POORLY POSITIONED
Few are the areas in which the Dolphins couldn’t use some significant improvement
DAVIE — There isn’t one area of this year’s Miami Dolphins team that doesn’t need a massive overhaul.
That is generally what happens when a franchise does a scorched-earth rebuild of its roster, shedding salaries and, in the process, stripping the team of its veterans and experienced players.
But this rebuild has taken the franchise to depths few Dolphins teams have experienced before. Here’s a look at where the Dolphins stand at every position with five games left in the 2019 season.
Quarterback: The Dolphins need a quarterback to build around, whether it’s an established veteran such as Teddy Bridgewater, a trade target such as Cam Newton or a young draft pick with upside such as LSU’s Joe Burrow, Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa or Oregon’s Justin Herbert. Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is 37, can’t physically handle starting a 16-game season anymore, and Josh Rosen is too raw and too fundamentally flawed to be viewed as a viable NFL
starter. Maybe that changes in time, but Rosen’s processing speed when it comes to reading defenses needs to drastically improve.
Addressing this position needs to be Miami’s top priority in 2020.
Tailback: This unit has been terrible all season, but its struggles have a lot to do with those of the offensive line. If Kalen Ballage’s 1.9 yards-per-carry average doesn’t improve, he’ll likely become the least productive running back in NFL history with 100 or more carries in a season. Everyone else in this unit — Patrick Laird, Myles Gaskin and DeLance Turner — is simply filler unless he proves otherwise in the final five games.
The Dolphins need to either sign a top-flight talent such as Chargers tailback Melvin Gordon, who will likely become an unrestricted free agent in 2020, or take one early in the next NFL draft.
Receiver: DeVante Parker has developed into a reliable possession receiver, one who is on pace to produce 1,000 receiving yards this season, and Preston Williams showed promise as a rookie starter before suffering his season-ending knee injury. But the Dolphins desperately need to find a reliable slot receiver because Albert Wilson will likely be released to create $9.5 million in cap space.
Adding another youngster, a talent such as Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy or Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb who can create yards after the catch, would be ideal because Jakeem Grant is more of a gimmick player on offense than an actual playmaker.
Tight end: Mike Gesicki, who has caught 31 passes for 322 yards this season and scored his first NFL touchdown last Sunday, has begun to blossom as a passcatching weapon, but he probably won’t develop into an every-down tight end because of his limitations as a blocker. Durham Smythe and Clive Walford should be viewed as NFL journeymen because there’s little upside with either player. It would be ideal for the Dolphins to find a tight end who can do everything the position requires.
Offensive line: This season has proved that there’s very little salvageable about the Dolphins offensive line outside of Jesse Davis. Michael Dieter, Miami’s second-round pick in 2019, has struggled as the starting left guard, but there’s a chance he improves as he gains more experience.
The Dolphins need two more starters on this unit, and it might be three if they decide to move on from center Daniel Kilgore, who is slated to earn $3.65 million next season. Adding a reliable left tackle is one of the top three needs because Julien Davenport is more suited to be a right tackle or a backup.
Defensive line: The Dolphins are horrendous at stopping the run (last in the NFL) and pressuring opposing quarterbacks (also last in sacks recorded per pass play). This unit won’t improve until Miami finds better edge setters at both defensive end spots and adds another topend