HEADLINES

Offseason In Review: Miami Dolphins

September 6th, 2024 at 10:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Making back-to-back playoff berths for the first time in more than 20 years, the Dolphins have elevated their operation under Mike McDaniel. The drivers of that effort became more expensive this offseason, and the team again replaced its defensive coordinator. The Dolphins ranked first in total offense for the first time since Dan Marino‘s age-33 season (1994), but another late-season letdown — albeit with significant injury problems — became the lead story for this team.

As they attempt to shake off a no-show for a frigid Kansas City wild-card game, the Dolphins also lost some key pieces in assembling their 2024 puzzle. But they sure took care of their cornerstones as well.

Extensions and restructures:

Even though a partial hold-in took place to open training camp, the Dolphins’ negotiations with Tagovailoa were not especially rocky. But the value debates here did become interesting during the months-long talks.

While most teams with first-round quarterbacks they plan to extend complete extensions after the player’s third year, the Dolphins were understandably hesitant about this deal. Tua submitted inconsistent work during Brian Flores‘ tenure and sustained at least two (but most likely three) concussions in 2022. Early retirement consideration transpired in 2023, but the NFL’s lone active southpaw QB1 stayed healthy last season and set himself up for a payday on a soaring market.

The NFL’s passer rating and yards per attempt leader in 2022 (105.5, 8.9), Tagovailoa showed his breakthrough (when healthy) was not a fluke by pacing the 2023 field in yardage (4,624) during a season in which both Hill and Waddle — not to mention most of Miami’s O-line — missed time. The sides began negotiations in April, but by midsummer, the fifth-year passer had rejected one offer. A subsequent report indicated the Dolphins were aiming to avoid extending their QB at a top-market rate.

Guarantees became a sticking point for the team as well, but the Dolphins were not the team to buck this growing trend of giving promising but unspectacular (to date, at least) passers $50MM-plus per year. Tagovailoa joined Goff, Lawrence and Jordan Love in expanding the $50MM-AAV club to eight this offseason. The Dolphins, who had last authorized a franchise-level QB payment upon extending Ryan Tannehill (at $19.25MM per year) in 2015, needed to adjust the per-year salary near the end of the negotiations to complete the deal.

Tagovailoa’s “the market is the market” assessment reminded of the reality the Dolphins faced. Even second-tier QBs carry tremendous leverage, and the Dolphins waiting until Year 5 to pay theirs further equipped the player. The team navigated a difficult cap situation this offseason, and a Tua 2025 franchise tag would have placed a cap hold beyond $40MM on the payroll. Another productive year with the historically explosive Hill-Waddle tandem also would have upped Tagovailoa’s price, with Dak Prescott likely set to raise the market’s ceiling once again.

The Dolphins did avoid paying Tua $55MM per year, but they both settled on the Goff $53MM-AAV level and agreed to a rolling guarantee structure that protects the QB long term. The 26-year-old passer’s 2026 base salary ($54MM) will become fully guaranteed in March 2025. This deal also gives the Dolphins two fewer years of control compared to what Lawrence gave the Jaguars or Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow provided their teams (by agreeing to five-year deals before their fourth seasons). Miami waiting until Tagovailoa’s contract year and then agreeing to a four-year deal bolstered his negotiating position, and the Alabama product will be on track to cash in again — provided he stays on this trajectory — by his age-30 offseason.

Hill might not be in a Dolphin by that point, but he has transformed the team’s early-Tua-years offenses and may well have secured first-ballot Hall of Fame entry during his Miami tenure. Although Hill’s ugly off-field incident in college and his 2019 issue in Kansas City will always be tied to his legacy, the elite speed merchant has climbed up the WR ranks historically in Miami despite separating from Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid.

Hill, 30, was on pace for the NFL’s first 2,000-yard receiving season before suffering an injury in early December. Shortly after his second Dolphins slate wrapped, the eight-year veteran began angling for an updated contract despite three years remaining on his 2022 extension.

