Should the Dolphins be favourites for the AFC East in 2023?
It was a decent 2022 for the Miami Dolphins, which finished with the team making the playoffs for the first time in seven years.
Having started off very strongly in the early stages, injuries to key players caused Miami to struggle towards the back end of the season, resulting in them finishing with a 9-8 record.
It was the Dolphins first year under head coach Mike McDaniel, this saw a massive improvement to their offense. The AFC East is now one of the most competitive divisions in the league, which includes a powerhouse in Buffalo Bills and the much improved New York Jets. Miami haven’t won the division since 2008, but you could make the argument that 2023 is their year.
The Dolphins made a lot of big acquisitions in the 2022 offseason which helped improve the team drastically. Tyreek Hill and Terron Armstead were able to perfectly adapt to McDaniel’s offensive seamlessly, who himself impressed a lot of people with his play calling ability.
What he did exceptionally well was scheme up plays for wide receivers Hill and Jaylen Waddle to get open. All of the above helped quarterback Tua Tagovailoa show that he can be a great player for Miami.
Quarterback health is key to success
Tagovailoa will be a key factor for the Dolphins in 2023, and this will dictate the success of the team. This is because when he was on the field Miami looked unstoppable, yet he missed a lot of games due to injury.
The 24-year-old’s ability to remain healthy will be crucial, having struggled to remain healthy throughout his career. His concussions last season were very scary and a reason to worry, with the former Alabama quarterback suffering two big knocks to the head which put his career in jeopardy.
Miami have brought in Mike White this offseason to backup Tagovailoa along with Skylar Thompson. White is formerly of the Jets, where he put in some great performances that impressed a lot of people. Yet, it is easy to see why the performance of the team would be much better with Tagovailoa behind centre.
Like the 2022 offseason, the Dolphins have made some nice additions in 2023. They signed league veteran Chosen Anderson, a solid move given his experience and being a valuable weapon for both the Jets and as the Carolina Panthers. Anderson will be a good option for Tagovailoa to throw the ball too as well as Hill and Waddle. And with draft pick Devon Achane coming in, the run game in Miami should also be a big threat going forward.
Improved defense?
On the defensive side of the ball, Miami made a big acquisition at the cornerback position when they sign pro bowler Jalen Ramsey. This will fill a major hole for the defence as they struggled with depth at the cornerback position. A big reason for this is the Dolphins’ decision to cut Bryon Jones.
The thought of a Ramsey and Xavien Howard combo is a mouth-watering prospect, as they have been two of the top cornerbacks in the league for many years.
Yet, you could argue that Miami’s biggest signing is their new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. The Dolphins’ defence didn’t live up to the hype last season, even though there were some standout players such as Christian Wilkins and Jalen Phillips who performed. The problem seemed to be play calling, as offenses managed to figure out their blitz heavy scheme. Fangio has a history of creating very strong defences, and with the group of defensive players Miami has got, he has also the resources to build a championship winning defense.
Looking at the other teams in the AFC East, there are some questions around each of their rosters. The Bills and Jets are likely going to be the biggest competitor to the Dolphins next year, given that they have dominated the division in recent years. Yet, their quarterback Josh Allen has been prone to making mistakes which has led to poor ball security at times.
And while The Jets have improved dramatically in their second year with Robert Salah, and having acquired former league MVP Aaron Rodgers, they need to prove they can win games to be considered genuine Super Bowl contenders. In terms of the New England Patriots, you could argue that they are going through a rebuild phase which means they won’t be looking to contend for a few years at least.
It is the perfect time for the Dolphins as they have a chance to compete before they have to pay Waddle and Tagovailoa the big bucks over the next couple of years.
