Omar Kelly: Ten things we learned about the Dolphins this offseason

MIAMI — We’re entering one of those transformational seasons for the Miami Dolphins.

Owner Steve Ross has made his expectations crystal clear, stating that the “status quo” of mediocre, underachieving .500 seasons won’t do when he explained his end-of-season decision to give general manager Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel one more season to get things fixed.

This is that season. This is their put up, or get out season.

Either the franchise (executives, coaches and players) will pull themselves up by their bootstraps, unite as a collective unit to silence the critics, exceeding expectations, or the 2025 teams will belly flop on the season, unravel like the mediocre franchise most assume the Dolphins are, and Ross will press the reset button.

At this point it’s impossible to determine which direction things are headed, but the offseason program did provide quite a few clues.

Here are 10 things we learned about the 2025 Dolphins based on what the media watched, and heard in the offseason program.

Ross has put away his checkbook

The one thing Ross can’t be mistaken for is a frugal NFL owner. He has handed out pace-setting contracts five times during his tenure as owner, and has spent more than any other NFL team in a single offseason twice. But this summer Miami took a fiscally responsible approach, only paying new offensive guard James Daniels a substantial contract ($24 million over three years), and that hints Miami’s either shifting their approach, or preparing for an organizational reset. If Miami doesn’t get extensions done for tight end Jonnu Smith and defensive tackle Zach Sieler before September arrives it will be telling, an indicator that Ross will let his franchise’s next batch of leaders make these important decisions.

McDaniel’s taking a more direct tone

McDaniel’s aware he’s on the hot seat despite his 28-23 record the past three seasons. The knock on Miami’s quirky coach is that he runs too loose an organization and is too focused on being everybody’s buddy. This offseason he has taken a more in-your-face approach to his duties, but a leopard doesn’t change its spots overnight. What McDaniel can’t afford is to lose his locker room the way Joe Philbin and Adam Gase did during the end of their Dolphins tenures. That means McDaniel must have players buy into what he’s selling, which is accountability and player empowerment.

Success hinges on Tagovailoa’s availability

Tua Tagovailoa plays with an efficiency few NFL quarterbacks have. That’s why he’s the only passer in the league to produce three straight 100-rated seasons and owns a 61% winning percentage (38-24). However, Tagovailoa has only been healthy for one of the five previous seasons he has played because of his concussion, hip, and durability issues. Tagovailoa knows everyone’s doomed if he doesn’t keep himself healthy, and available, so we’ll soon learn if he plays like it.

Miami has a potential trio of dangerous pass rushers

If Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb can stay healthy (which is no small feat), and Chop Robinson can take the next step in his development, the Dolphins might have one of the best trio of edge rushers in the NFL. Pair them with Sieler, who has produced 20 sacks the past two seasons, and the Dolphins have the potential to match the franchise record-setting 56 sacks the defense totaled in 2023.

Leaders need to step forward

The departure of Terron Armstead, who retired, Calais Campbell, who signed with the Arizona Cardinals and Raheem Mostert, who was released and signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, means new leadership must step forward on this young team. Sieler and Jordyn Brooks are expected to guide the defense, while Aaron Brewer, Austin Jackson, Smith and De’Von Achane are expected to share the leadership load on offense with Tagovailoa and fullback Alec Ingold. Miami needs someone in the secondary to step up and lead that unit, which is losing Jalen Ramsey to an impending trade.

Fierce competition at receiver

Malik Washington established himself as Miami’s third receiver late last season, and his offseason work clearly indicates he has no intentions of relinquishing his position to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, a free agent addition, Dee Eskridge, another camp standout, or Tahj Washington, a second-year player who sat out his rookie season because of a knee injury. The Dolphins need all four of these young receivers to make plays for the second unit, proving that there’s depth behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Resurrect the run game

McDaniel admitted part of the reason last year’s offense struggled is because the run game became anemic once Jackson sustained his knee injury at midseason. The offensive line has two new guards in Daniels and rookie Jonah Savaiinaea, and the hope is they will open more running lanes for the tailbacks, with the assistance of tight end Julian Hill and Ingold. Miami needs more surge at the line of scrimmage to improve on the team’s 4.0 yards-per-carry average from last season, and end the team’s three-year struggles with short-yardage conversions.

A focused and motivated Hill

Tyreek Hill’s life seems to be unraveling on and off the field considering he had his second worst NFL season last year, underwent hand surgery and is in the midst of getting divorced. The best thing to do when experiencing so many life challenges is lock in on the controllables, and football could serve as Hill’s great escape. Hill has lost 10 pounds, increased his speed and hopefully has the stamina and health to play more snaps than he did in 2024. The Dolphins need the version of Hill that was shooting for 2,000 yards, the one who was focused on silencing his critics.

Offensive line lacks depth

There hasn’t been a single season in the past 10 years where Miami didn’t need at least one backup offensive lineman — if not more — to start at least six games, which means at some point the Dolphins can expect Liam Eichenberg, or Larry Borom, the two top backups on the training camp roster, to inherit starting roles. That’s problematic considering both were among the worst-rated offensive linemen in the NFL last season. Dolphins fans, and the team better hope reinforcements are coming from available free agents, or that some youngster (maybe Kion Smith, Jackson Carman or rookie Tedi Kushi) steps up and exceeds expectations or this unit’s going to serve as an anchor again, dragging the team down.

Someone must step forward in unproven secondary

Once Ramsey is traded the entire secondary will be filled with Kader Kohou and four unproven NFL starters. Ashtyn Davis and Ifeatu Melifonwu, two NFL journeymen, get first crack at the starting safety spots, and Storm Duck, Kendall Sheffield, Cam Smith, Ethan Bonner, Artie Burns, Isaiah Johnson and rookie Jason Marshall Jr. are competing to become the two starting boundary cornerbacks. It’s anyone’s guess who will become the leader in that unit at this point. It would be wise for Miami to add an established veteran to this unit, but the Dolphins seemingly want to see how this camp competition plays out before signing someone.

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