Despite injury concerns, the Dolphins are putting all their chips in for a Super Bowl run.

The trade for star cornerback Jalen Ramsey just created more excitement for a Miami Dolphins organization and fanbase that was pondering what the team could do considering their cap situation heading into free agency.

But general manager Chris Grier appears to have switched course in philosophy since the Brian Flores coaching era. Ever since head coach Mike McDaniel entered the building, the team has been more interested in trading away draft picks for proven commodities than acquiring them to build the roster.

The team essentially traded away last year’s entire draft for wide receiver Tyreek Hill — a future Hall of Fame candidate.

Before the trade deadline, they traded away a 2023 1st-rounder for Bradley Chubb — a pass-rushing outside linebacker with an injury history but also proven production in pressures and a couple of Pro Bowl appearances. They quickly locked him up to a 5-year/$110 million contract following the trade. 

During that same time, the Fins also traded a 2023 5th-rounder to San Fransisco for a talented running back — Jeff Wilson — to pair with another former 49er back — Raheem Mostert. The two became a productive duo for the Dolphins for the remainder of that 2022 season. 

This offseason, the Dolphins acquired the heavily coveted defensive mind Vic Fangio and made him the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the league. 

They recently exercised quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s 5th-year option for 2024. The starter is now due $23 million guaranteed during that season.

The Jalen Ramsey acquisition is just the latest example of how this team isn’t building for the future anymore. The future, as it seems to Miami, is now. 

A week ago, the Dolphins were $16 million over the cap, but with just a few restructured deals with a couple of their star players, they were able to create an abundance of cap space and add one big name while retaining some of their key players on offense and defense.

The front office appears to be more focused on acquiring talent — whether it be through the draft, trades, or free agency — than worrying about being frugal with their money.

The cap can always be manipulated by restructuring deals, pro-rating bonuses, and requesting pay cuts. And let’s not forget the “kicking the can down the road” philosophy when it comes to restructured deals.

And by their actions, the Miami Dolphins intend to continue loading up with talent and kicking the can down the road during this couple-year window in order to load up and make a push for a deep playoff run… hopefully a Superbowl. 

And as much as outsiders are concerned with injuries on particular key players— Tagovailoa, Chubb, Mostert, Wilson, cornerback Xavien Howard, left tackle Terron Armstead, linebacker David Long Jr…

The Dolphins have factored that in too.

But they are taking the “glass half full” approach because these players can play at a high level when healthy. And if injuries happen, then so be it. 

— Tagovailoa missed five games in 2021 and has not played a full season as a Miami Dolphins quarterback in his first three seasons. But he led the league in passer rating and was Top-5 in passing yards per game. 

— Chubb, who missed 24 games due to injury before coming to Miami, is now reunited with Vic Fangio and paired with 2021 1st-round selection Jaelan Phillips; it has many wondering if the two can replicate the production Chubb and former teammate Von Miller had during their days in Denver under Fangio. 

— Mostert and Wilson had their banged-up moments but were usually available for the Fins. The Duo averaged 4.9 and 4.7 yards per carry. The Fins endorsed their faith by bringing both back for 2023, along with backup Salvon Ahmed. 

— Xavien Howard, who struggled with a groin injury for most of the year and took a step back in his play (101.2 passer rating allowed), may take a backseat as the primary corner to Jalen Ramsey but has the chance to bounce back to form with some rest during the offseason. Ramsey has multiple Pro Bowls and a history of playing in the Fangio scheme during his days with the Rams under Fangio disciple Brandon Staley in 2020 — a season in which Ramsey allowed a career-best 68.6 rating to passers. The Fins needed another boundary corner after deciding to move on from the previous starter Byron Jones. Ramsey seems like the perfect replacement. 

— Armstead may not be the most dependable. He missed four games in 2022 but still made another Pro Bowl and only allowed one sack when he was on the field. The Dolphins hope Armstead can be there more often than not to protect Tagovailoa.

— David Long Jr. has good metrics when it comes to both stuffing the run and coverage, but he was a “repeat offender” in soft tissue injuries, according to previous head coach Mike Vrabel. Vrabel publicly alleged that Long wasn’t doing the necessary tasks to take care of his body and indirectly questioned the linebacker’s ability to stay on the field.

“It doesn’t take too hard to look and see that Kristian Fulton and David Long were repeat offenders of soft tissue injuries,” said Vrabel. “They have to figure out a way to train. The game is played at high speed. Kevin Byard has not pulled a hamstring since we have been here. There is a durability factor to playing professional football that we should not overlook. That is real. There are guys that are durable, and there are guys that are not.”

However, as I stated earlier, the linebacker can cover and defend the run, which works well for a Vic Fangio defense that needs the linebackers to be multiple. Long’s tackles & tackles for loss have gone up each season, despite missing a total of 12 games in 2021 and 2022.

For the past two seasons, Long has allowed a passer rating of 61 and 74.1 in his area.

Long is young at the age of 26, but in his four years, he has never played a full season. The talent is there, the production is there, and the Dolphins are betting on performance over durability with him.

With the way the Dolphins brass has constructed this roster at the present time, they aren’t playing scared anymore. They aren’t shying away from investing in injury-prone players while asking, “what if?”. 

They are putting all their chips in. 

And hoping the risk is worth the reward.