Things didn't go according to plan for the Miami Dolphins in 2024. After two straight appearances in the Wild-Card Round, Miami fell short of the playoffs and short of a .500 record. Tua Tagovailoa's latest stint on injured reserve played a big role in the Dolphins' decline, but quarterback stability wasn't the team's only issue.
Miami didn't make sweeping changes after the season. Head coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier will both return in 2025, along with offensive coordinator Frank Smith and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.
The Dolphins did, however, relieve special teams coordinator Danny Crossman and passing-game coordinator Wes Welker. They must also evaluate and reload a roster that simply wasn't good enough to contend in a loaded AFC field.
Miami has seen glimpses of success under McDaniel, but it has yet to emerge as a legitimate Super Bowl hopeful.
The Dolphins will be looking to change to narrative, and they face some critical decisions as the 2025 offseason gets underway. Here, we'll rank the biggest, based on how they may impact free agency, the draft, the 2025 season and beyond.
7. Finding Ways to Create Cap Space
This one falls lower on the priority list because uncovering cap space is a normal part of any NFL offseason. However, it's still an important task that Grier will have to navigate before free agency opens on March 12.
The Dolphins are currently projected to be $15.9 million over the salary cap. They have needs to address and would need to erase their deficit even if they didn't, in order to be cap-compliant at the beginning of the new league year.
The path to creating cap space may depend on whether Miami believes it can reach the Super Bowl in the next couple of seasons.
Restructuring Tagovailoa's contract—one he just signed during the 2024 offseason—may be part of the plan. Converting some of his $25 million base salary into bonus money could generate close to $20 million in cap room—though it would raise his cap number in future years—but wouldn't be enough to get the Dolphins where they need to be financially.
It may be necessary to part with older and more expensive veterans. We'll examine a few contract situations shortly, but there are other names to consider.
Pass-rusher Bradley Chubb, for example, missed the 2024 season after tearing his ACL in 2023. He'll turn 29 in June, and releasing him with a post-June 1 designation would save $19.6 million in cap space.
Cornerback Kendall Fuller is 30, and releasing him with a post-June 1 designation would save $7 million in cap space. Releasing 32-year-old running back Raheem Mostert would save $3.1 million in cap space.
Chubb, Fuller and Mostert can be key players when healthy, but if a Super Bowl run doesn't appear imminent, it's time to consider younger and cheaper replacements.
6. Whether to Grant EDGE Jaelan Phillips an Extension
Making a call on Chubb could be tough for a couple of reasons. For one, Miami needs to improve a pass rush that recorded just 35 sacks in 2024. Secondly, the Dolphins could lose edge-defenders Emmanuel Ogbah and Calais Campbell in free agency.
Lastly, Miami has a looming decision to make regarding pass-rusher and 2021 first-round pick Jaelan Phillips.
The 25-year-old has flashed loads of ability when he's been on the field. He recorded 8.5 sacks as a rookie and has logged 23 sacks in 46 career games. However, Phillips has suffered season-ending injuries (Achilles and knee) in each of the past two seasons and appeared in only 12 games during that span.
The Dolphins already picked up the fifth-year option on Phillips' contract, so his future, theoretically, doesn't have to be settled until 2026. However, the Miami product is extension-eligible and is set to carry a cap hit of $13.3 million.
Miami could reduce Phillips' 2025 cap number with an extension, though his annual salary on a new deal would rise significantly. Even second-tier pass-rushers like Harold Landry III and Bryce Huff have landed deals worth $17 million annually or more. The price of pass-rushers isn't declining, however, so waiting on an extension could end up costing the Dolphins more.
Unfortunately, the entire situation is clouded by Phillips' health and recent injury history. The Dolphins may not be comfortable with a long-term commitment until they see him back on the field. By then, though, the price may have already gone up.
5. Decide the Future of Terron Armstead
The future of left tackle Terron Armstead will be critical, though deciding that future isn't entirely in Miami's hands. Armstead will turn 34 in July and hasn't exactly committed to playing in 2025.
"Stay tuned," Armstead posted on Instagram after Miami's season concluded.
Armstead contemplated retirement last offseason before deciding to play in 2024. He started 15 games and played well when healthy. If he doesn't return, Miami will have to ready 2024 second-round pick Patrick Paul, who made just three starts as a rookie.
Even if Armstead chooses to play next season, Miami will have a decision to make. Armstead restructured his contract last offseason, which pushed money into future years. He's set to carry a cap hit of $22.1 million in 2025, and the Dolphins could save $14.3 million by releasing him with a post-June 1 designation or by trading him after June 1.
A few factors must be considered here. Armstead is a high-level starter but carries a significant injury history and has never played a full 17-game season. Paul was considered a raw prospect coming out of Houston and may not be ready to take over as a full-time left tackle.
"Paul still needs significant technique work to play with better leverage, control and sustain skills," Brandon Thorn of the Bleacher Report Scouting Department wrote.
The Dolphins do have a succession plan at left tackle but must decide whether the time is right to implement that plan—and, that's assuming Armstead doesn't make the decision for them.
4. Keep or Replace S Jevon Holland
The Dolphins could potentially lose one of their top defenders in free agency, as Jevon Holland's contract is set to expire.
Holland, who will turn just 25 in March, is one of the top young defensive backs in the NFL. He started 15 games in 2024 and allowed an opposing passer rating of only 89.0 in coverage.
