This past Dolphins’ season was one to remember because there was a roller-coaster ride of events that played out during the season that Dolphins fans had never seen before. While there was much left to be desired, the team still made the playoffs for the first time in six years, and that gives the fans optimism for next season. Going into the next season, changes must be made, and by addressing the four questions listed below, the Dolphins should be legit contenders going into next season.

1. How Do You Address The Backup QB position?

Tua Tagovailoa had a career year in 2022, tallying over 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. He finished 1st in the league in Passer Rating and 3rd in quarterback rating. Mike McDaniel unlocked Tua’s potential like he said he would in the infamous plane videos. Unfortunately, Tua sustained two different concussions during the season that caused him to miss over five games. Due to Tua’s injury history, Miami paid Teddy Bridgewater as the highest backup in the league. The signing was a failure overall, as Bridgewater was unable to start and finish a game this season after going out with a concussion vs. the Jets and a dislocated pinky finger vs. the Patriots. The quarterback market will be a game of musical chairs this offseason as QBs switch teams for opportunities, and the ones that do not get offered an opportunity for a starting job will be looking at the dolphins as a prime destination. Options like Marcus Mariota, Jimmy Garroppolo, and Baker Mayfield are all likely because they will be enticed by the idea of a chance to play eventually at some point during the season due to Tua’s injury history.

  

  1. Will Byron Jones Be Brought Back?

Byron Jones finished the 2022 season as the biggest question on the Miami Dolphins. At the end of the 2021 season, Jones was hobbled with an Achilles injury that he fought throughout that season. Jones decided that his best course of action was to get clean-up surgery so that he could enter the 2022 season 100% healthy. There was speculation and rumors due to the timing of Jones’s surgery because he did not get it immediately after the season, and he instead waited until the free agency was about to start and when Miami started to show interest in free agent cornerback JC Jackson. Due to his getting the surgery, his contract became guaranteed due to an injury clause. The first target date was the beginning of training camp. But as the day went past, it shifted towards week three of the NFL season. There was no update then as well as it turned into an Easter egg hunt for information because McDaniel gave no clear updates. He ended up not returning at all during the season. The big question is, does Miami restructure him again and try to rekindle the top cornerback duo they had in Jones and Howard for 2020 and 2021? If they feel like the situation is not salvageable, then the best course of action is to release him with a post-June 1st designation.

 

3. Who Should Be The Main Target In Free Agency?

Not including injuries, linebacker is the biggest position of need going into the offseason. New defensive coordinator Vic Fangio runs a scheme that is dependent on consistent linebacker play. Elandon Roberts is a solid downhill linebacker, but he lacks sideline-to-sideline speed, and he is a liability in coverage. Jerome Baker is an amazing athlete who lacks the physicality and playmaking ability to truly be elite at the position. Channing Tindall was a very promising player at the University of Georgia, but he needed a red-shirt year to get acclimated to the speed of the NFL. Due to these factors, I believe that Lavonte David should be the main target in free agency. He finished the 2022 season with 123 total tackles, 43 solo, and three sacks. He did this while also maintaining the highest coverage grade in the league. He is the three-down linebacker that the Dolphins have been desperately wanting for years. He is 32 years old, so he may be looking to cash in one last time, and Miami will be negotiating.

 

4. What Player Has to Take The Biggest Jump Next Season?

There are numerous players who the Dolphins will depend on to make a big jump next year to have the next level of success. The player with the most eyes on them during the off-season and early regular season will be Austin Jackson. The former 18th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft has struggled mightily in the early portion of his career. He had a good start to his rookie year before sustaining a knee injury, and his play has been erratic since then. The Dolphins have experimented with him at left tackle, left guard, and right tackle. But the Dolphins view Jackson as the long-term solution at right tackle. His athleticism is elite, and it is the perfect skill set for the zone run-blocking scheme that coach McDaniel runs. I believe that if Jackson increases his overall strength and anchor, then he will be on a path to becoming an upper-echelon tackle because he has all the tools to succeed in this league, and the Dolphins will need him as he will be protecting Tua all season.

 

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