MIAMI DOLPHINS

OFF SEASON CHANGES

The Dolphins blew it up over the off-season. They fired Mike McDaniel, hired Jeff Hafley as head coach, brought in new GM Jon-Erin Sullivan and released QB Tua Tagovailoa. They also moved on from Tyreek Hill, edge rusher Bradley Chubb and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. In their place: a three-year, $67.5 million deal for former Packers’ backup QB Malik Willis, ex-Texans OC Bobby Slowik as new OC and a league-high 13 draft picks headlined by first-round tackle Kadyn Proctor and cornerback Chris Johnson. There is so much unknown here but you have to respect that they’ve gone all in on the rebuild.

QUATERBACKS

Malik Willis is a bit of a gamble on a $67.5 million deal, but he did show some very promising signs when starting for the Packers. Willis is a powerful athlete who can use his legs and has a bit of a cannon arm too. He had a very impressive start for the Packers against the Ravens last season with 288 passing yards, 1 TD as well as 60 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs. That showed his potential and he’s a nice fit for this Dolphins team who don’t really have any top receivers left to throw to. Quinn Ewers is Willis’ backup but he’s just not very good, with 3 TDs and 3 interceptions in his four appearances last season.

RUNNING BACKS

De’Von Achane is the Dolphins’ best offensive player and I am a really big fan of his. He is one of the quickest players in the NFL and can break off massive plays both on the ground and in the air. He’s coming off a season with 1350 rushing yards and 488 receiving yards, which are amazing numbers playing for a bad team. He’s a great option for the Dolphins but his ceiling will be limited again due to their lack of general offense. The backups are Jaylen Wright, also an explosive runner, and Ollie Gordon II who was used as the short-yardage and goal-line back at some points last season. The RB room is probably their biggest offensive strength and we can expect some solid numbers from Achane again this year as the Dolphins will likely lean on the run.

RECEIVERS

With both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle no longer in Miami, there’s no hiding that this is probably the worst receiving corps in the NFL. Malik Washington, Jalen Tolbert and Tutu Atwell are all decent players, but none of them would be close to WR1 or maybe even WR2 on many other teams. They did take three different receivers in the draft, but none of those were taken before the third round. They’ll be hoping they can hit on one or two of those guys and there will be plenty of opportunities for them this season as the Dolphins look to the future. We can expect to see plenty of variation in this receiving corps each week and I wouldn’t be relying on any of them for consistent production. There are rumors tight end Greg Dulcich could be the main option. Wait and see what happens in pre-season here before making any major judgements. I would be avoiding betting on most of these players this season.

DEFENCE

There aren’t many big name players left on this defense after the departures of Bradley Chubb and Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Dolphins have gone all in on the draft to shore up their defense and look to the future. Corner Chris Johnson is an exciting prospect, taken with pick 27 in the draft. Jacob Rodriguez at linebacker won the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and was taken with pick 43 in the draft. It’s a big challenge for defensive coordinator Sean Duggan in his first season with Miami, but he does have a fresh slate to build this defense from scratch.