The problem is that re-signing Holland on a long-term deal could be prohibitively expensive. The fifth-ranked player on Bleacher Report's 2025 free-agent board should command a contract near the top of the market.
Antoine Winfield Jr. currently tops the safety market with a contract worth $21 million annually.
The franchise tag is an option, though the value for safeties is expected to be roughly $18.3 million. In other words, there isn't a path to keeping Holland on a budget. Complicating Holland's situation is the fact that fellow safety Jordan Poyer is also set to be a free agent.
The Dolphins will have options when it comes to reloading their safety room. Safeties like Camryn Bynum, Justin Simmons and Talanoa Hufanga are set to hit the market. Prospects like Georgia's Malaki Starks and Notre Dame's Xavier Watts are likely to go early over draft weekend.
However, the Dolphins have existing needs and limited capital with which to address them. They won't be eager to create another hole by allowing Holland to depart.
3. Find the Right Backup Quarterback
Arguably the biggest mistake Grier and the Dolphins made in 2024 was heading into the season with Skylar Thompson as the only backup quarterback on the roster.
Tagovailoa has a significant injury history and missed four games early in the season while on injured reserve with another concussion. Miami went 1-3 during his absence and 1-1 at the end of the year while he was sidelined by a hip ailment.
Miami should have had a better backup plan behind its $212 million quarterback. It didn't, and that may have cost the Dolphins a realistic shot at reaching the postseason.
The problem for Miami is that McDaniel's offense is structured around Tagovailoa's skill set. Tagovailoa is one of the league's best at getting the ball out accurately, on time and while hitting receivers in stride and in open space.
The offense ground to a halt with Thompson and Tim Boyle behind center. It was marginally better with in-season acquisition Tyler Huntley, who went 2-3 as the starter in Tagovailoa's stead. He's set to be a free agent, though, which means the Dolphins will have to re-sign or replace him.
Given Tagovailoa's injury history, finding a quality backup will be a top offseason priority.
"That's a position we will always focus on and it will be a position that we focus on this offseason. Every stone will be unturned at that position, including the draft," Grier said, per Isaiah Smalls of the Miami Herald.
While drafting a developmental signal-caller will be an option, Miami should also add an experienced veteran to the QB room. If Huntley isn't retained, the Dolphins may have to consider quarterbacks like Jacoby Brissett, Taylor Heinicke, Jameis Winston and Mac Jones.
2. What to Do with WR Tyreek Hill
Not all that long ago, it felt like No. 1 receiver Tyreek Hill might finish his career in Miami. The 30-year-old agreed to a restructured contract in August that included $106.5 million in fully guaranteed money, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Hill is under contract through 2026.
However, Hill had a disappointing 2024 campaign, in part, because of Tagovailoa's injuries. He finished with just 959 receiving yards and six touchdowns and expressed his frustration during Miami's season finale—a game the receiver, at one point, refused to enter.
"It was great playing here, but at the end of the day, I gotta do what's best for my career, because I'm too much of a competitor to be just out there," Hill told reporters after Miami's Week 18 loss.
Grier stated after the season that Hill didn't formally request a trade, according to ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques. However, Miami has to decide what to do with the receiver, who will turn 31 in March.
The Dolphins could still get a sizeable return for Hill in a trade, which might be the best course of action if they don't believe they can make a deep run in 2025. Trading him before June 1 would trigger a dead-cap hit of $28.3 million while saving just $401,250 in cap space. However, it would likely net Miami a high draft pick while not negatively impacting cap space.
Flipping Hill for a receiver prospect like Matthew Golden or Jalen Royals while erasing Hill's $51.9 million 2026 cap hit from the books is a move Miami will need to consider. The Dolphins could also save $16 million in cap space by trading Hill after June 1.
1. How to Improve the Offensive Line
Regardless of any other offensive moves the Dolphins make this offseason, they have to improve their offensive line. Tagovailoa was sacked 21 times in 11 games, and the offense regularly struggled to pick up tough yards on the ground.
The Dolphins ranked just 28th in yards per carry (4.0).
Aaron Brewer has become a solid center, and Austin Jackson is a quality right tackle. However, the Dolphins have decisions to make at left tackle and need to find upgrades at both guard spots.
Robert Jones, Isaiah Wynn and Liam Eichenberg are all impending free agents and are replaceable.
"Miami's guard duo is arguably a bottom-five tandem in the league, which puts a ceiling on what this unit could achieve," Zoltán Buday of Pro Football Focus wrote.
If Armstead doesn't return and the Dolphins aren't sold on Paul just yet, they may eye tackles like Ronnie Stanley and Tyron Smith in free agency. Guards Trey Smith, Trevor Penning and Kevin Zeitler will definitely draw interest, though, financially, addressing the line in the draft makes the most sense.
The Bleacher Report Scouting Department paired the Dolphins with Missouri lineman Armand Membou in its post-regular season mock draft.
"With head coach and play-caller Mike McDaniel creating advantageous angles in the run game, Membou's movement skills can be a featured part of the scheme and a real weapon that can help sustain how the team wants to move the ball," Thorn said.
Other line prospects the Dolphins should consider include Alabama's Tyler Booker and Georgia's Tate Ratledge.
Figuring out how to improve the line is the most important decision Miami can make this offseason. The Dolphins can't expect to protect Tagovailoa or contend in the short- or long-term without a better unit than they had in 2024.
