Ranking the Top 10 Dolphins Stories of 2025

The Miami Dolphins were viewed as a team with bad vibes well before the 2025 season began. In hindsight, it isn’t hard to see why.

Cornerstone players requested trades, locker room drama went public, and the team dealt its only Pro Bowler from 2024, all before training camp opened. Miami struggled to find its footing early in the regular season, and while there were a few bright spots along the way, the past 12 months made one thing clear: significant changes are on the way.

With that in mind, here are the 10 biggest Dolphins stories from a franchise-altering calendar year.

1. Tua Tagovailoa Gets Benched

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was benched following Miami’s 28–15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 15, roughly 17 months after signing a four-year, $212.4 million contract with the franchise.

Tagovailoa has topped 300 passing yards just once and has thrown at least three touchdown passes in only two games this season. He threw 15 interceptions in 14 starts, including a two-week stretch in which he threw six picks against the Los Angeles Chargers and the Cleveland Browns.

Miami spent years building around Tagovailoa’s strengths, but his regression in 2025 has made absorbing roughly a $100 million cap hit to move on from him a very real possibility.

2. Firing General Manager Chris Grier

Chris Grier joined the Dolphins in 2000 as a scout and was promoted to director of college scouting in 2007 before taking over as general manager in 2016.

Miami had only three winning seasons while he was GM, and was also winless in the playoffs, which included double-digit losses to the Kansas City Chiefs and Steelers. Grier and the team announced they were parting ways on Halloween, one day after the Dolphins lost 28-6 to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football.

The midseason decision to move on from Grier wasn’t expected, considering his 20-year history with the franchise, but there’s no denying that it was time for a change.

3. Tyreek Hill’s Injury

Tyreek Hill was crucial to Miami’s success early in the Mike McDaniel era, exceeding 1,700 receiving yards in his first two seasons with the Dolphins. However, 2025 was expected to be a prove-it year for the All-Pro wide receiver coming off 81 receptions for 959 yards — the first time he failed to reach 1,000 receiving yards since 2019.

Hill was Miami’s leading receiver in each of the first four games before suffering a season-ending leg injury in Week 4 against the New York Jets, finishing the season with 21 receptions for 265 yards and a touchdown.

Hill was a first-team All-Pro in his first two seasons with the franchise, but his time with the Dolphins could be coming to an end, considering his $52 million cap hit in 2025.

4. Trading Jalen and Jonnu to Pittsburgh (and the aftermath)

Let’s unpack the trade that sent Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the deal that brought safety Minkah Fitzpatrick back to Miami.

The Dolphins and Ramsey announced their intention to explore trade options nine days before the draft, but a deal wasn’t finalized until late June. Smith, Miami’s leading pass catcher last season, was ultimately traded after holding out of mandatory June minicamp while seeking a new contract.

The trade itself made sense, and Fitzpatrick was as advertised in his first season back in Miami. Still, the franchise could have handled both positions much better.

Miami replaced last season’s top receiving option with Darren Waller, who came out of retirement in early July to join the team. Waller has been productive with six touchdowns in nine games, but didn’t make his debut until Week 4 after missing all of last season. Greg Dulcich also emerged as a bright spot in the tight end room, though he wasn’t added to the active roster until Oct. 22.

At cornerback, the Dolphins drafted Jason Marshall Jr. in the fifth round and have leaned heavily on veterans Jack Jones and Rasul Douglas. Both arrived after training camp had already begun.

Waller, Dulcich, Jones, and Douglas all made winning plays, but context matters. Miami looked unprepared early in the season, and there were two separate three-game losing streaks in the first two months.

Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver recently said the Dolphins can’t afford to “piecemeal” their defense that late in the offseason, and it’s fair to say the same standard should apply to tight end, and just about any other position.

5. Beating the Bills

Miami snapped its second three-game losing streak with a 34-10 win against the Atlanta Falcons, but came crashing down to earth four days later with the loss to the Baltimore Ravens, which led to Grier’s departure.

