Omar Kelly: It's time to begin mourning the Dolphins

MIAMI — This era (or error) of the Miami Dolphins franchise is terminal.

You know it. I know it. The national media knows it. And if we’re being honest, deep down the players know it, too.

Owner Steve Ross also knows as well. The look on his face every time I’ve seen Ross around the team he owns this year serves as my proof.

I’m speculating, but it has been awhile since Ross has enjoyed being owner of the Dolphins. Last time might be back in November of 2023.

At this point Ross is probably ashamed of where this once-proud franchise is, especially after Sunday’s disastrous season-opening 33-8 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

I’m told by team sources he’s just being patient, fair, judicious when it comes to doing something about it. But make no mistake about this, the mourning process for this franchise has begun.

The only question is, which stage are we in?

Are we in denial heading into Sunday’s home opener against the New England Patriots?

Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins can’t be this bad!

Maybe the Daniel Jones-led Colts are better than the nation thinks?

How often does Tua Tagovailoa have three turnover games? He will bounce back. He usually does.

Anthony Weaver delivered a top-five defense last year with less talent. No way this year’s defense is a doormat. They just had one bad showing against the Colts.

Have we reached anger?

Who didn’t see this coming!

General manager Chris Grier has done a poor job putting together the roster for years, and this offseason was his worst.

Ross kept this regime status quo at the end of last season, and then put his wallet away.

Grier’s reset of the 2025 roster looks more like a patch job, which will be further exposed now that the entire right side of the offensive line must be filled with backups because of the pectoral injury James Daniels sustained on the third snap of last Sunday’s game, the toe injury Austin Jackson initially suffered the first week of training camp, and then re-aggravated on Sunday.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS without a playoff win and counting.

How about bargaining?

Can we count on Kion Smith and Larry Borom to protect Tagovailoa’s blindside, right? Maybe they aren’t as bad as they have shown all preseason.

Wonder what Isaiah Wynn’s doing right about now? Maybe he’s under 350 pounds and in respectable condition? Newly signed offensive lineman Cole Strange has been respectable in past years. Maybe this scheme is a better fit for him.

Who doesn’t think Miami’s offense would look better with a former Pro Bowl tight end like Darren Waller roaming the field? His presence could force teams to play Miami differently.

The Dolphins averaged 6.5 yards per carry against the Colts, which ranks third in the NFL, behind the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Commanders after Week 1. Just imagine what can happen if the Dolphins don’t commit three turnovers, aren’t trailing by 23 points midway through the third quarter like last Sunday and are able to run the ball more than 12 times in a game.

A productive tight end and a commitment to the run game has to turn up the volume on the offense, right?

And maybe Indianapolis’ offensive line is one of the NFL’s best, and they simply caught the Dolphins defense slipping.

Weaver’s unit has too much talent on it to allow an opponent to score points on every single possession again, like what we saw against the Colts. No way that happens again.

Or have we entered the realm of depression yet?

Who are we kidding? This roster is held together like wet cardboard fastened by cellophane tape. The more injuries happen — four starters got hurt against the Colts — the more the Dolphins’ roster and coaching will be exposed.

We all know how this story plays out.

In fact, we know how this season plays out considering it seems to be a repeat of the 2015 Dolphins season, the one that followed Ross retaining Joe Philbin after an 8-8 record in 2014, and then firing him four games into the following season, replacing him with Dan Campbell.

A dejected and defeated effort like the one we saw last Sunday hints McDaniel has lost the locker room. A impressive win against the Patriots is the only thing that can silence that claim.

We need to hope Ross already learned his lesson from staying with general managers, head coaches, quarterbacks, or entire regimes too long?

We have to ask why this franchise keeps doing the same thing, era after error, and continues to expect different results?

Next we will move on from McDaniel and keep Grier, or will it be the other way around? Will Ross limit the prospective head coach candidates by forcing them to work for an executive everyone in the league knows is wearing a toe tag, and maybe force a quarterback on them, too.

Dolphins fans need to take my advice ...

Let’s fast forward through the first four stages of mourning and move right to the last one.

That’s acceptance, the final chapter.

That’s the only healthy mind-set to take because either way Sunday’s 1 p.m. game against the New England Patriots plays out, this fan base wins.

Miami either beats the Patriots, producing the first win of 2025 at home in a performance that stabilizes this franchise and injects hope into this dejected fanbase.

Or South Florida’s NFL franchise loses to its first AFC East opponent and continues the bleeding-out process.

That will inevitably bring about the change most Dolphins fans have been begging for because apathy is Ross’ worst fear, and we’re speed walking to it.

We’re here now. The era [or error] is close to an end, so do your best to enjoy the final moments, recall all the good times before misery and depression sets in.

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