Many think the bottom-line standard for the 2025 Miami Dolphins, and the future of general manager Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel, is winning a playoff game. I’m in that crowd.
Others think the standard is making the playoffs, and yet others, looking at the roster and considering the personnel losses, say merely having a winning record is the standard.
You might be shocked to learn that given reasonable health, and the necessary upgrades in the secondary, this team, as currently constructed, isn’t far from a playoff berth.
Of course, if you’re like me and think this team should be ascending, and not stagnant or descending, a playoff berth isn’t nearly good enough.
But this is probably an eight- or nine-win team, as is, and that’s including my opinion of the draft. Most likely, they’ll need 10 or 11 wins to earn a playoff berth.
Yes, it’s understood the roster is far from complete. There’s still the second half of free agency, the June 1 cuts, and the training camp cuts before the 53-man roster is set.
By the way, cornerback Jalen Ramsey is omitted. Ramsey and the Dolphins have mutually agreed to seek a trade and he isn’t likely to return. A trade probably won’t happen until after June 1 for salary-cap purposes. At this point, Ramsey is probably the difference between making the playoffs or missing the playoffs. However, the overhauled cornerback position could change that outlook.
Here’s a look at how things stand:
Quarterback (3): Tua Tagovailoa, Zach Wilson, Quinn Ewers
Playoff Caliber: Yes
Comment: Tagovailoa must stay healthy and play well vs. playoff teams, which has been a major problem the last two seasons. The Dolphins haven’t had a quality backup under McDaniel. Perhaps that changes this year.
Running back (4): De’Von Achane, Jaylen Wright, Alexander Mattison, Ollie Gordon II
Playoff Caliber: Yes
Comment: This crew has questions. Achane, at 188 pounds, is great for speed and outside runs, but not great for inside runs, power, short yardage or breaking tackles. The Dolphins need other backs to handle those jobs and it might take two or three backs.
Fullback (1): Alec Ingold
Playoff Caliber: Yes
Comment: Ingold was one of five Dolphins offensive players to make the Pro Bowl in 2023. He’s steady.
Wide receiver (5): Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Malik Washington, Dee Eskridge
Playoff Caliber: Yes
Comment: Hill and Waddle, such as Tagovailoa, must be much better vs. playoff teams or this team is done. Westbrook-Ikhine is a big-bodied player who can make catches in traffic and the red zone. Washington is the presumptive slot receiver.
Tight end (3): Jonnu Smith, Pharaoh Brown, Julian Hill
Playoff Caliber: Yes
Comment: Smith was a Pro Bowl performer last season as the receiving tight end, and Brown and Hill handle the blocking. They’re a respectable crew.
Offensive tackle (4): Austin Jackson, Patrick Paul, Kion Smith, Jackson Carman
Playoff Caliber: No
Comment: There could be trouble brewing here. But they should be OK. Jackson, the starter on the right side, is coming off a season-ending knee injury; Paul, the starter on the left side, is unproven. Losing starting left tackle Terron Armstead (retirement) and veteran backup Kendall Lamm (Philadelphia) will be costly.
Center (1): Aaron Brewer, Andrew Meyer
Playoff Caliber: Yes
Comment: Brewer, who played all 1,138 snaps last season, is a quality player despite being undersized. Meyer, last year’s undrafted rookie from Texas-El Paso, has never played a snap in the NFL.
Guard (4): James Daniels, Jonah Savaiinaea, Liam Eichenberg, Larry Borom
Playoff Caliber: No
Comment: There will be more scrutiny of Daniels and Savaiinaea, the starters, than any other offensive starters aside from Tagovailoa and Hill. Dolphins fans have blamed many of the team’s offensive ills on poor guard play for the last two seasons and they expect the issue to be fixed this year.
Nose tackle (3): Benito Jones, Neil Farrell, Zeek Biggers
Playoff Caliber: No
Comment: Improvement is needed. Jones is a below average starter, but as a two-down player he can be flanked by quality defensive tackles and it’ll help mask his shortcomings.
Defensive tackle (4): Zach Sieler, Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips, Matt Dickerson
Playoff Caliber: Yes
Comment: The Dolphins need quality depth. Sieler is a baller, but Grant, the first-round pick, and Phillips, the fifth-round pick, must prove themselves at the NFL level.
Edge rusher (4): Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, Chop Robinson, Mo Kamara
Playoff Caliber: Yes
Comment: The Dolphins are good as long as Chubb (knee) and Phillips (knee) fully recover, and Robinson, last year’s first-round pick who totaled an admirable 6.0 sacks, continues to ascend. Anything short of that and this position becomes a concern.
Inside linebacker (4): Jordyn Brooks, Tyrel Dodson, K.J. Britt, Willie Gay Jr.
Playoff Caliber: Yes
Comment: The Dolphins are absolutely loaded here. Brooks played 1,039 snaps last year (97.7 percent). Dodson is good vs. the pass, and Britt and Gay are quality backups. No worries at ILB. But no Pro Bowl player, either.
Cornerback (6): Kader Kohou, Cam Smith, Storm Duck, Ethan Bonner, Isaiah Johnson, Jason Marshall Jr.
Playoff Caliber: No
Comment: This is a full-blown emergency. The Dolphins need boundary CBs to accompany Kohou, a quality slot/nickel. Smith has been a disappointment. Duck, an undrafted rookie last year, shows promise. But at this point neither is good enough to be a starter.
Safety (4): Iffy Melifonwu, Ashtyn Davis, Elijah Campbell, Patrick McMorris
Playoff Caliber: No
Comment: This situation is close to dire. Melifonwu, who has battled injury issues in his career, has made 14 starts in four years, and Davis has made 22 starts in five years. Help/upgrade is needed.
Punter (1): Ryan Stonehouse
Playoff Caliber: Yes
Comment: Stonehouse was a Pro Bowl player in Tennessee under Craig Aukerman, the new special teams coordinator. There’s a good chance he supplants Jake Bailey, last year’s punter.
Kicker (1): Jason Sanders
Playoff Caliber: Yes
Comment: Sanders is the most clutch player on the team. No question.
Long snapper(1): Blake Ferguson
Playoff Caliber: Yes
Comment: Ferguson gets this job if he successfully returns from whatever caused him to spend time on the non-football injury (NFI) list last season.