How to Fix the Dolphins

The NFL offseason is now in full swing with coaching changes, free agency and the NFL Draft reshaping the 2023 fantasy football landscape. With that in mind, the Fantasy Life squad is breaking down every NFL team to determine what went wrong in 2022 and identify paths to improvement. Pete is here to take on our next project, the Dolphins...

Team Summary

We all laughed last summer when Tyreek Hill compared Tua Tagovailoa to Patrick Mahomes and called Tua “the most accurate QB in the NFL”. It seemed ludicrous at the time and a classic case of a player blindly gassing up his teammate, but fast forward to the end of the 2022 season, and Hill didn’t seem so crazy after all:

Both Hill and Jaylen Waddle put up massive seasons as arguably the best WR duo in the NFL, and the two of them could be found on many championship-winning fantasy rosters.

The Dolphins played at a blistering pace and finished top-six in the league in pass rate above expectation. In fact, Tua was a legitimate MVP candidate at one point and finished third in QBR while operating the Mike McDaniel scheme at a high level.

Ultimately, QB injuries derailed any hopes of a playoff run, but Miami still managed a respectable 9-8 record en route to a second-place finish in the AFC East. Impressively, they even nearly knocked off their divisional rival, Buffalo, in the Wild Card round of the playoffs despite having been forced to start a third-string QB in that game.

All in all, it wasn’t a bad year for the Dolphins.

Still, there’s plenty to improve upon if Miami is to compete with the rest of the heavy hitters in the AFC next season. Some of that groundwork has already been laid this offseason with the hiring of Vic Fangio to shore up their leaky defense, which finished near the bottom of the league in multiple categories:

• Yards per game (18th)
• Points per game (24th)
• Yards per play (14th)
• Third-down defense (24th)
• Red-zone defense (23rd)
• Takeaways (30th)
• Sacks per pass attempt (22nd)

But in order to become true Super Bowl contenders, the Dolphins will also need to bolster their QB depth and find additional playmakers to supplement Hill and Waddle.

Fantasy Fixer Recommendations

Find a Brock Purdy

Easier said than done, right? But if there’s one team in the league that needs to place a big premium on their backup QB, it’s the Dolphins. 

Tua’s 2022 season was a revelation when he was on the field, but he ended up playing in just 13 games due to multiple concussions. His second head injury forced a 36-day stint in the concussion protocol, which ultimately ended Tua’s season and forced him to miss Miami’s playoff game.

 When Tua was out, backups Teddy Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson did their best to keep the ship afloat, but the team needs to find a trustworthy backup signal caller if/when Tua were to miss time again.

This past season, the 49ers showed that a competent backup like Brock Purdy could keep a team in contention well into the playoffs. Conversely, the Dolphins and Ravens both learned the hard way following poor performances from Thompson and Tyler Huntley that lack of competent QB depth can lead to first-round playoff exits.

Whether they target a proven backup like Jacoby Brissett in free agency or take a stab at a late-round QB in the draft like Max Duggan or Hendon Hooker, Miami needs to be aggressive with solidifying their QB depth this offseason.

Beef up Tua’s Protection

The Dolphins are well aware that they need to protect Tua better. This offseason, Miami has already hired a new offensive line coach, Butch Barry, who was previously with Denver.

That said, depth continues to be an issue for the offensive line. While the Dolphins spent a pretty penny last offseason to sign tackle Terron Armstead and center Connor Williams, injuries quickly mounted in 2022. Williams (PFF’s fourth-highest graded center) and Robert Hunt (PFF’s ninth-highest graded guard) were the only two offensive linemen who played all 17 games for Miami last year.

However, it will be difficult for the Dolphins to add adequate depth on the offensive line, as they currently have the sixth-least salary cap space and don’t have a first-round draft pick in 2023. 

Miami forfeited their own first-round pick as part of their punishment for violating tampering rules with Tom Brady and Sean Payton. They traded away their other first-round pick in 2023 as part of the deal to acquire Bradley Chubb last November.

The Dolphins do, however, still have some draft capital to address their needs:

• Round 2 - 51st overall
• Round 3 - 77th overall
• Round 3 - 84th overall (from New England)
• Round 6 - 178th overall (from Chicago)
• Round 7 - 240th overall

I won’t pretend like I have a deep knowledge of the left guards and interior linemen available in this year’s draft class, but Miami would be wise to spend at least a couple of their draft picks to bolster the offensive line. Apparently, there should be some good prospects available in this range.

Find a Third Offensive Weapon

Outside of Hill and Waddle, there wasn’t much consistent production in 2022 from the rest of the Dolphins’ skill position players.

The team took a spray-and-pray approach at RB last season, as they traded Chase Edmonds to the Broncos while simultaneously trading for Jeff Wilson Jr. from the 49ers. Heading into the offseason, their entire RB room is set to hit free agency:

• Wilson
• Raheem Mostert
• Myles Gaskin
• Salvon Ahmed (RFA)

Miami has smartly not overspent on the RB position over the past few years under general manager Chris Grier, and I expect that trend to continue. 

Even so, the team should try to bring back at least one of Wilson or Mostert on a cheap deal while also drafting a rookie in what is shaping up to be a solid RB class from a depth perspective.

A recent CBS mock draft projects the Dolphins to select Tulane RB Tyjae Spears with pick No. 51, although it might be wiser to spend their top draft pick on a more impactful position on defense or the offensive line and address RB with a later selection instead.

Miami will also need to find another pass-catcher, with the criminally underused Mike Gesicki likely to leave in free agency.

 Some of the teams that made it to the conference championship games this past season showed how important it can be to have that third or even fourth receiving option. The Dolphins should search for their own version of a Dallas Goedert, Tyler Boyd, or Brandon Aiyuk to help drive the offense rather than rely solely upon their two superstar WRs.

In last year’s draft, players like George Pickens, Alec Pierce, Trey McBride, and Greg Dulcich all went after pick No. 51. Of course, it’s not easy to land a difference-maker in that range (guys like Velus Jones Jr. were also drafted in this area of last year’s draft), but Miami should at least explore their options in the early and middle rounds.

TEs are reportedly the crown jewel of this incoming draft class, which lines up nicely with the Dolphins’ needs assuming that Gesicki heads elsewhere in free agency. Daniel Jeremiah even called it “the best TE class” he’s seen in 10 years.

The top rookie TEs will likely be long gone before Miami’s first pick at 51st overall (Michael Mayer and Dalton Kincaid both project to be first-round draft picks), but Georgia's Darnell Washington, Iowa's Sam LaPorta, South Dakota State’s Tucker Kraft, and Clemson's Davis Allen could all be in play for the Dolphins in the middle rounds of the draft.