Who are the most important people for the Dolphins’ 2023 season?
The Dolphins will only go as far as their best players take them in the 2023 season, but those players have to be available to make an impact. In the Miami Herald’s 2022 ranking of the most important members of the team, four players missed at least two games, most notably quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s absence from five games because of two concussions.
Miami will hope for better injury luck this season and that the continued growth of ascending players, plus key contributions from some newcomers, will vault them into the NFL’s elite. The team has also made changes to the coaching staff that could prove beneficial. Here is a list of the 10 most important people in the organization this season.
Jalen Ramsey
Jalen Ramsey was the Dolphins’ top acquisition this offseason, as Miami sent a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long to get the six-time Pro Bowler cornerback. Some pundits claim there was a drop-off in Ramsey’s play as the Los Angeles Rams fell off their perch from Super Bowl champions to a below-500 team. But at 28, Ramsey is still one of the best corners in the league and gives the Dolphins what should be a top tandem with himself and Xavien Howard.
Ramsey has experience in the defensive scheme that new coordinator Vic Fangio is running and has the ability to line up in multiple positions, whether it be boundary corner, nickelback or even safety. He’s still a lockdown corner, but his versatile skill set should allow the Dolphins to adjust to weekly matchups.
Mike McDaniel
Mike McDaniel presides over the entire roster but it was his work transforming the Dolphins’ offense that stood out in his first season as head coach. Entering Year 2, McDaniel has already pinpointed things to address, namely running the ball more and game clock operation. But how does an offense that was one of the league’s best improve — and maybe evolve? McDaniel will be tasked with finding those answers.
Tua Tagovailoa
The fourth-year quarterback was one of the league’s most efficient quarterbacks when healthy. He led the NFL in passer rating and threw a career-high 25 touchdowns but missed five games, including a season-ending loss to the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card round, while in the league’s concussion protocol.
Tua Tagovailoa has taken steps in the offseason to stay healthy, partaking in jiu-jitsu and bulking up. The numbers are clear-cut: when Tagovailoa is in the lineup, the Dolphins’ offense more often than not performs well. Every team needs its starting quarterback to be available to be successful, but for Miami, Tagovailoa’s ability to stay on the field is the most pressing concern lingering about a talented roster.
Terron Armstead
The signing of Terron Armstead last offseason helped to improve an offensive line that had been among the league’s worst for multiple years. But Armstead, who has a lengthy injury history, missed four games and played throughout the season with myriad ailments.
When Armstead was out of the lineup, the drop-off in play was drastic. According to Sharp Football Analysis, Armstead ranked fourth among left tackles with a 3.4 percent pressure rate allowed. In the four games he missed, his fill-ins allowed a 13.4 percent pressure rate. Miami added experienced depth this offseason but there’s no capable replacement for Armstead.
Butch Barry
The Dolphins’ struggles on the offensive line have coincided with a revolving door of position coaches. Butch Barry is the latest to step into the role, replacing Matt Applebaum, who was not retained after one season. Barry, a veteran coach who spent the 2022 season with the Denver Broncos before he was fired midseason, has familiarity with McDaniel as both were on staff with the San Francisco 49ers. The Dolphins still need development from some young players, and Barry’s coaching will be at the center of it.
Austin Jackson
One of the players whose work with Barry will be crucial is Austin Jackson, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal after the Dolphins declined his fifth-year option. Jackson only appeared in two games because of ankle injuries, but he spent the time off transforming his body and settling into a consistent routine.
Jackson’s first few years have been marred not only by injuries but inconsistent play. But he’s still just 23, and general manager Chris Grier said the expectation is that he will be the team’s starting right tackle. Jackson emerging as a viable starter in 2023 — and staying healthy — would help round out the Dolphins’ offensive line into one of the better units in the league.
Jaelan Phillips
Jaelan Phillips has recorded 15.5 sacks in his first two seasons and by the end of the 2022 season, he was arguably the Dolphins’ most disruptive defender. After struggles against the run as a rookie, Phillips proved himself to be an every-down player. The No. 18 overall pick in the 2020 Draft, Phillips has the combination of speed and power to be one of the league’s premier pass rushers. 2023 could be the season he puts it all together and it shows up on the boxscore, too.
Xavien Howard
Xavien Howard is the longest-tenured player on the team but is looking to rebound after a season that wasn’t up to his standards, even though he was named to the Pro Bowl. Howard missed two games because of a groin injury, but it was an ailment that lingered throughout the season.
The arrival of Ramsey should help Howard, with a running mate who can also shadow top receivers. And although Howard has been one of the better cover corners in the league for several years, Fangio’s scheme could also allow Howard to age gracefully as he enters his age-30 season. The Dolphins are expected to play higher rates of zone coverage with Fangio, which should allow Howard more opportunities to get his hands on the ball.
Vic Fangio
The hiring of Vic Fangio could be seen as the biggest offseason addition for the Dolphins, even more than Ramsey. One of the preeminent defensive minds in the NFL, Fangio is in charge of turning around a unit that underachieved in 2022 but also dealt with injuries to key players. The defensive philosophy will be a stark contrast to the one used by Josh Boyer and Brian Flores but players have spoken glowingly about Fangio’s scheme and teaching style. After a year off from coaching, Fangio said he’s concocted new concepts, too.
Tyreek Hill
In his first season in Miami, Tyreek Hill set franchise records for catches and receiving yards. For an encore, he has his sights on 2,000 yards, which doesn’t seem unreasonable, considering he was on pace for the feat halfway through the 2022 season.
Aside from Tagovailoa, Hill is the Dolphins’ most valuable offensive player. No pass-catcher generated more yards per route run (3.21) or was targeted at a higher rate (32 percent) than Hill. And when Hill wasn’t being targeted, he was often opening things up for the Dolphins’ other options by drawing coverage to his side. The Tagovailoa-Hill connection is one of the most productive in the NFL and should be again in 2023.
This story was originally published July 17, 2023 at 1:00 PM.
