Grading the Dolphins’ 2023 roster. Where are the team’s strengths, weaknesses?
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Miami Dolphins/NFL 2023 season preview
The Miami Dolphins have high expectations as head coach Mike McDaniel enters his second season at the helm of the franchise.
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After stripping down the roster and acquiring loads of draft capital years ago, the Dolphins have been among the NFL’s most aggressive franchises in acquiring proven, Pro Bowl-level players.
In the last year-plus, Miami has made trades for wide receiver Tyreek Hill, outside linebacker Bradley Chubb and cornerback Jalen Ramsey. The influx of these established talents, as well as the growth of homegrown players, has given the Dolphins a roster that could compete for the AFC East title – and maybe more – in 2023.
OFFENSE
QUARTERBACKS | B+
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel helped bring the best out of Tua Tagovailoa in 2022. In his third season, Tagovailoa led the NFL in passer rating and threw a career-high 25 touchdowns. There’s optimism that Tagovailoa can be even better in Year 2 of the scheme with a better understanding of the plays and terminology.
Miami signed Mike White to help back up Tagovailoa after not re-signing Teddy Bridgewater. White, a Pembroke Pines native, had flashes with the New York Jets and has a familiarity with the scheme. The importance of the backup spot is magnified given Tagovailoa’s injury history, so either White or second-year player Skylar Thompson will have to be ready if called upon.
RUNNING BACKS | B-
This group won’t be much different from the one that led an average rushing game in 2022. Miami re-signed lead backs Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. and then drafted De’Von Achane in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. There’s a lot of excitement surrounding Achane, the fastest running back in the draft, but he will have to work to unseat a pair of veterans whom McDaniel has a relationship with dating to their time with the San Francisco 49ers. There’s no star among this group but players who can execute the outside zone running scheme competently. While the team has flirted with upgrading the position room, McDaniel has praised the incumbents and vowed to run the ball more.
TIGHT ENDS | C-
No team threw fewer passes to tight ends in 2022 than the Dolphins, and that number figures to decline even more in 2023 after the front office didn’t find a clear replacement for Mike Gesicki, who is now with the New England Patriots. Durham Smythe, who received an extension in the offseason, is the top player in the position room, but his blocking will be more valuable than his pass-catching. Otherwise, Miami doesn’t have a clear second option.
WIDE RECEIVERS | A
The fastest wide receiver duo in the NFL is back. Hill, after a franchise-setting season in his first year in Miami, has 2,000 receiving yards — which has never been reached in the NFL — on his mind. Jaylen Waddle, who led the league in yards per catch, added weight to his frame and could be the first player in franchise history to start his career with three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
After losing Trent Sherfield to the Buffalo Bills, Miami seemingly upgraded its secondary options with the signing of Braxton Berrios. An accomplished returner, Berrios gives the Dolphins more juice from the slot and can take advantage of the additional attention that Hill and Waddle get.
OFFENSIVE LINE | C+
Instead of finding a clear-cut starter in free agency, the Dolphins have opted to mainly go at it again with last year’s group. A healthy Terron Armstead, along with center Connor Williams and right guard Robert Hunt, give Miami a solid core. The Dolphins tried out a host of players in training camp in an open competition at left guard. If Austin Jackson, who has dealt with injuries and on-field struggles, can become a reliable starting right tackle, it could be one of the league’s better units.
DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE LINE | A-
From their edge rushers to their interior linemen, the Dolphins have a defensive front that could rival any in the NFL. Jaelan Phillips has been pegged as a potential star in 2023 after totaling 15.5 sacks in his first two seasons. Chubb is reunited with new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, whom he played under in Denver. Christian Wilkins is one of the best young defensive tackles in the NFL and Zach Sieler showed he’s an impactful starter with an increased role in 2022. Raekwon Davis is at the center of it all, taking on double-teams and freeing his teammates. McDaniel praised him at the end of training camp for his “complete and utter transformation in mind and body.”
LINEBACKERS | B
The Dolphins opted not to re-sign team leader Elandon Roberts but replaced him with David Long Jr., an undersized but physical and speedy player who’s had injury problems with the Tennessee Titans. If he can stay healthy, he and Jerome Baker give Miami one of the fastest linebacker duos in the NFL.
CORNERBACKS | B+
The Dolphins were shaping up to have one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL. But Ramsey, Miami’s top offseason acquisition, sustained a meniscus injury on the second day of training camp. The All-Pro is expected to be sidelined for most of the regular season but could make a recovery just in time for a potential playoff push.
Xavien Howard, the team’s longest-tenured player, will again lead the position group in the meantime. Kader Kohou, a revelation as an undrafted rookie, is an entrenched starter in his second season. But the Dolphins need one more corner to step up in Ramsey’s stead. With 2020 first-round pick Noah Igbinoghene traded to the Dallas Cowboys, can 2023 second-round pick Cam Smith or late summer addition Eli Apple fill the void?
SAFETIES | B
Jevon Holland is a breakout candidate after impressing in his first two seasons. Fangio has a history of producing Pro Bowl safeties and Holland has the skill set to be the next one.
Brandon Jones made his way back slowly from an ACL tear that cost him the final 10 games of the season. In the offseason, the Dolphins signed DeShon Elliott, a capable veteran who has 35 starts and is the favorite to start opposite Holland.
SPECIALISTS | C+
Jason Sanders is a few years removed from an All-Pro season, with inconsistencies on long-range attempts keeping him from being one of the league’s elite placekickers. The Dolphins replaced Thomas Morstead, who was reliable in his lone season in Miami, with Jake Bailey. Like Sanders, Bailey was an All-Pro in 2020. But he’s coming off his worst season as a pro and a year plagued by a lingering back injury.
The Dolphins could have their best return game since Jakeem Grant was with the team. Berrios was an All-Pro returner in 2021 and Achane was an electric return specialist in college.
OVERALL GRADE | B
The Dolphins likely won’t get to benefit from the addition of Ramsey until the final month of the regular season. But the core of last year’s playoff team returns, and there’s hope that continued growth of young talents, improvement from McDaniel in Year 2 and the presence of Fangio will lift the floor — and ceiling — for Miami. Like last season, health is paramount for a deep playoff run.
This story was originally published August 29, 2023 at 11:50 AM.
