The NFL offseason is in full swing and we have already seen some important players moving away from their previous franchises to start a new chapter in their career elsewhere. A lot of disappointed teams have already signed some key pieces or superstars, in a quest for redemption. Among them, however, some kept quiet, such as the Miami Dolphins.
The franchise from South Florida finished last season with a negative record of 8 wins and 9 losses, missing the playoffs in a tight AFC race for the postseason. Mike McDaniel and Chris Grier, head coach and general manager of the Dolphins, managed to keep their jobs and are about to enter a season in which they have to do better, or the board won’t be that patient with them. As usual, Grier is keeping his cards close to his chest and didn’t pursue any superstar during the first days in the offseason. The manager prefers to build through the draft and is more focused on opening up some salary cap than on signing resonant names.
The Dolphins haven’t won a playoff game in 24 years (the longest streak in the NFL) and are keen on interrupting that trend. There were a lot of expectations last season, but the franchise disappointed. This is no surprise for a team that has been very discontinuous in recent years and haven’t really found its footing in the last 25 years.
A perennial outsider
Despite having a high-quality roster, especially on the offensive side, the Miami Dolphins are considered an outsider for the title by all the bookmakers interested in the NFL. This is well evidenced by the odds from the operators listed on Oddschecker. Obviously, the main favorites remain the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, opponents in the last Super Bowl. Something may change after the draft but we should not expect a lot of variations during the spring and the summer. The odds would probably change as soon as the 2025 season begins, in early September.
The Dolphins are among the top 15 franchises listed as possible champions but are very far from the favorites. It is way too early to say, but Miami appears slightly weakened. The front office is making some calculated moves in Free Agency, while waiting for the injured players to come back (Brandon Chubb and Jaelan Phillips, two stars in the Fins’ defense were sidelined for a lot of time, the lineman Terron Armstead played only a few matches and the quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, missed extensive time because of a concussion). Of course, we are writing about American football and every team must deal with injuries. Miami, though, was particularly unlucky last winter.
Could this be Miami’s season?
Even if the Dolphins are taking the smart route, refusing to overspend and reinforcing their lines (the clear weak point in a quite good roster), it would be very difficult for them to see big improvements right away. Usually, it takes at least a couple of years to build a winner in the NFL and everyone must account for the opposition. The Fins play in the AFC, a conference with a lot of very good franchises (Kansas City, Baltimore, Buffalo, Cincinnati and so on), in the Eastern Division, where they have to face twice a year, during the regular season, the Buffalo Bills lead by the reigning MVP, Josh Allen.
It would not be easy at all for Miami next year but they have a good head coach in McDaniel, able to attack in a variety of ways, and the players to win in Tyreek Hill, De’Von Achane, Jonnu Smith and Jaylen Waddle. This is a high-power offense who can score a lot of points, but Tagovailoa must be protected better from his line, because he is injury-prone. Taking him out of the equation could very well mean a long streak of losses, because even if he’s not an acclaimed superstar, he runs an up-tempo offense which is very difficult to defend against. SInce he’s a lefty, there are no other quarterbacks capable of playing as he does. This is the reason why he is considered an irreplaceable asset.
