The Miami Dolphins are in a strange situation for a team that had Super Bowl aspirations just a season ago. Their roster still has great talent at the top, but the Dolphins have had to reorganize due to salary cap space constraints. Star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and offensive guard Robert Hunt left for new teams, along with other starters like Andrew Van Ginkel and Brandon Jones. The 2024 season should still have lofty goals as long as Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill are healthy, but this season will also have major ramifications for the future of the franchise.
Tagovailoa’s eventual contract extension with the team is on the horizon, and this season will go a long way toward identifying future supporting pieces who will stick around once the Dolphins adjust to life with Tagovailoa’s contract on the books. Mike McDaniel faces arguably his toughest test as Dolphins coach this season as they overhaul the roster with a bigger cap hit for Tagovailoa. Wins are nice, but there are personnel questions the Dolphins need to answer long-term this upcoming season.
Miami was without two of its best defenders in the final stretch of the season. Edge rushers Bradley Chubb (ACL) and Jaelan Phillips (Achilles) suffered season-ending injuries. The Dolphins managed to present a good defense statistically when both were on the field. Understandably, it was difficult for them to be so consistent with Phillips and Chubb gone.
Chubb’s contract becomes fairly easy to terminate in the offseason. Phillips is expected to be extended depending on how he recovers from the injury.
It would be ideal for both to return to form, but the Dolphins spent a first-round pick on edge rusher Chop Robinson for a reason. This situation is unstable enough to need insurance.
Will the Dolphins’ bets on Rounds 1 and 2 of the NFL Draft pay off?
Speaking of Robinson, his selection and second-round offensive tackle Patrick Paul followed the team’s adjustment of low-floor and high-seed picks. It’s the kind of risk the Dolphins can take because they still have the talent to flirt with a playoff spot.
Robinson had not tonne of production at Penn State, but he’s a younger prospect at 21 and has shown incredible athleticism by running the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds at the NFL scouting pool this year. He doesn’t need to be the leader in the pass rush room just yet, but showing positive flashes as Chubb and Phillips work their way back will be important.
Paul has the potential to be a 10-year starter. He will need time to get up to speed as he works on his technique. It might not be the prettiest rookie season for him, but the Dolphins need to put him at risk and let him get reps so he can develop his game. Paul has the clear path to being the starting right tackle. His best football is ahead of him.
If Paul was a finished product, he would have been drafted before the end of the second round. Still, this is a pick, like Robinson, that could pay dividends in the future.
HHow will the Dolphins’ young running backs perform?
Even though Hill was a near-record player on the Dolphins’ offense, Miami still relies on strong play. The Dolphins do this in a different way than most teams, putting their running backs in space instead of being lumbering runners between the tackles. It is an essential part of your attack. They showed their belief in strong play when they traded a future third-round pick to move up the rankings room round to select Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright.
Wright joins star running back De’Von Achane as the young player on the Dolphins’ defense, with veteran Raheem Mostert a steady presence to lean on for at least one more season. The long-term vision in this running room is for Wright and Achane to be the speedy duo McDaniel needs to gain chunks of yards at a time on the ground.
Wright has probably nailed the perfect offense to make the most of his abilities and it will be interesting to see how much he cuts down on Achane’s carries given some of the injury issues Achane had as a rookie.
If Achane and Wright can be who the Dolphins project them to be, they have a chance to still be a super explosive offense in the post-Hill world of the future. Either way, it’s good for this team to be able to run the ball.
Can Tua be the guy for them in difficult times?
This is really the last thing the Dolphins need to figure out for themselves in 2024. Everyone knows they can score and everyone knows they will be one of the best offenses in the league for most of the season. However, Tagovailoa needs to show that he can carry more of the load on his own. He’s still in one of the most advantageous setups in the NFL, even with the Dolphins going through a transition on the offensive line.
He will get paid anyway. How he develops as a starter on offense and as a playmaker in general will go a long way toward giving people confidence in him as the Dolphins prepare for big hits to start hitting the books.
Everything else is manageable. Tagovailoa has room to improve and a legacy to build if he can perform admirably during this transitional year for the Dolphins.
