The Miami Dolphins haven’t garnered as much attention as other teams around the league this offseason for the talent purge that occurred this offseason.
Two of their best players that hit free agency, defensive tackle Christian Watkins and Robert Hunt, both departed for massive contracts. Former All-Pro cornerback Xavien Howard and center Connor Williams are also gone.
Linebacker Jerome Baker was a cap causality and injuries have left their pass rush depth decimated. Bradley Chubb is recovering from an ACL tear and Jaelan Phillips works back from an Achilles injury.
That is a lot of talent, especially on an already shaky defense, that has departed. It is part of the reason that Bill Barnwell of ESPN has shared the bold prediction of them missing the postseason.
Barnwell put together a piece highlighting 20 teams that have a shot at the playoff this upcoming season. Based on betting lines, the Dolphins are one of the favorites for a postseason spot, but the ESPN analyst believes they are one of the teams that qualified last season and won’t have a repeat performance.
“Mike McDaniel is an offensive genius, and the hope will be that the new coach and his third defensive coordinator in three years (Anthony Weaver) piece together a formula that prevents the Dolphins from slowing down in December and January, when they’ve struggled over the past two seasons. They have relied on Hill, Ramsey and offensive tackle Terron Armstead playing at a high level to sustain them at their best, and they should continue to excel when on the field. Owing to injuries and departures, though, I’m just not sure whether Miami has enough around its core of stars to avoid taking a step backward,” Barnwell wrote.
No one is going to count out a team that can produce points as efficiently as Miami. Their passing offense is explosive with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and could be even more dangerous with Odell Beckham Jr. as the third receiver and Jonnu Smith being signed to play tight end.
A strong running game should also be had with veteran Raheem Mostert and youngster De’Von Achane leading the way.
But, this team’s success will fall solely on what the defense does. Will Anthony Weaver be able to bring some of that Baltimore Ravens magic along with him to South Beach?
If he does, the Miami Dolphins will surprise some people this season. If not, they are going to be winning a lot of shootouts.
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