2023 was the Phins high-point talent season & it will only get harder going forward
Well, I know it sounds like a broken record– because it is–but, the 2023 Season is another year of letdown for Miami Dolphins. Injuries, poor performances, poor coaching, and lack of depth and talents slowly strangled off all the hope until there was none left. Now what? The chorus from the media on Tua not being good enough has returned to go along with McDaniel stinks. The 2024 Season could be a rough one for so many reasons… all of which I’ll go over in this article. Now, let me be clear, next year could be great, but from the tea leaves I’m reading it’s going to be a very tough climb to the top and 2025 will start the major teardown of this team build.
I’m not trying to be pessimistic, simply realistic.
2024 will have a ton of new hurdles
Let’s start with the Dolphins’ own Free Agents they need to resign or say goodbye too:
- Connor Williams and even if we resign him he won’t be ready until mid-season at least and maybe not 100% until 2025.
- Christian Wilkins will likely get the Franchise Tag, although, maybe it goes to Robert Hunt. The sticker price for Wilkins will be $20 million and much more for a new contract.
- Robert Hunt’s tag price would be steep around $20 million according to Over the Cap. A long-term contract could be anywhere from $13 to $18 million. The Phins could Transition Tag him and maybe get something if someone wants him that bad. However you slice it it will be expensive to keep him.
- Andrew Van Ginkel will command a tighty sum from someone. I just don’t see how Miami can pay him with all the other issues they need to address. I think Van Ginkel will get $10 plus million from someone.
- Kendall Lamm, Braxton Berrios, Brandon Jones, Raekwon Davis, DeShon Elliott, and Nik Needham among many others will also be Free Agents.
The Dolphins are currently $41 million over the cap and tagging Wilkins would bring it to $61 million. With only 37 players signed for the 2024 Season, things will be tight and the talent pool will dip. Miami does have their 1st and 2nd Round pick, but they start with the 22nd pick and that range can always be dicey.
Injuries compound the problem along with many units needing help
Let’s start with the defense:
Even with Long and Baker, the Dolphins need to upgrade the depth at the position if not the starting talent. The 2022 draft pick Channing Tindall hasn’t shown anything that he can be counted on. This makes cutting Baker as some want a dicey move. Xavien Howard is getting older and the injuries coming faster, his expected replacement Cam Smith didn’t get many live snaps and appears to be struggling. It could be that he’s ready in 2024, but Noah Igbinoghene and Cordrea Tankersley both are reminders that he might never be ready. Deshon Elliot will get paid or need to be replaced as well. With Van Ginkel likely gone and both Chubb and Phillips injured and likely won’t be ready until mid-season at the earliest, the Dolphins are empty on the edges because even Goode was seriously injured and Ogbah will be cut.
All of these issues put the Dolphins’ 2024 defensive talent pool in question. You can only fill so many holes with those two top picks when you are this strapped for cash…
… and the offense has its share of issues too.
On offense, it’s murky because of the compounding of all the needs on defense as well. The Dolphins have to decide to pay or not to pay Tua, who is in the last year of his deal. Add in Miami needs serious help for this offensive line in starting talent and depth, which makes the Connor and Hunt situation sticky. Upgrading the tight end position is a must too, but they are so hard to find. There are a bunch of spots that must get filled on this offense if they want to compete against the better teams.
All-in moves sound great… until they don’t
Many fans loved the all-in moves made by GM Chris Grier. Now, it might be buyer’s remorse taking the place of all that excitement. You’ve got to figure that the Patriots will be better and the Jets will have Rodgers back. Also, the Bills finally realized that they need to run the ball and they won’t drop as many games next year if they don’t forget the lesson. This will likely make the Dolphins’ rise from the AFCE more difficult when you factor in all they need to do to fix their roster. Since there are no teams that get all their moves right, Phins fans should be concerned that the Phins might take a step back.
While Miami will certainly make some good moves this offseason, they need to nail a ton to get better than the 2023 Roster. And, after what we saw over the last few weeks of this season, the 2024 team needs to be solidly better than this year’s team if they want to do anything substantial.
Well, here’s to hoping we nail this offseason like nobody’s business! Go Phins!!!