Better or Worse: Where the Dolphins Stand at Each Position Compared to the End of Last Season
Any discussion of the most improved teams in the NFL this offseason has to include the Miami Dolphins.
Sure, a large reason has to be the hiring of highly regarded defensive mind Vic Fangio to run a defense that struggled — in no small part because of key injuries — last season.
But there also have been some significant addition throughout the roster, topped by the acquisition of All-Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams.
With that in mind, here's our position ranking of where the Dolphins have the most biggest improvement in terms of personnel since the end of last season.
1. SECONDARY
Notable additions: CB Jalen Ramsey, S DeShon Elliott, CB Cam Smith
Notable losses: S Eric Rowe, S Clayton Fejedelem
Breakdown: We shouldn't need to spend a lot of time on this one. Anytime you had a star like Ramsey, it's going to make the position better. Adding that Rowe and Fejedelem were background players for the Dolphins, this is a slam dunk top choice for our ranking.
Verdict: Big step forward
2. RUNNING BACK
Notable additions: Rookie Devon Achane
Notable losses: None
Breakdown: Once the Dolphins brought back all four of the running backs from last season — Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin — anything else at this position was going to be gravy. And the possibilities presented by Achane's speed certainly are intriguing.
Verdict: Good step forward
--------------------------------------------------------
RELATED: BREAKING DOWN THE DOLPHINS OFFENSIVE DEPTH CHART
RELATED: BREAKING DOWN THE DOLPHINS DEFENSIVE DEPTH CHART
--------------------------------------------------------
3. WIDE RECEIVER
Notable additions: Chosen Anderson, Braxton Berrios
Notable losses: Trent Sherfield
Breakdown: At this time last year, we probably wouldn't even have considered Sherfield to be close to a notable loss, but he came out of seemingly nowhere to land the third receiver role and did a solid job with it. His loss, though, was more than negated by the signings of the speedy Anderson and the dependable Berrios, who brings a punt return element as well.
Verdict: Solid step forward
4. SPECIALISTS
Notable additions: P Jake Bailey
Notable losses: P Thomas Morstead
Breakdown: The Dolphins special teams simply weren't very good in 2023 and that included punt coverage where Morstead, despite overall good numbers, needs to share some responsibility. But Bailey also didn't have a great season, one that ended with him on IR with a back injury. The question now is whether the Dolphins will get the Bailey who was an All-Pro a few years back or the one from last season.
Verdict: Very small step forward
5. LINEBACKER
Notable additions: David Long Jr.
Notable losses: Elandon Roberts, Sam Eguavoen
Breakdown: This pretty much comes down to a swap of Long for Roberts, and by all accounts Long is a better fit for Fangio's scheme, though Roberts has been more durable in his career and also was a leader on defense.
Verdict: Same
6. EDGE DEFENDER
Notable additions: Malik Reed
Notable losses: Melvin Ingram, Trey Flowers
Breakdown: On the surface, the Dolphins didn't do enough here, but we need to point out that Bradley Chubb will be on hand from the start of the offseason program this time after arriving last November and Emmanuel Ogbah also will back after missing the second half of last season with a triceps injury. On the flip side, Flowers is only so much of a loss considering he was lost for the season in October because of a foot injury.
Verdict: Very small step back
7. QUARTERBACK
Notable additions: Mike White
Notable losses: Teddy Bridgewater
Breakdown: The focus at this position for the Dolphins has been, is and will continue to be the health of Tua Tagovailoa, but an offshoot of that is the importance of having a quarterback who can keep the offense humming if he ends up getting sidelined at some point in 2023. The Dolphins' switch here brought perhaps more untapped potential and upside with Mike White, but the reality is he's not a proven player like Bridgewater, whose performance last season was dramatically overcriticized. Yes, the Dolphins needed to make a change here because Bridgewater proved too unreliable with his health last season, but this does not look like an upgrade.
Verdict: Small step back
8. OFFENSIVE LINE
Notable additions: Dan Feeney
Notable losses: Brandon Shell, Greg Little
Breakdown: We get to the most discussed and debated position on the team the good old offensive line. Feeney was a nice pick-up for the interior of the offensive line as a clear upgrade over 2019 third-round pick Michael Deiter, whose departure we didn't even mention since he didn't play a snap on offense last season, but the tackle spot remains a concern because Terron Armstead has a long injury history and Austin Jackson remains unproven. Yes, the Dolphins re-signed tackles Kendall Lamm and Geron Christian, but neither is a proven commodity like Shell was.
Verdict: Small step back
9. TIGHT END
Notable additions: Eric Saubert
Notable losses: Mike Gesicki
Breakdown: Say what you want about Gesicki — and Dolphins fans. have said a lot — but his presence in the lineup always gave the offense the possibility of being able to unleash him in the passing game. Saubert could turn out to be a better fit for the offense — actually, he likely will — but until proven otherwise, the Dolphins lost an element to their offense, albeit one they neglected in 2022.
Verdict: Small step back
10. DEFENSIVE LINE
Notable additions: None
Notable losses: John Jenkins
Breakdown: The Dolphins have some unfinished business at a few spots on their roster and this position is (or should be) near the top of the list. Jenkins wasn't necessarily a front-line player, but he was a dependable veteran who provided depth in the middle of the defensive line and now that's badly lacking.
Verdict: Step back
