Key Additions: RB Arian Foster, OT Jermon Bushrod, DE Mario Williams, ILB Kiko Alonso, CB Byron Maxwell, OT Laremy Tunsil, CB Xavien Howard
Key Subtractions: RB Lamar Miller, WR Rishard Matthews, WR Greg Jennings, DE Olivier Vernon, DE Derrick Shelby, DE Quinton Coples, CB Brent Grimes.
Strengths
Laremy Tunsil’s loss is the Dolphins’ gain. With the highly-touted offensive lineman – who was projected to go as high as No. 1 overall – dropping all the way to the Dolphins at No. 13 on Draft Day, Miami’s O-line added another valuable piece. Branden Albert is still entrenched at left tackle, though, so Tunsil will likely start at left guard.
The right side of the line isn’t quite as impressive with Billy Turner and Ja’Wuan James, but Pro Bowler Mike Pouncey should be rock solid at center.
The D-line is probably the team’s next-best position group, although that’s not exactly saying much. The unit has some very big names with Ndamukong Suh, Cameron Wake and Mario Williams, who will replace the departed Olivier Vernon. Former No. 3 overall pick Dion Jordan is also set to return from a year-long suspension to add some depth on the edge.
The success of that unit, though, will depend on the oft-injured Wake’s health, and Williams’ ability to bounce back from a disappointing 2015 where he recorded just five sacks for Buffalo.
Weaknesses
New Dolphins head coach Adam Gase has some work to do on offense. He has built up a reputation as a quarterback whisperer, and for him to find success in Miami, he must coax the best out of Ryan Tannehill. Despite some brief flashes, the fifth year pro has yet to fully convince as a top-level NFL quarterback.
Tannehill, though, won’t have any outstanding skill position players to lean on. With Lamar Miller leaving for Houston, he’ll have to make do with second-year back Jay Ajayi, rookie Kenyan Drake, and the aging Arian Foster as the team’s top backs.
The Dolphins do have some depth at receiver, but outside of Jarvis Landry, none are particularly proven. Leonte Carroo, Jakeem Grant, and Thomas Duarte are all rookies. Meanwhile, second-year player DeVante Parker still needs more seasoning after an injury-hampered rookie season.
On the other side of the ball, the Dolphins’ secondary is alarmingly shallow. Byron Maxwell, who’s coming off a terrible season for Philadelphia, is the unquestioned No. 1. Rookie second-round corner Xavien Howard is currently the most likely option to start opposite Maxwell. The quality significantly drops off pretty significantly after those two.
With all those holes on the team, the Dolphins are unsurprisingly dead last in terms of division title odds at +700.
Key Player – Ryan Tannehill
The fate of this Dolphins offense rests squarely on Tannehill’s shoulders. The 27-year-old has proven he can put up decent numbers – he threw for a career-high 4,208 yards last season, ninth in the NFL – but he must now prove he can translate those numbers into wins.
As noted above, he won’t exactly be armed with top-quality weapons this year. But his new head coach – who helped Tim Tebow(!) win a playoff game as a rookie – should be able to put Tannehill in the best possible position to succeed with the talent he’s got at his disposal. At least that’s the plan.
Key Game – vs. Cleveland (Sept. 25)
The Dolphins’ September schedule is brutal. They face three of the best teams in the league – Seattle, New England and Cincinnati – on the road in the first four weeks. The one home game they get in that stretch is on Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns.
No team wants to go 0-4 right off the bat, nor does it want the ignominy of losing at home to the lowly Browns. It may be a bit of an exaggeration to say, but considering the circumstances, the Dolphins’ game against the Cleveland is definitely a must-win.
2015 Stats
Category
Stat (Rank)
Points per game
19.4 (#27)
Passing yards per game
238.2 (#19)
Rushing yards per game
93.5 (#23)
Scoring defense
24.3 (#19)
Writer’s Prediction
Tannehill takes a slight step up as the Dolphins go over 7.0 regular season wins with an 8-8 record.
