Crimson Tide NFL Team Rundown: Miami Dolphins

The time is now for the Miami Dolphins. When he was healthy in 2022, former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was a top-15 quarterback, completing 64.9 percent of passes with nine yards per attempt, and 25 touchdowns to eight picks. The Dolphins have committed to Tagovailoa and he knows how to deal the ball to his weapons, with Tyreek Hill having 1,710 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, and Jaylen Waddle tallying 1,356 yards with eight touchdowns. Of course, both wide receivers have blazing speed.

Miami is playing in a tough division in 2023, with the Buffalo Bills considered a Super Bowl favorite, and the Jets a likely challenger following the addition of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Patriots are always a playoff contention as long as they have head coach Bill Belichick. However, the Dolphins were able to make the playoffs in 2022, despite not having Tagovailoa for four games, losing three of them.

Defensively, the Dolphins are a formidable force. Starting in the secondary, Xavien Howard is a very good cornerback and has made the Pro Bowl four times in his career, including the last three seasons. On the other side, the Dolphins will begin the season with Eli Apple, who has carved out a role for himself as a regular rotational player. The Dolphins' big offseason acquisition, Jalen Ramsey, should return towards the end of the season after having surgery to repair a meniscus tear. Safety Jevon Holland is a hard-hitting, ball-hawking safety entering his third year following a 2022 campaign that saw him total 96 tackles, one forced fumble, two interceptions and seven passes defended. Holland is prepared to cement himself as a major contributor for the Dolphins secondary.

In the front seven, the Dolphins will be a force to be reckoned with, especially in the pass rush. Former Crimson Tide standout Raekwon Davis is the big defensive tackle up front, and while he does not put up a ton of stats, just 33 tackles and one sack in 2022, he often faces double teams, which helps free up Christian Wilkins and Emmanuel Ogbah, who both can easily take over a game.

In the pass rush, Jaelan Phillips had seven sacks last season and is entering his third year. On the other side, Bradley Chubb was a midseason addition for Miami and had one forced fumble, two-and-a-half sacks, 13 tackles, and 12 quarterback hits in eight games. Chubb is looking for a rebound year in his first full season, along with a full offseason of gaining chemistry with his teammates.

Miami's roster has more Alabama players than most, but they do not have the most in the NFL, that'd be the Philadelphia Eagles with six. However, the Dolphins do roster five players: Tagovailoa, Waddle, offensive lineman Lester Cotton Sr, Davis, and recently-signing defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand.

The team revolves around Tagovailoa. With him in the starting lineup in 2022, the Dolphins were 8-5 and averaged 25.5 points per game. Without the starting quarterback, they managed just 16.3 points per game. It's easy to say that the starting quarterback has to stay healthy, but it's a huge concern for Miami due to his alarming concussions problems last season. According to Omar Kelly of AllDolphins, Tagovailoa has put on more muscle, picked up Jiu-Jitsu training to learn how to fall more efficiently, and changed his helmet.

The offense will also rely more on Waddle. who in his third year is considered one of the top wide receivers in the league. He topped the 1,000-yard milestone during both of the previous seasons, jumping from 1,015 yards to 1,356 yards in 2022, and going from six to eight touchdowns as well. Waddle became much more efficient in 2022, almost doubling his average yards per reception from 9.8 to 18.1 in 2022. Despite the high-efficiency production, Tyreek Hill is still Miami's the primary threat, but when he's double-teamed it helps make Waddle the top target for Tagovailoa.

Miami has not had the best offensive line for Tagovailoa, but it should be improved, highlighted by former New Orleans Saint Terron Armstead. Normally the left tackle protects the quarterback's blind side, but Tagovailoa throws left-handed, so with the Dolphins it's right tackle Austin Jackson. The center position is locked up by Connor Williams, and Robert Hunt seems to have the right guard held down. That leaves left guard, which is currently a battle between Liam Eichenberg and Isaiah Wynn. As for the reserves, versatility could be the key to Cotton sticking on the roster as he could potentially be an emergency option at tackle.

Hand is also trying to work his way on to the 53-man roster, but he's already made a bit of an impact with three tackles during the Dolphins' first preseason game.

Miami has a challenging schedule, having to play the division teams all twice along with Philadelphia, Kansas City, Baltimore, and Dallas, who all have Super Bowl aspirations. If they can split the series with both the Bills and Jets, and those four non-division opponents, the Dolphins should bee in good position to return to the postseason. But again, it will all revolve around Tagovailoa and the Dolphins offense.

Active Miami Dolphins

#66 Lester Cotton, OG
#98 Raekwon Davis, DT
#93 Da"Shawn Hand, DE
#1 Tua Tagovailoa, QB
#17 Jaylen Waddle, WR