The Dolphins were spiraling, and the Buffalo Bills had a chance to land a knockout punch at Hard Rock Stadium in Week 10. Instead, Miami jumped out to a 16-0 first-half lead and never looked back in a 30-13 victory.

Beating Buffalo served as a springboard for a four-game winning streak, but the 1-6 start was ultimately too much to overcome. It’s to be determined if this win was better or worse for Miami’s long-term outlook, but it most certainly brought the 2025 team back to life.

6. De’Von Achane’s Dominance

Considering Tagovailoa’s struggles and Hill’s injury, running back De’Von Achane emerged as the engine of the Dolphins’ offense. While Miami beat Buffalo by 17 points, the game was far closer than the final score suggests — until Achane took over.

The Bills opened the fourth quarter with a touchdown, but Achane responded later in the frame with a 59-yard scoring run, creating some distance at 23-6. Buffalo again cut the lead to 10 on the ensuing drive, only for Achane to deliver the final blow with a 35-yard touchdown run less than a minute later.

With one game to play, Achane has already set a career high with 1,350 rushing yards while averaging a league-leading 5.7 yards per carry on 238 attempts. He eclipsed 100 rushing yards four times and also leads the team with 67 receptions.

Big changes loom for the Dolphins, but for Achane, the only adjustment should come in the form of a pay raise and a contract extension.

7. Trading Jaelan Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles (and Chop’s Struggles)

The addition of Phillips made a good Eagles defense even better, but he was also entering the final year of his rookie contract. When factoring in Miami’s 2-7 record at the trade deadline and limited salary cap space next season, a Day 2 pick was a solid return for a team embracing transition.

The decision to trade Jaelan Phillips felt like a win for all parties — except Chop Robinson.

Moving on from Phillips created increased opportunities for Robinson, who played at least 55 percent of defensive snaps in four straight weeks before suffering a concussion against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

If Robinson is unable to go in Week 18, the 2024 first-round pick will finish the season with 21 tackles, one forced fumble, and just four sacks, which is tied for 81st in the NFL.

8. Stephen Ross Announces That McDaniel and Grier Will Return for 2025

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross announced on Jan. 5 that McDaniel and Grier would return for 2025, shortly after the 2024 season ended with an underwhelming 32-20 loss to the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.

The announcement highlighted the positive working relationship between Grier and McDaniel, while also emphasizing that “continuity in leadership is not to be confused with an acceptance that the status quo is good enough.”

Speaking of the status quo, the Dolphins began the season 1-6 after a 2-6 start in 2024. Grier parted ways with the franchise in late October, and McDaniel’s future may now depend on the next GM.

9. Public Airing of Grievances from Tyreek… Then Tua

It’s hard to win football games, and stirring drama only adds to the challenge. Tyreek Hill said he wanted out of Miami after the team’s Week 18 loss last season, and while he spent most of the offseason trying to walk back that statement, it was a consistent storyline when games weren’t being played.

In July, Tagovailoa added to the storyline by saying that Hill still needed to rebuild relationships with his teammates. This became a trend for Tagovailoa, who then called out unnamed teammates for being late to players-only meetings to the media in October.

Tagovailoa later apologized for his comments, but a clear rift was forming in the locker room.

10. Jordyn Brooks’ Growth in Miami

On the other side of the coin, linebacker Jordyn Brooks has stepped in as a leader of the Dolphins. With one game to play, his 174 total tackles and 94 solo tackles both lead the NFL, and he also has 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble.

A former first-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks, Brooks’ leadership is nearly as important as his play for a team that’s been desperately trying to shed the label of being “too soft.”

McDaniel summarized Brooks’ Year 2 growth with the Dolphins in early December: “It's rare that a quiet, businesslike, serious, focused person becomes almost the voice of your team. That process is really cool because the quiet guy doesn't talk until people are asking what he has to say. He's doing his job.

“He's relentless. He's tough, but it's rare you're given the gift of being on a team with a person that's so focused, so tough-minded, so relentless that you can count on his 100 percent every day. After doing that for a lot of days, he became one of the main pillars, became a captain. I can't say enough about the guy. Whatever credit he gets, it would be completely feasible if you gave him more.”

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