Where Do The Miami Dolphins Go From Here?

By Monte Perez

Over the past 3 seasons, the Miami Dolphins have finished the season 10-6, 9-8, and 9-8. The Dolphins made the playoffs but lost in the Wild Card game to the Buffalo Bills, 34-31. Although the Fins have not improved record-wise from their previous coach, Brian Flores, there was a totally different feel to this team with Mike McDaniel. When Tua Tagovailoa was healthy, this offense was almost unstoppable. In 13 games he completed 64% of his passes, threw for over 3,500 yards, and had 25 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.  Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle had one of the most productive seasons at wide receiver position. The two combined for 196 catches, over 3,000 yards, and 15 touchdowns. Despite averaging 4.3 yards per rushing attempt, the Dolphins finished 25th in the NFL. They only averaged 99.2 yards per game on the ground. McDaniel comes from the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree where running is paramount to the team’s offense. The Dolphins abandoned the run early and often.

Defensively this team was stellar against the run, only giving up 103 rushing yards per game but struggled against the pass. They were ranked 27th. Opponents averaged 235 yards in the air against them. Adding some help in the secondary would improve their pass defense and improve the unit overall. In the AFC East where you have QBs like Josh Allen who like to air it a strong backend is much needed.

Plans For The Miami Dolphins For The Draft

The Miami Dolphins will not have a 1st round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. They had a pick but on Aug. 2, 2022, the NFL announced the team would have to forfeit that selection, along with its 2024 fourth-round pick, after an investigation into the team revealed it had violated league policies “pertaining to the integrity of the game.”

McDaniel and the Miami management need to add some pieces on defense and offense this off-season. It shouldn’t be hard to do, Florida is a very attractive landing spot for a lot of NFL players. The Biggest question mark is what will they do at quarterback?

If I were running the Miami Dolphins, I would part ways with Tua. This is not because I don’t believe in his abilities or what he has done. The Dolphins were 8-3 when he was healthy and the offense was fun to watch and productive. But as a human being, I couldn’t deal with him getting one more head injury. The guilt would consume me every day for the rest of my life. I want him healthy, and it is a decision that is much bigger than football. I would come to a financial agreement, offer him a job with the organization and move on. I would look to sign a veteran quarterback like Jimmy Garoppolo or Derek Carr. I would also pursue Brock Purdy or Trey Lance. I can’t imagine the San Francisco 49ers keeping both of those young QBs on their roster.