The Dolphins had Hill on a four-year, $120MM, but that contract featured what amounted to a phony final year to inflate the AAV to $30MM. Still, the Dolphins had the All-Pro target under contract through 2026. Teams do not make a habit of redoing deals with players signed for three more seasons, but GM Chris Grier had shown a precedent by reworking Xavien Howard‘s through-2024 contract back in 2022. That gave Hill’s camp ammo; the deep threat’s impact on Tagovailoa’s performance certainly did as well. While Hill indicating he would not seek a trade to force the issue hurt his leverage, the Dolphins took care of him anyway.

The revised contract turned Hill’s 2024 and ’25 salaries from nonguaranteed to fully guaranteed. Hill remaining on the Dolphins’ roster in 2026 — his age-32 season — would bump the guarantees to $65MM. The Dolphins probably knew they would have to complete a reworking with Hill after they paid Waddle, who has shown tremendous promise but has resided as the team’s clear-cut No. 2 wideout since the Hill trade.

Grier quickly took Waddle out of consideration during the Jonathan Taylor trade talks last summer, and the 2021 first-round pick is 3-for-3 in 1,000-yard seasons. Although Hill is the more dangerous weapon, Waddle also brings elite speed for a speed-obsessed team. The former No. 6 overall pick, who cost the Dolphins a future first-rounder to acquire in 2021, led the NFL with 18.1 yards per catch in 2022. That came after a far less explosive 2021 attack used Waddle as a short-area target (9.8 YPC). McDaniel quickly revamped Waddle’s role, and the Dolphins agreed to a deal that should keep their current WR2 rostered longer than their WR1.

Waddle’s $28.25MM-per-year deal checks in seventh among wide receivers. In terms of total guarantees, Waddle’s $76MM surpasses both the contracts Hill has agreed to with Miami. The 25-year-old pass catcher’s 2026 base salary will lock in by March 2025. On Day 3 of the 2026 league year, $15.2MM of Waddle’s 2027 base salary ($23.39MM) will become fully guaranteed.

At this rate, Waddle profiles as the Dolphins’ long-term top receiver. With this three-year extension giving Waddle a chance to cash in again before age 30, he will have some time to grow back into that WR1 role during Hill’s remaining seasons.

Friday marked Ramsey’s second Dolphins agreement in two years. The team reworked Ramsey’s deal to add guarantees upon acquiring him and has now — two days after Patrick Surtain‘s landmark Broncos accord — made him the NFL’s highest-paid corner. (Miami had also restructured Ramsey’s previous deal earlier this offseason to save nearly $20MM.) This move will push out Ramsey’s contract through 2028.

Playing lead roles for the Jaguars and Rams, Ramsey secured another megadeal despite going into his age-30 season. The full guarantee is not yet known, but Ramsey will see $55.3MM in total guarantees. The NFL now having two $24MM-per-year corners — after the position’s ceiling had been $21MM for more than two years — represents good news for Sauce Gardner in 2025.

Grier has again paid a player with at least two years left on his previous deal; Ramsey’s ran through 2025 but did not include any guarantees for next year. The only active corner with three first-team All-Pro nods, Ramsey has now secured two extensions (the first with the Rams in 2020) and a key reworking. He only played in only 10 Dolphins games last season, undergoing meniscus surgery. Pro Football Focus graded Ramsey’s first Dolphins season modestly, assessing him as the NFL’s 57th-best CB in 2023. But last year’s trade, which sent a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long to the Rams, keeps the veteran in place as Miami’s top cover man. The team will hope Ramsey can continue to play well into his 30s, which is far from a given at this position.

Armstead has navigated numerous injuries with the Dolphins but still submitted upper-echelon work. The team parted ways with starters Robert Hunt and Connor Williams, doing so after receiving assurances its veteran left tackle was planning to play at least one more season. Armstead, 33, has missed 11 games since signing a five-year, $75MM Dolphins deal. This continued a trend of injury-limited seasons for the Pro Bowl blocker. The Dolphins would take on $18.5MM in dead money if Armstead retires next year.

