The cheetah is documented as the fastest mammal on land, reaching speeds of up to 70 miles per hour. The gentoo penguin is documented as the fastest of the penguin species, reaching speeds of up to 22 miles per hour in the water, and the common dolphin can reach up to 37 mph in the water. Why am I listing animals in an article about our favorite football team? It begins with nicknames; we all know Tyreek Hill as “The Cheetah,” and he might be the fastest player in the NFL; Jaylen Waddle, thanks to his signature “Waddle” in the end zone, has been dubbed “The Penguin,” and has also reached a top speed of 21.68mph in a game, and the dolphin doesn’t need an explanation.

The Miami Dolphins seem to have fully adopted the fan-given moniker “The Legion of Zoom,” which was handed out last year after acquiring Tyreek Hill and Raheem Mostert before the 2022 season; it seems that their dedication to speed has not ceased, with our recent acquisitions. On top of adding receiver/return specialist Braxton Berrios, the Dolphins have recently signed Chosen “Robbie” Anderson. The speed isn’t only on the offensive side of the ball either; the defense also has its fair share of fast players. Below you will find some of the fastest players on both sides of the ball based on their 40-yard dash times from the NFL combine;

Offense

Tyreek Hill 4.29
Chosen Anderson 4.36
Jaylen Waddle 4.37
Raheem Mostert 4.37
Braxton Berrios 4.44

Defense

Jalen Ramsey 4.41
David Long Jr 4.45
Jevon Holland 4.47
Channing Tindall 4.47
Jerome Baker 4.53

Speed, however, isn’t all there is to it; acceleration and quickness are also big factors. You may have heard some players classified as quick instead of fast, and this is due to how they move and change direction as opposed to just how fast they get downfield. When it comes to acceleration, I always have one play in my head; Tyreek Hill against the Patriots in Week 6 of the 2018 season. Patrick Mahomes dropped back and threw the ball to a crossing Hill, who proceeded to leap in the air, catch the ball facing Mahomes, turned his body mid-air, and proceeded to hit the ground running as if he had never left it. Hill scored on that play on what ended up as a 75-yard touchdown reception. That play showed more than speed; that was an acceleration in its purest form, like a Formula 1 car coming out of a turn.

Xavien Howard might not have the fastest 40 time on the team, but he was once quoted saying, “I can make a 4.3 receiver look like he’s running a 4.5”. If you’ve watched Howard play corner, you’ve noticed he has an innate ability to bait Quarterbacks into thinking they have an open man but then quickly make a break on the ball and either knock it down or intercept it. This also goes back to acceleration, and that’s another aspect of speed that you can’t teach. I’ve watched Jerome Baker run sideline to sideline to make tackles on a running back for short gains, and I’ve even watched 310lb Christian Wilkins pursue a ball carrier and make the tackle from behind. The Dolphins have built their team a certain way, on both sides of the ball.

With a team built for speed, it gives opposing coaches a difficult task week after week, such as figuring out how to slow the team down. We saw what happened last year in week 2 when Tyreek blew by the entire Raven defense to score the game-tying touchdown; we also watched Jaylen Waddle take a slant route and turn it into an 84-yard touchdown thanks to his breakaway speed and an escort from his buddy Hill. I watched Jevon Holland come down from his safety position to tackle Josh Allen for a minimal gain. Honestly, I can’t wait to see how the additions of Jalen Ramsey and David Long Jr contribute to what we already have.

To combine our players’ speed with talent and excellent coaching, I have to say, good luck to anyone trying to out-endure the Dolphins on a hot sunny day in Miami.