Miami Dolphins (Last Year: 8-9)
2025 NFL Season Preview:
Veteran Additions:
QB Zach Wilson, RB Alexander Mattison, WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, TE Darren Waller, OT Larry Borom, G James Daniels, LB Willie Gay, LB K.J. Britt, CB Artie Burns, S Minkah Fitzpatrick, S Ifeatu Melifonwu, S Ashtyn Davis.
Early Draft Picks:
DT Kenneth Grant, G Jonah Savainaea. Dolphins Rookie Forecast
Offseason Losses:
QB Tyler Huntley, RB Raheem Mostert, TE Jonnu Smith, OT Kendall Lamm, G Robert Jones, DE Emmanuel Ogbah, LB Anthony Walker, CB Jalen Ramsey, CB Kendall Fuller, S Jevon Holland, S Jordan Poyer.
2025 Miami Dolphins Offense:
Miami has loads of offensive talent, so anything outside of a top-10 finish last year was going to be seen as a disappointment. Yet, the Dolphins didn’t even maintain a top-20 offense in terms of points scored. The Dolphins were 22nd in that category and 18th in yardage gained.
There were a number of problems with Miami’s offense. Tua Tagovailoa missing time with yet another concussion was the primary reason why the Dolphins had their playoff hopes derailed. Tagovailoa’s career seemed like it was in jeopardy when he got knocked in the head in Week 2 against the Bills. He eventually returned, but the damage was done. Miami couldn’t beat anyone except the lowly Patriots with its backups, as head coach Mike McDaniel looked completely lost without his former first-round quarterback. Tagovailoa will be available to start the season, but another concussion could end his career.
The Dolphins need to protect Tagovailoa as well as possible to make sure he doesn’t get hurt again. They didn’t get the memo entering 2024, however, as the interior offensive line was the worst group in the AFC, thanks to the departures of Robert Hunt and Connor Williams. The front office responded by signing James Daniels and using a second-round pick on Jonah Savainaea. It remains to be seen how the rookie will perform, but Daniels is one of the better guards in the NFL. Daniels barely played last year due to injury, but he could rebound this season. The other interior blocker is center Aaron Brewer, who is the lone member of the group who played well last year.
While the interior blocking will improve, the tackle play will be worse. This is because talented left tackle Terron Armstead retired. Patrick Paul, chosen in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, will take over the position, but he struggled last season. However, Paul was seen as a raw, high-upside prospect, so he could make a big leap in his second season. His bookend, Austin Jackson, has an extensive injury history. He missed nine games in 2024.
Miami’s poor offensive line play prevented the receivers from reaching their maximum potential. Both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle had disappointing seasons. Hill is now in his 30s and could be facing legal issues, so he may miss action this year. The Dolphins signed Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who scored nine touchdowns last year, for depth purposes. There’s also Darren Waller, who will be replacing the heavily targeted Jonnu Smith. Waller was once a great tight end, but he’s the well past his prime.
De’Von Achane also saw lots of targets. The shifty back caught 78 passes in 2024. That was the good news. The bad news was that his offensive line struggled to open adequate running lanes most of the time. So, while Achane was very productive as a receiver out of the backfield, he was disappointing as a runner.
2025 Miami Dolphins Defense:
Miami had severe issues on the offensive line entering this offseason. The same can be said of the defensive line. Heading into the draft, the Dolphins had just one viable player on the three-man front. That would be Zach Seiler, who accumulated a team-high 10 sacks in 2024. Other than Seiler, the Dolphins were completely devoid of talent in this area.
This would explain why the Dolphins selected nose tackle Kenneth Grant with the 13th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Grant was expected to be chosen later, but he’ll be a big-time force on a defensive line that sorely missed Christian Wilkins last year. The other starter alongside Grant and Seiler will be either Benito Jones or fifth-round rookie Jordan Phillips. Jones struggled last year, so the coaching staff will be hoping that Phillips can emerge into the starting lineup.
Cornerback is another area completely devoid of talent, yet the Dolphins didn’t do anything to upgrade this area. With Jalen Ramsey traded to the Steelers, Miami’s starting corners will be guys named Storm Duck and Cam Smith. Duck was pedestrian last year, while Smith was awful. The front office used a fifth-round pick at the position, but that was it.
There were concerns at safety as well, but that’s no longer the case because of the Pittsburgh-Miami trade. Minkah Fitzpatrick is coming off two down years, but will be better than anything the Dolphins had before signing Ifeatu Melifonwu. The former Lion has played well in the past, so Melifonwu and Fitzpatrick should join to create a strong tandem.
Miami’s two other areas of strength on this side of the ball are edge rusher and linebacker. The Dolphins have three dynamic players on the edge, though there were severe injury issues at this position last year. Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb are great talents, but barely played. Phillips was on the field for four games, while Chubb didn’t play a single game. Despite this, Miami was able to get production from this area, thanks to Chop Robinson performing well as a rookie with six sacks.
The two linebackers will return, as Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dotson will reprise their roles as the two starters at the position. Both are good players, but Brooks is a very skilled three-down athlete.