The fantasy universe expects De’Von Achane to usurp Mostert this season, but the veteran back parlayed a monster 2023 season into some more guaranteed money. Despite going into his age-32 season, Mostert — a journeyman special-teamer until becoming a 49ers RB regular in 2019 — has only 766 career touches. This career arc has allowed the 2015 UDFA to play this long, and McDaniel extracted plenty from his ex-San Francisco charge last season.

Mostert joined Achane among the top 10 in rushing yards over expected and led the NFL with 21 touchdowns. Injury-prone in San Francisco, Mostert has missed just three games since 2022. Injuries significantly limited the backfield speedster in the two years prior, but the Dolphins’ deep backfield supplies insurance.

Free agency additions:

For a UDFA who did not play too much over his first two seasons, Brewer has done well for himself. He started 17 games in each of the past two years — no small feat on injury-battered Tennessee O-lines — and drew a second-round RFA tender salary in 2023. Shifting from guard to center last year, Brewer did not distinguish himself among the position’s best. But he still commanded an eight-figure guarantee from a team in need. PFF viewed Brewer as a better center, where he played in spurts during each of his first three years at Division I-FCS Texas State, ranking him 11th at the position in 2023.

McDaniel’s offense has not highlighted the tight end position much. Mike Gesicki‘s franchise tag went to waste in 2022, and the team rolled out a top-heavy passing attack last season. No one came between Jaylen Waddle (1,014 yards) and Durham Smythe (366) among Tagovailoa targets. Smith will be poised to change that, depending on how much McDaniel will be keen on utilizing this position. Arthur Smith sure did, infuriating Kyle Pitts fantasy GMs by regularly incorporating Jonnu (582 yards) into the offense. Topping 400 yards twice as a Titan, Smith no-showed as a Patriot. But the Dolphins could certainly use more from this position, especially with Beckham on the PUP list.

Seeing their Xavien Howard–Byron Jones tandem last just two years, the Dolphins did not opt to extend their Howard-Ramsey partnership past one. Fuller will be asked to team with Ramsey. Defecting from a rebuilding Commanders team, Fuller is coming off a year in which he was charged with a whopping nine touchdown passes allowed as the closest defender. Illustrating how the NFL coverage metrics are not exactly on par with MLB-level advanced stats, PFF ranked Fuller seventh among corners last season. Fuller, 29, has 93 career starts on his resume and has extensive experience inside and outside. For now, the Dolphins are using Fuller outside and Kader Kohou at nickel.

Poyer (33) opted to re-sign with the Bills last year, but their 2024 cost-cutting mission included the veteran safety. Poyer intercepted 22 passes in seven Bills seasons, starting 107 games as part of one of this century’s premier safety duos (alongside Micah Hyde). Maye provides an interesting third safety option, coming off a suspension- and injury-marred Saints season. The former Jets franchise player is now 31. This will be a transition for Maye, a starter throughout his seven-year career. The Ravens used three-safety looks often; Maye would give Anthony Weaver this option in Jevon Holland‘s contract year.

Brooks steps in for longtime starter Jerome Baker, though this switch came from two free agent signings rather than a Dolphins-Seahawks trade. The 2020 first-rounder made it back from a January 2023 ACL tear to start 16 games last season, putting together his third 100-plus-tackle campaign. A starter alongside Bobby Wagner in two of the past three years — as the ILB legend left Seattle and then returned — Brooks added 4.5 sacks in his contract year. Brooks, 27, comes slightly cheaper than Baker, who was tied to a three-year, $37.5MM deal.

Miami waited on the two biggest names in its 2024 FA class. Campbell is the league’s oldest defender, turning 38 earlier this week, but has remained durable and productive. A college teammate of Devin Hester and Frank Gore, the 2008 Cardinals draftee has started the fourth-most games (225) by a D-lineman in NFL history. Only Bruce Smith, Jim Marshall and Reggie White have that beat. Campbell crossed the 100-sack barrier last season, adding a Falcons-most 6.5 to his career total. Among active players, only Von Miller and Cameron Jordan have Campbell beat for sacks.

The former Miami Hurricane is near the end of a remarkable career, but he should help the Dolphins’ post-Christian Wilkins solution up front. This signing reunites Campbell and Weaver, with the ex-Ravens assistant in place on John Harbaugh‘s staff during the accomplished D-lineman’s final two Baltimore seasons.

