The Miami Dolphins were a promising, up-and-coming team just a few years ago. They had an exciting new quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa, one of the most deadly wide receiver duos in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and some talented players on defense.
Blame who or what you want, but now that quarterback is one concussion away from never playing again, the two receivers had down years and at least one of them is probably disgruntled, and the defense has been mismanaged with personnel and issues with the defensive coordinator (so, you’re saying Vic Fangio wasn’t the problem?).
And a general malaise has set in from the general manager to the 53rd man on the roster. Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report – like many of us – has taken notice and ranks the Dolphins No. 23 in his pre-season NFL power rankings.
“You name them, they are on the hot seat for the Miami Dolphins,” Davenport writes. “Tyreek Hill has gone from arguably the NFL’s best receiver to potentially washed up. Tua Tagovailoa is the $53 million quarterback who can’t stay on the field. Head coach Mike McDaniel went from an offensive mastermind to a guy the league has figured out.”
Looking for the positives in that initial statement, there aren’t any. Davenport is spot on and he didn’t even get to G.M. Chris Grier yet.
But, back to coaching, have opposing defenses figured McDaniel out? It is tough to say considering he had to cobble six starts together last season with the likes of Tyler Huntley and Skylar Thompson. Not for nothing, it’s incredibly difficult to throw random guys in at quarterback and expect McDaniel’s offense to function the same.
“One of the things very clear is defenses spent time trying to… make us perform in all facets,” McDaniel said about a month ago. “They’ve showed us we have to earn our way out of that. You can easily [do that] as a group. If you’re trying to do it just with passing, it’s going to be difficult, close to impossible. It speaks to what we preach every day — balance, run affecting pass and vice versa. The point was kind of proven last year. It’s up to us to lean into our philosophical beliefs…. You need to threaten people in multiple ways or they will make you pay.”
What happened to the big plays on offense?
The Dolphins have big-time explosion in Hill and Waddle. Both are threats to break a game open at any time. Throughout their careers so far they have done that, but last year? Not so much.
“Two years ago, the Dolphins were top-five in the league in plays over 20 yards,” Davenport writes. “Last year, they were bottom-five. It doesn’t take an offensive genius to figure out that has to change in 2025.”
Sure, Hill was battling a wrist injury and Tagovailoa missed six games, but where did Waddle go all of a sudden? The three-year, $84.75 million contract extension he got last offseason wasn’t a permission slip for a down year.
The running game didn’t help much either. In 2023, Raheem Mostert had 21 total touchdowns, which is a monster year for anyone, let alone a 29-year old who has mostly been an afterthought over the course of his career. Last year, he rushed for 278 yards and two touchdowns while giving way to De’Von Achane.
The big-play production has to come from somewhere at some point.
Are the Dolphins disintegrating?
Not too long ago, the Dolphins were seen as a potential threat to win the AFC East. Now, they seem to slowly be falling apart. How long will the quarterback stay healthy? Have the players tuned out McDaniel? How much more time does Grier get to mismanage the roster? How many more players are going to want out of town?
“There’s a weird vibe coming off this Dolphins team,” Davenport concludes. “Hill groused about being traded after the season before walking it back. Veteran cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith were dealt to Pittsburgh. Edge-rusher Bradley Chubb admitted players “lied” about culture issues last year before insisting all is now well. The Dolphins have no shortage of firepower—especially on offense. But this feels like a team that’s a few losses in a row away from completely imploding.”
A No. 23 power ranking may seem harsh, but it’s tough to argue with it the more one looks at the entire situation in Miami.