2025 Miami Dolphins Schedule and Intangibles:
Jason Sanders is coming off a great year. He was 37-of-41, and he hit a whopping 12-of-14 attempts from beyond 50.
New Dolphins punter Ryan Stonehouse has a big leg and is often atop the leaderboard in net-punting average, but is coming off a down year.
Miami has a weird schedule with three consecutive games against the Ravens, Bills, and Redskins, while the rest of it is rather easy.
2025 Miami Dolphins Rookies:
Go here for the Dolphins Rookie Forecast, a page with predictions like which rookie will bust and which rookie will become a solid starter.
2025 Miami Dolphins Positional Rankings (1-5 stars):
Quarterbacks |
 |
Offensive Line |
|
Secondary |
|
Running Backs |
|
Defensive Line |
|
Special Teams |
|
Receivers |
|
Linebackers |
|
Coaching |
|
Projection: 5-12 (4th in AFC East)
2024 Projection: 10-7. 2024 Actual Result: 8-9.
2023 Projection: 11-6. 2023 Actual Result: 11-6.
2022 Projection: 8-9. 2022 Actual Result: 9-8.
2021 Projection: 10-7. 2021 Actual Result: 9-8.
2020 Projection: 4-12. 2020 Actual Result: 10-6.
2019 Projection: 1-15. 2019 Actual Result: 5-11.
2018 Projection: 4-12. 2018 Actual Result: 7-9.
2017 Projection: 7-9. 2017 Actual Result: 6-10.
2016 Projection: 4-12. 2016 Actual Result: 10-6.
NFL Draft Team Grade: B+ Grade
Goals Entering the 2025 NFL Draft: Miami’s roster is in shambles. The offensive line is quite possibly the worst blocking unit in the NFL. The secondary looks to be atrocious. And the team can’t possibly have any faith in Tua Tagovailoa staying healthy, so some insurance is needed at quarterback.
2025 NFL Draft Accomplishments: The Dolphins made it a point to address the trenches. Four of their picks were spent on linemen, including the first three. Kenneth Grant began the run, as the huge Michigan nose tackle will help clamp down on the run and rush the passer. Miami’s next selection was used to help improve the blocking.
The Dolphins had a strong draft overall, though they made a couple of mistakes. First, while Ollie Gordon provided tremendous value in the sixth round, Miami should have continued to address the many holes on the roster. Running back was considered the lowest priority. Second, Dante Trader was a reach in the fifth round.
Despite these two gaffes, the Dolphins did well in this draft. Excluding the Trader selection, all but one of Miami’s picks scored a B+ or higher, and the lone exception earned a “B.”
NFL Draft Individual Grades:
13. Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan – B+ Grade
There was some chatter that Kenneth Grant could fall to the 20s, but I never understood that. Some teams had Grant over Mason Graham. The Dolphins didn’t exactly get the draft board to fall their way with Jalon Walker and Tyler Warren not filling needs, but I like this pick. Grant is a tremendous talent, and Miami had absolutely nothing on the defensive line, save for Zach Sieler.
37. Jonah Savaiinaea, OT/G, Arizona – A- Grade
Unlike the Seattle second-round pick, predicting this pick was much trickier. The Dolphins needed everything. One big hole is left tackle, thanks to Terron Armstead’s retirement. Jonah Savaiinaea is an athletic left tackle who fits the range in the second round. He can also play guard and fill a huge need at that position. The Dolphins only gave up a third and a very small swap early on Day 3 for this move up, so it was a great value.
143. Jordan Phillips, DT, Maryland – B+ Grade
The Dolphins need as many defensive tackles as possible. Jordan Phillip is a bigger defensive tackle who could see action soon rather than later. I thought there was a chance he’d go in the fourth round.
150. Jason Marshall, CB, Florida – B+ Grade
I’d say the Dolphins needed a cornerback, but they need everything. Jason Marshall has plenty of upside, but hasn’t been able to put it together on the field. There’s definitely upside with this pick, so I like this gamble.
155. Dante Trader, S, Maryland – C- Grade
Dante Trader was productive at Maryland, but I don’t have great confidence in him panning out in the NFL because he’s undersized. I thought he’d be a seventh-round pick, so I’m not a fan of this selection despite safety being a need.
179. Ollie Gordon, RB, Oklahoma State – B+ Grade
I’m conflicted on this grade. On one hand, Ollie Gordon is insane value here because he easily could have gone in the third round. On the other hand, running back – even depth at the position – was the one thing the Dolphins didn’t need, and the Dolphins are a team with massive holes everywhere on the roster.
231. Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas – A Grade
Quinn Ewers is finally off the board. I didn’t like Ewers much as a prospect, but he should have been gone already. Ewers shined at the combine, so perhaps that’s a sign that he can help the Dolphins in the event that Tua Tagovailoa gets hurt again.
253. Zeek Biggers, DT, Georgia Tech – B Grade
I have no issues with the Dolphins addressing their poor defensive line once again. Zeek Biggers is a large defensive tackle, but doesn’t have much upside.
Follow me @walterfootball for updates.
2026 NFL Mock Draft - June 10
NFL Power Rankings - May 16
NFL Picks - Feb. 9