A Ravens team that lacks a proven No. 2 wideout let Beckham walk, despite the former star providing some decent work (565 receiving yards on a career-best 16.5 per catch) as a Zay Flowers sidekick. Beckham proved he could stay healthy following his knee-driven 2022 absence, but the 31-year-old wideout underwent an unspecified procedure to delay his Dolphins debut. McDaniel and Grier have downplayed concern, though it is probably time for some worry due to OBJ’s transfer to the reserve/PUP list.

Beckham came along after the Dolphins considered Tyler Boyd, though the nomadic starter had loomed as Miami’s top choice to flank Hill and Waddle. The 10th-year player would stand to be an upgrade after Miami received little from its previous tertiary receivers. Beckham certainly moved the needle for the 2021 Rams. A part-time role makes sense for the Dolphins, though the team continues to wait on the free agent’s recovery.

Re-signings:

Ogbah adds to the lot of 30-somethings to sign this offseason, and he rejoins the team in an emergency circumstance. Signee Shaq Barrett‘s retirement caught the Dolphins by surprise, leading them to re-sign a player they had just deemed a cap casualty. (A Yannick Ngakoue meeting did not lead to a deal.) Ogbah fell out of favor with Vic Fangio, before being needed for the wild-card game as just about every other Dolphins edge rusher was out.

Ogbah, 30, counts toward the salary cap on his current contract and $4MM in dead money from his previous deal. He earned that contract by putting together back-to-back nine-sack seasons (2020, 2021) and added 5.5 last year despite the demotion. As Bradley Chubb finishes ACL rehab, Ogbah will be a bridge player.

Jones sits as a left guard bridge while Wynn continues a lengthy recovery from a midseason quad injury. Wynn won Miami’s LG job after his Patriots tenure ended meekly. Ideally, Wynn will reclaim the gig upon returning. Jones subbed in for both Wynn and Robert Hunt last season, playing more than 150 snaps at each guard spot. PFF graded Jones as a mid-pack guard in each of the past two seasons. The former UDFA should be a swingman behind Jones and RG Liam Eichenberg, though Wynn will have missed nearly a year by the time he is eligible to return.

Notable losses:

The football gods smiled upon Wilkins this offseason. The salary cap spiked by a record $30.6MM, and the Dolphins’ cap situation did not make a franchise tag palatable. After watching the rest of the D-tackle talent from his 2019 draft class sign lucrative extensions in 2023, Wilkins ended the cycle with the best deal.

This required the five-year Miami starter breaking through as a pass rusher. During months-long extension talks last year, the Dolphins did not make Wilkins an offer in the neighborhood of where the Jeffery Simmons, Quinnen Williams and Dexter Lawrence markets went. Wilkins totaling 11.5 sacks in four seasons caused hesitancy from the team, but the Clemson product delivered a nine-sack contract year (packed with 23 QB hits) to rocket toward the top of the free agency pool. With the Chiefs keeping Chris Jones off the market two days before the legal tampering period, the red carpet rolled out for Wilkins.

Leading up to free agency, the Dolphins had tried to retain their front-seven anchor. Wilkins had delivered elite run defense (first in run stop win rate in 2021, second in 2022) in DC Josh Boyer‘s system, and the Dolphins had offered him a top-10 DT deal. It took much more to secure Wilkins’ services this year. The Raiders won out by giving him a four-year, $110MM complete with staggering guarantee numbers ($57.5MM at signing, $82.75MM in total). Those guarantees place him just behind Jones and well north of the players the Dolphins deemed a class better during 2023 negotiations.

Few free agents in recent NFL history did better than Wilkins, but Hunt came close. The NFL’s $20MM-per-year guard club consists of three All-Pros (Landon Dickerson, Chris Lindstrom, Quenton Nelson) and Hunt, the winner in a strong guard FA class. PFR ranked Hunt seven spots behind Wilkins this year (11th overall), but his accomplishments are incongruent with his price tag.

