Chris Perkins: Dolphins need to get busy in offseason if they plan on advancing in the playoffs
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The future is now for the Dolphins. And after Sunday’s 34-31 wild-card playoff loss at Buffalo, the future looks promising.
That’s the opinion from outside the locker room — yes, the Dolphins made the playoffs, but they need to make some major improvements if they plan on winning their first playoff game since the 2000 season.
The Dolphins had a successful 2022 season.
They made the playoffs with a rookie head coach, Mike McDaniel, and a banged-up quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa.
Next year both should be improved.
“Dolphins fans and the organization, we were very aware of the drought of winning a playoff game,” McDaniel said, “but that’s something that since I got the job that has been a huge motivating factor for me and I really wanted to bring [a playoff victory] to the team, the organization and the fanbase, and we fell short.
“But it wasn’t because of lack of effort or lack of determination or lack of intent. It’s because we didn’t get it done. We’re a young team and we had to learn from it and unfortunately we had to learn the hard way.”
But there’s lot of hope for next year.
The Dolphins need improvement in many areas, and with a good effort from the front office and scouting department they could get the help they need. No, they don’t have a first-round pick in this year’s NFL draft. They have one second-round pick, two third-round picks, a sixth- and a seventh-round pick. They’re over the salary cap so they’ll have to make some moves before acquiring any major help.
But here’s a number that should guide the Dolphins this offseason: 24.
The Dolphins were 24th in third-down conversions offensively (36.2%) during the regular season, and 24th in third-down stops defensively (41.6%).
Third-down conversions are reflective of talent and coaching/strategy as opposed to toughness or grit.
The third-down rankings on both sides of the ball are a good number to keep in mind during the offseason.
For the record, Tagovailoa’s future is the No. 1 concern for the offseason. McDaniel said he’s rolling with Tagovailoa next season despite the concussion concerns that kept him out of Sunday’s playoff game as well as four other starts (New York Jets twice, Minnesota, and New England).
So that much is already settled, which means there likely won’t be a Quarterback Watch that mentions names such as Tom Brady (Tampa Bay), Derek Carr (Las Vegas) or Jimmy Garropolo (San Francisco).
That allows us to move on to the rest of the roster.
The Dolphins finished the regular season second-to-last in rushing attempts (25th in rushing yards), had a minus-5 turnover margin, and were minus-2 in point differential.
The Dolphins must find a running game in the offseason. Much of that will depend on McDaniel improving as a play-caller. Again, he was a rookie head coach so things such as play-calling and clock management might get away from time to time.
But much of the running game improvement will also depend on the running backs and the offensive line.
Running backs Raheem Mostert, who missed the wild-card game with a broken right thumb, and Jeff Wilson Jr., acquired in a midseason trade, ran hard when they had their opportunities. But giving them more opportunities would result in a less predictable offense (it devolved into forcing passes to wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle), more help for the quarterback and a way to move the chains.
The Dolphins need offensive line improvement. Left tackle Terron Armstead, one of the most impressive players on the team for his on-field work and locker room leadership, might not be around for more than 12 games next season. They’ll also need to determine whether right tackle Austin Jackson, a 2020 first-round pick, is capable of protecting Tagovailoa’s blind side from a talent standpoint and a health standpoint.
And tight end Mike Gesicki, who is playing on a franchise tag, will likely depart meaning the Dolphins need a new tight end, likely a better blocker although Gesicki’s receiving skills will be missed.
Defensively, determining what should happen with cornerback Byron Jones is a top priority, and if he must be replaced, that’s the No. 1 defensive priority. Remember, Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard showed signs of slippage during the season but to be fair he battle through injuries throughout the season.
Also defensively, more athleticism at inside linebacker would help from the standpoint of pass coverage and perhaps spying opposing quarterbacks who are capable of hurting you with their legs.
We’ll see what happens in the offseason, but it needs to be a big one if the Dolphins are going to win their first playoff game since the 2000 season.
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