Ranking the Dolphins Positional Offseason Upgrades
It's pretty clear the Miami Dolphins have made significant improvements to their roster this offseason after they complemented a slew of re-signings and free agent acquisitions with the headline-grabbing moves that brought Tyreek Hill and Terron Armstead to South Florida.
But where did the Dolphins improve their roster the most?
Let's examine the moves at each position (and remember that players who currently are free agents after playing with the Dolphins in 2021 fall in the "lost" category) before we rank the upgrades by position from 1-8.
QUARTERBACK
Gained: Teddy Bridgewater, Skylar Thompson (rookie)
Lost: Jacoby Brissett
Re-signed: None
Analysis: While Thompson was an interesting addition in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL draft, this clearly comes down to Bridgewater vs. Brissett. And considering Bridgewater has a 90.7 career passer rating compared to Brissett's 83.0, this obviously is a pretty solid upgrade.
RUNNING BACK
Gained: Raheem Mostert, Chase Edmonds, Sony Michel, FB Alec Ingold, FB John Lovett
Lost: Duke Johnson, Malcolm Brown, Phillip Lindsay, Patrick Laird
Re-signed: Salvon Ahmed
Analysis: The Dolphins certainly remade this room, letting go of three veterans they brought in last year on one-year contracts. The addition of Ingold is significant because the Dolphins didn't have a pure fullback on the roster last year. This would be a clear and significant upgrade even with the legitimate concerns about Mostert's durability considering he's ended three of the past four seasons on IR, including 2021 when he played only one game before being sidelined by a knee injury.
WIDE RECEIVER
Gained: Tyreek Hill, Cedrick Wilson Jr., Trent Sherfield, River Cracraft, DeVonte Dedmon, Erik Ezukanma (rookie)
Tyreek Hill
Hal Habib - Palm Beach Post/USA Today Network
Cedrick Wilson Jr.
Jeremy Reper - USA Today Sports
Trent Sherfield
Kyle Terada - USA Today Sports
Lost: DeVante Parker, Will Fuller V, Albert Wilson, Allen Hurns, Isaiah Ford, Mack Hollins
Re-signed: Preston Williams
Analysis: Now we start talking about massive changes, and adding Hill to the offense was about as big as it got for the Dolphins. In terms of name recognition, the Dolphins certainly lost more in volume than they gained, but nobody on either list is anywhere near as impactful as Hill. The group of departed players formed the nucleus (along with returner Jaylen Waddle) of what was supposed to be a big-time wide receiver corps last year but failed to perform for various reasons. Along with Hill, fellow newcomer Wilson is clearly a player on the rise. Hill alone makes this an upgrade, but there's also a lot of talent that left.
TIGHT END
Gained: None
Lost: None
Re-signed: Mike Gesicki, Durham Smythe
Analysis: The Dolphins maintained the status quo after re-signing Gesicki and Smythe, so there's not a whole lot to discuss here other than to point out just how rare it is for any position group to be the same in mid-April as it was at the end of the previous season.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Gained: T Terron Armstead, G Connor Williams
Lost: G/T Jesse Davis, C Greg Mancz
Re-signed: None
Analysis: As we suspected all along, the Dolphins didn't make wholesale changes on the offensive line, but what they did was significant. Because of his ability, experience and leadership qualities, we ranked signing Armstead as the Dolphins' best offseason move, so his acquisition alone is huge for the offensive line. Though he had penalty issues in 2021, Williams also figures to help upgrade the line.
Terron Armstead
Connor Williams
Jeffrey Becker - USA Today Sports
Jesse Davis
Winslow Townson-USA Today Sports
DEFENSIVE LINE
Gained: None
Lost: None
Re-signed: Emmanuel Ogbah, John Jenkins
Analysis: We ranked retaining Ogbah as the top priority for the Dolphins heading into free agency, so being able to get that done was big.
LINEBACKER
Gained: Melvin Ingram III, Channing Tindall (rookie), Cameron Goode (rookie)
Lost: Vince Biegel
Re-signed: Sam Eguavoen, Elandon Roberts, Brennan Scarlett, Duke Riley
Analysis: As rare as it is to see the Dolphins with the same five tight ends three-plus months after the end of the season, it's just as unique to have them — any team really — re-sign four free agents at the same position. The big move here, though, was the late addition of Ingram, who brings another proven veteran to the defense.
DEFENSIVE BACK
Gained: Keion Crossen
Lost: Jason McCourty, Justin Coleman, Jamal Perry
Re-signed: Nik Needham, Elijah Campbell, Sheldrick Redwine
Analysis: Two significant moves that don't show up on this transactions rundown involved Xavien Howard's contract extension and Byron Jones' contract restructure. On this list, the most significant move was re-signing Needham, which became a formality once the Dolphins made the smart decision to extend a second-round qualifying offer to him as a restricted free agent. This, however, looks like one of the only positions on the roster that's taken a downgrade because Coleman played very well last year as the fourth cornerback.
RANKING THE DOLPHINS OFFSEASON POSITION UPGRADES
1. Offensive line ... because of Terron Armstead
2. Wide receiver ... because Tyreek Hill is a difference-maker
3. Running back ... because of Edmonds and Mostert's big-play ability, Michel's production and because the Dolphins have a fullback again
4. Linebacker ... because the Dolphins brought back pretty much all their pending free agents before adding two rookie draft picks and Ingram
5. Quarterback ... because Teddy Bridgewater > Jacoby Brissett
T-6. Defensive line ... because it's the same group after Ogbah and Jenkins were re-signed
T-6. Tight end ... because it's the same group after Gesicki and Smythe were re-signed
8. Defensive back ... because of the loss of Justin Coleman
