense, which should see no drop-off.

The Dolphins also re-signed three-time Pro-Bowler corner Xavien Howard, who had requested a trade last season over a contract dispute. They also re-signed last season’s sack leader Emmanuel Ogbah, keeping the defensive stars happy while maintaining the defensive game plan.

Got worse: Quarterback controversy

The Dolphins selected Tua Tagovailoa with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 Draft, but since playing his first game, his career has been surrounded by questions. Before Deshaun Watson was traded to the Cleveland Browns, it was speculated that the Dolphins were making a big push for him. Many NFL analysts have questioned Tagovailoa’s arm strength, backing that up with Next Gen Stats, placing him near the bottom of Intended Air Yards.

.@Tua 🚀 @Cheetah pic.twitter.com/HGALhokvkc

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) May 11, 2022

The organization has acquired talent, a great offensive play-caller, and an established defense to help Tagovailoa succeed. The issue has been posting videos of him underthrowing passes to Hill or signing backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater who has been a starter the last two seasons. This year will be a prove it year for Tagovailoa, with a lot of outside distractions, some brought in by the organization.

- Teddy Bridgewater
- Tagovailoa

Grade: A-

The Dolphins were able to expand on the offensive talent they already had while also keeping the core of an already solid defensive unit. In no spot on the roster did the team worsen, and next season, the Dolphins should be contenders for a playoff spot.