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NFL Draft

Miami Dolphins’ 2020 Season Will Be Successful If…

  • The Draft Network
  • August 22, 2020
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The Miami Dolphins have their quarterback of the future and invested a lot—I mean, a lot— of money into building around him. While Tua Tagovailoa might not see meaningful time in what will likely be a redshirt season, the Dolphins still need to establish their new, winning culture.

Miami will need to bounce back from a 5-11 season in the first year under head coach Brian Flores, who was hired from the Bill Belichick coaching tree after consecutive losing seasons under Adam Gase. Flores didn’t burst onto the scene like other young coaches—e.g. Sean McVay’s double-digit win season in his first year with the Los Angeles Rams—but he was able to restore some hope after the Dolphins lost their first seven games of the season.

They went 4-4 through the last half of the year and still got to pick high enough in the 2020 NFL Draft to get their quarterback. “Tank for Tua” was a success, but now, in order for Miami to be successful this upcoming season, it needs to put together a winning record.

Journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick is very likely playing his last season as a starter, at least that’s the Dolphins’ plan. The question is how soon will Tagovailoa be put into his new role. Rookie quarterbacks have been thrust into a starting job under normal circumstances; Daniel Jones started in Week 3 of the 2019 season for the New York Giants, and Dwayne Haskins closed out his rookie season as Washington Football Team’s starting quarterback after taking over in Week 9. This season, however, presents its own unique challenges. 

Tagovailoa, whose collegiate career was shortened by various injuries, is in an abbreviated offseason with a heightened risk of reinjury. He’ll need to be fully healthy before taking the field and, with all the unknowns this season presents amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it would be wise for the Dolphins to hold out as long as they possibly can. Miami didn’t spend what it did to see the face of the team rushed into the starting job. It spent its money for sustained, lasting success.

The Dolphins may have traded away running back Kenyan Drake, offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, but they spent an abundance of wealth on talent via free agency; $237 million during the offseason to be exact. It was the most spent by any team. The Dolphins used their money to renew their backfield and bring in a top cornerback, which will be two keys to their 2020 success. 

Miami finished last in rushing yards per game (72.3) and sacks (23). To make matters worse, Ryan Fitzpatrick was the team’s leading rusher with 243 yards and four touchdowns. After trading Drake midseason, Miami needed to shore up its running back room. The Dolphins signed Jordan Howard and traded for Matt Breida in an effort to reestablish the ground game.

The defense got the bulk of the transformation, including the secondary. Miami added Shaq Lawson, Emmanuel Ogbah, Elandon Roberts, and Kyle Van Noy to solidify the front seven and cornerback Byron Jones to pair with incumbent starter Xavien Howard.

It’s a full rebuild for the Dolphins and how well all of their new pieces mesh together with less time than usual will be telling. It would be unfair to expect much from this cast, whether Tagovailoa gets thrown into the mix early or not. Miami just needs to piece together a .500 season or better in preparation for Tagovailoa’s first full season in 2021.

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