The three-year Dolphins joined Wilkins in capitalizing on circumstances, as the Panthers were desperate for guard help to protect the 5-foot-10 Bryce Young. This will still be a loss for the Dolphins, as PFF slotted Hunt as a top-12 guard in 2022 and ’23, but Miami — which had engaged in extension talks — was not equipped to go near that five-year, $100MM windfall.

Setting a precedent most teams avoid by redoing Howard’s deal with three years left, the Dolphins saw that reworking prove costly this offseason. Howard dead money came out to $11.4MM in 2024 and $15.7MM, due to the post-June 1 designation, in 2025. A ballhawk at his best, Howard led the NFL in INTs in 2018 and 2020. Byron Jones‘ contract irked the homegrown Dolphin, who had outplayed the ex-Cowboy during their time together, but the redone deal he secured will hurt the team for a bit.

Howard, 31, also has run into off-field issues. A police report named Howard regarding a shooting at his agent’s home, and while that case was eventually dismissed, the four-time Pro Bowler has since been hit with a civil suit alleging sexual misconduct. Howard said he would not take a Dolphins pay cut if asked; no team has signed him ahead of Week 1.

The Dolphins had considered keeping Van Ginkel but let him defect to the Vikings. Extended during Flores’ final year in charge, Baker (82 career starts) missed four games down the stretch then suffered another injury upon being activated from IR in Miami’s regular-season finale. Brooks will join David Long as a starter, with Anthony Walker accompanying Duke Riley as veteran second-stringers.

Not huddling back up with Williams is risky, as he has outplayed Brewer. PFF viewed Williams as a top-four center in each of the past two seasons. While the former Cowboys draftee suffered a late-season ACL tear, he played a key role in Miami’s strong rushing attack. The Seahawks also nabbed the six-year vet for just $4MM.

White resurfaced in the division, joining the Bills’ practice squad. After serving as Tagovailoa’s backup in 2023, the former Jets spot starter/popular Zach Wilson replacement could not keep his job during the preseason, seeing Skylar Thompson — Miami’s emergency starter in 2022, when Teddy Bridgewater joined Tua in going down — beat him out. Two years remain on Thompson’s seventh-round contract.

Draft:

The quarterback- and tackle-heavy makeup of the first round benefited those in need on defense. Under optimal conditions, the Dolphins did not need an edge rusher. They paid Bradley Chubb upon acquiring him at the 2022 deadline, and 2021 first-rounder Jaelan Phillips‘ contract runs through 2025. Miami has the makings of a strong three-man OLB contingent, but because the team lost Chubb and Phillips in a five-week span (and has since seen Barrett retire), Robinson fills a short-term deficiency as well.

Miami made Robinson the fourth edge rusher off this year’s board, selecting him two spots after Jared Verse. Dropping a 4.49-second 40-yard time solidified Robinson’s first-round stock in a way his 2023 season did not necessarily do. After a solid 2022 campaign in which he finished with 5.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss, Robinson registered four sacks and 7.5 TFLs.

Chubb now has two ACL tears on his NFL medical sheet. The Dolphins needed some cover, even though escaping Chubb’s extension is not practical until 2026. For the next two seasons, this has the potential to be an interesting array of pass rushers.

Grier attempted to trade back into Round 1 but found no takers. He then grabbed Paul toward the end of Round 2. Paul profiles as Armstead’s heir apparent. Although ESPN’s Scouts Inc. ranked Paul 132nd in this class, the Dolphins disagreed and have him training behind a 12th-year vet. Kendall Lamm may still be the first man off the bench if/when a Miami tackle goes down; Austin Jackson bounced back last season but missed 15 games in 2022. Paul put together a nice body of work in college, however, earning first-team all-conference acclaim — first in the AAC and then in the Big 12 — in three straight years. A Jackson-Paul 2025 tackle tandem may be the most likely scenario.

