Injuries plagued Miami’s 2024 campaign, sidelining stars like Tua, Tyreek, and Jaelen for long stretches. But now, with a new season ahead and health hopefully on their side, Chop Robinson is fired up about what the defensive line could look like when it’s all together.
The rookie end has been buzzing about finally getting to share the field with Jaelen Phillips and Bradley Chubb, and how that trio could make life miserable for opposing offensive lines.
After a strong finish to his rookie year, Robinson’s confidence is clear—this group could be a nightmare for offenses in 2025, starting with the Indianapolis Colts in the season opener, where new betting sites list the Colts as slight favorites, with the point spread at -1 to -1.5, a moneyline of -120, +100 for the Dolphins, and an over/under of 45.5 points.
And while these odds reflect careful optimism, Robinson is focused on the bigger picture — how well the defensive line can perform together with all the top players healthy.
Progress from last season gives him confidence, especially after finding his rhythm and finishing with six sacks. That strong showing with 1.5 sacks and four tackles against the Patriots underlined the potential of a cohesive line and set a positive tone moving forward. From Week 9 onwards, Robinson racked up 45 quarterback pressures, a streak that didn’t go unnoticed by analysts, especially after his 10-pressure game in Week 12.
His impact grew as he started lining up wider, using speed and force to beat offensive tackles.
But Robinson isn’t dwelling on last year’s success. Heading into his second season, he’s focused on keeping that momentum going. “I enjoyed it a little bit, but it’s Year two, so whatever happened in the past doesn’t really matter anymore,” Robinson said, making it clear he’s all about the next season. And, as hoped by many, the Dolphins are shaping their lineup carefully, focused on making a serious run this time.
To strengthen the quarterback position, they added veteran Zach Wilson and rookie Quinn Ewers as backups to Tua Tagovailoa. It’s clear they want to avoid the mess they had last year with injuries and give Tua some solid help.
They also signed Joe Cardona, a reliable long snapper, and Larry Borom, an offensive lineman. These might not be flashy moves, but they help fix important spots that often get overlooked. Having these guys locked in means the offense should run smoother and avoid costly mistakes.
Tyreek Hill is recovering well from wrist surgery and is expected to be ready for training camp. His return is a big deal for the Dolphins — it’ll give them a huge boost in the passing game and take some pressure off the rest of the offense. That couldn’t come at a better time, with the team gearing up for a season full of new challenges and exciting opportunities.
One cool thing on the schedule: as we already know, the Dolphins will play the Washington Commanders in Madrid, Spain. It’s the NFL’s first game in Spain ever, and part of the league’s ongoing effort to expand its footprint in Europe. Hosting a regular-season game abroad reflects growing interest and investment in international markets, giving the Dolphins a chance to connect with a broader fan base while testing themselves in a unique environment.
Training camp starts May 26 and runs through June. This will be the time for the defense—especially Robinson, Phillips, and Chubb—to get on the same page and build that chemistry everyone’s been talking about.
Alongside this, the Dolphins decided to move on from Jalen Ramsey, marking a significant shift in the defensive backfield as they reshape the unit around their younger core. The GM said it was the best move for both sides, even though they didn’t manage to trade him before the draft. Several teams, including the Lions, Eagles, Rams, and Commanders, have expressed interest, and where Ramsey lands will impact Miami’s secondary depth this season.
Meanwhile, tension flared with the Colts after they posted a video about their 2025 schedule that made a bad joke about Tyreek Hill’s off-field problems last year. The Colts quickly deleted the video and apologized, but the incident adds extra drama to the season opener beyond just the game itself.
With the key players getting healthy, solid roster moves, and a defensive line that’s starting to look dangerous, the Dolphins feel like they’re moving in the right direction. Robinson’s excitement about the group is real, and so is the hope that 2025 will be a much better year for Miami.
Everyone wants to bash the Phins, and they deserve much of it. However, some basic math would illustrate to those bashers, me included, that the Miami Dolphins missed the playoffs by 1 game. Tua missed 6 games. Helloooooo ? Whether or not this is a playoff team should not be the question. The question is can they be more than a one and done team ? I say yes. But they have to address many things, these three are top in my opinion: 1- secondary – in a pass happy league, the Miami secondary is set to be torched up like a bonfire right now. It won’t matter how many points they score when they are giving up more and plus more. 2- Coaching – I think the nice guy schtick is worn out. Players are no longer buying in to the nice nerd fellow that sometimes looks like a deer in the headlights during games. He has to be better all around from preparation, discipline and in game adjustments, which he never does. 3-Leadership – Armstead and Campbell are gone. Is there a true leader on the Offense or Defense ? Could it be Tua and maybe Zeiler that step up, all the way up, into these roles ? The early schedule allows for the Phins to get some wins and learn how to win. The late schedule enables them to be challenged to the point that if they succeed, they are indeed more than a one and done playoff team. Finally since 2000 ! I am going to be optimistic and say they will be 11-6, with one and possibly two playoff wins. Beating the Bills once would be like New Year’s Eve.
I believe the secondary could be a problem but we’ll see. Mike McDaniel needs to hand over the play calling to his OC and concentrate on the game overall. He needs to trust his coaches. I don’t think Mike multitasks well.