Last Year: 

Record: 6-10

Offense: 331.7 YPG (26th), 19.4 PPG (27th)

Defense: 376.2 YPG (25th), 24.3 (19th)

The Dolphins entered last season with very high hopes after landing some big names in free agency, including the biggest free agent prize in DT Ndamukong Suh. They were expecting 4th-year QB Ryan Tannehill to make the jump to franchise QB status with the help of 1st-round pick receiver DeVante Parker. However, many of the Dolphins high aspirations went unfulfilled as the team finished last in the division with a 6-10 record. The biggest problem the team seemed to have was a lack of chemistry. The coaching staff and the players were not on the same page and ultimately the defensive coordinator and head coach were both fired at various points during the regular season. Offensively, the Dolphins were not horrible but they weren’t necessarily good either.  Their best skill player in Lamar Miller was criminally under utilized which is why despite having 1 of the best running backs in the NFL the Dolphins finished 23rd in rushing yards. Tannehill didn’t play poorly but he definitely didn’t show the growth the Dolphins organization was hoping for. He actually played better in 2014 than he did last season. The biggest disappointment on offense had to be the performance or lack there of from the receiving corps. The only two receiving options they had that consistently played up to the level they were expected were  Jarvis Landry and Rishard Matthews, both of whom overachieved if you ask me. Free agent acquisition Jordan Cameron wasn’t effective at all and their first round pick Parker didn’t have much impact either. Defensively the Dolphins actually started to get there act together later in the year after looking like 1 of the worst defenses in the NFL to start the season. Losing Cameron Wake was a killer for them even with Vernon playing out of his mind.

Offseason: 

Key Acquisitions: RB. Arian Foster, OT. Jermon Bushrod, DE. Mario Williams, LB. Kiko Alonso, CB. Byron Maxwell

Key Loses: RB. Lamar Miller, WR. Rishard Matthews, DE. Olivier Vernon

2016 Draft Picks

2016 Outlook

Coaching Staff

HC: Adam Gase

OC: Clyde Christensen

DC: Vance Joseph

ST: Darren Rizzi

 

Projected Depth Chart

Offense

QB. Ryan Tannehill, Matt Moore

RB. Arian Foster, Jay Ajayi

WR. DeVante Parker Leonte Carroo

WR. Kenny Stills, AJ Cruz

WR. Jarvis Landry, Griff Whalen

TE. Jordan Cameron, Dion Sims

LT. Branden Albert, Jermon Bushrod

LG. Laremy Tunsil, John Ulrich

C. Mike Pouncey, Jacques McClendon

RG. Billy Turner, Kraig Urbik

RT. Ja’Wuan James, Vinston Painter

Defense

DE. Cameron Wake, Andre Branch

DT. Ndamukong Suh, Deandre Coleman

DT. Earl Mitchell, Jordan Phillips

DE. Mario Williams, Julius Warmsley

OLB. Jelani Jenkins, Neville Hewitt

MLB. Kiko Alonso, Zach Vigil

OLB. Koa Misi, Spencer Paysinger

CB. Byron Maxwell, Tyler Patmon

SS. Reshad Jones, Gary SHamiel

FS. Isa Abdul-Quddus, Walt Aikens

CB. Xavien Howard. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu

NB. Bobby McCain

Special Teams

K. Andrew Franks

P. Matt Darr

Breakdown

Offense: 

How good the Miami Dolphins will be offensively in 2016 will largely depend on the growth and development of Ryan Tannehill. With Tannehill in a contract year it’s essentially a make or break season for him. I really think at this point Tannehill is what he is, which is a decent NFL starting QB. But he’s no star and I don’t think he’ll ever become 1 which means the Dolphins will need their offensive line and skill players to really step up and help get the most out of Tannehill’s abilities. The loss of Miller at RB hurts but getting veteran Arian Foster, who says he still has plenty left in the tank, could negate that loss. The biggest question with this offense will be can anybody else on the team besides Landry be counted on to throw the ball to. Much more production will be required of Cameron and Parker this season and I think both have the ability to play better. The offensive line looks to be a strength of this team. Albert is good at LT and James is a good young up and coming player at RT. Tunsil should be a stud playing at guard. He might have been the best player in this year’s draft but fell because of a controversial video that leaked on draft night. And Mike Pouncey has been 1 of the most consistent players on this Dolphins roster for years.

Defense: 

Defensively, the Dolphins front office decided to engage in what can only be described as risky behavior this offseason with some of the moves they made. They traded for Alonso and Maxwell in a deal they made with the Eagles. Alonso is a very talented but often injured linebacker and Maxwell was 1 of the biggest free agent bust in the history of the NFL. And after losing Vernon they replace him with Mario Williams who was considered to be a low motor player that lacked passion in Buffalo. All 3 of those players have had success and played at a high level in the past in their career and the Dolphins front office is banking on all 3 of those players returning to that form, I hope the gamble pays off. As for how the defense will look as a whole, I think the defensive line will be the strength of this unit. Suh is 1 of the best interior defenders in the game and Wake is an elite edge rusher. If Mario Williams can remotely resemble the player he used to be the Dolphins will have 3 guys that can all put heat on the QB. At linebacker, they have an interesting tro. If Alonso stays healthy they’ll have 1 of the better coverage LB units in the league. Jelani Jenkins is no thumper, but he can really move and Misi is a pretty good Sam linebacker that should have an impact in the run game. The position group with all the question marks is the secondary. Outside of Reshad Jones, who is 1 of the elite safeties in the NFL right now, there is much uncertainty about the players in this group. Maxwell will need to be in a zone heavy coverage scheme to play at an effective level and even then he’s still no number 1 corner. 2nd round rookie Xavien Howard is projected to start opposite Maxwell and though he has potential I don’t think he’s ready right now for a starting role. Overall the Dolphins have enough impact players to be decent defensively but the lack of talent at corner will ultimately hurt this team. I see them giving up a lot of big plays in the passing game.