The Dolphins then traded a 2025 third-rounder (to an Eagles team committed to stockpiling ’25 picks) to acquire Wright. Miami had looked into Josh Jacobs‘ market in March and saw Achane dazzle when healthy. But the top-tier NFL speedster missed six games as a rookie. Mostert is in Year 10, and Jeff Wilson Year 7. Wright fits in with the franchise’s McDaniel-era M.O., blazing to a 4.38-second 40 time after averaging 7.4 yards per carry (1,013) at Tennessee. With Mostert a year-to-year proposition, Achane and Wright may be Miami’s 2025 RB anchors.

Other:

Either Fangio’s style has begun to alienate Gen-Z talent or he just did not mesh with the Dolphins, because not much love appeared lost on the veteran DC’s way out. The Dolphins had given Fangio a deal worth nearly $5MM per year — high-end coordinator money — to run the defense. A year later, the parties agreed to a mutual parting so the Pennsylvania native could return to the Eagles, with whom he consulted in 2022. Ramsey and Holland were among the anti-Fangio crowd, and some Dolphins believed he had wanted to be in Philly last season. Now, McDaniel has a third DC in three seasons.

Weaver joined Ravens positions coaches Dennard Wilson and Zach Orr in rising to a play-calling post this offseason. He emerged in a race that included one option blocked (Ejiro Evero) and two others promoted by their own teams (Bobby Babich, Chris Shula). An eight-year NFL vet as a player who rose to the DC level for one season (with the 2020 Texans),

The 44-year-old assistant oversaw Nnamdi Madubuike‘s breakthrough 2023 season and helped design a pass rush good enough to produce a No. 1 ranking despite neither edge rusher being on the team during the offseason program. Fangio’s defense ranked 10th in yards allowed — in a season featuring countless injuries — but 19th in DVOA.

Although defensive staff turnover persists, McDaniel has taken care of his side of the ball. Boasting a personality that does not exactly align with his profession, McDaniel has proven an upgrade on Flores. The Dolphins are 2-for-2 in playoff berths, and Tua Tagovailoa has harnessed the skillset the Dolphins sought when they chose him over Justin Herbert. McDaniel, 41, is the first 2022 HC hire extended.

The Dolphins made an earlier-than-expected move here, as McDaniel’s teams have proven unreliable against stiffer competition — particularly late in seasons. The Kansas City no-show reflected poorly on the Dolphins, but both McDaniel teams have encountered major injury trouble on both sides of the ball. It is arguable their shortcomings against top competition can be at least partially traced to player unavailability rather than this being a frontrunning operation.

That is still a reputation McDaniel must change, but having forged a better working relationship with Grier compared to Flores, the current HC (20-14) did not have to do so to earn a second contract.

Phillips has yet to deliver a double-digit sack season, but in his most recent healthy slate (2022), the ex-Miami Hurricane finished 10th in pressures (36). The 2021 first-rounder was on his way to a double-figure sack season last year, but he has made his way back from the Black Friday Achilles tear by Week 1. Given Chubb’s status, that is pivotal for Weaver’s defense.

Phillips, 25, probably has work to do to secure an extension, as the Dolphins now have him contracted for two more years. But his promising work in two different systems over the past two years point to extension talks taking place this year and/or next.

Top 10 cap charges for 2024:

  1. Tyreek Hill, WR: $31.98MM
  2. Bradley Chubb, OLB: $15.85MM
  3. Terron Armstead, LT: $10.56MM
  4. Tua Tagovailoa, QB: $9.53MM
  5. Jaylen Waddle, WR: $9.09MM
  6. Jalen Ramsey, CB: $7.96MM
  7. David Long, LB: $6.71MM
  8. Zach Sieler, DT: $6.31MM
  9. Austin Jackson, RT: $4.58MM
  10. Jason Sanders, K: $4.51MM

Committed to this nucleus and now McDaniel, the Dolphins need to take another step. They have not won a playoff game since 2000 wild-card win over the Colts. This squad employs far more offensive talent compared to that Jay Fiedler-quarterbacked team. The Dolphins have been unable to negotiate the Bills during the 2020s, and the Jets have Aaron Rodgers attempting to save their current regime. Neither rival can match Miami for sheer explosiveness — can any team? — but McDaniel-Tua skeptics will remain until the team snaps its near-25-year playoff win drought.

View Comments (4)