Ten network analysts size up Dolphins: “This team is uniquely positioned to make a run”
Ten network analysts weigh in on the Dolphins’ chances this season, heading into Sunday’s opener at the Chargers (4:25 p.m., CBS):
▪ ESPN analyst and former Washington and Philadelphia executive Louis Riddick doesn’t merely believe the Dolphins will win the AFC East. He says the Dolphins are one of the two teams best positioned to challenge Kansas City’s AFC supremacy in the next five years.
“If Tua can play upwards of 15 games, be healthy going into the playoffs, the Dolphins legitimately will win the AFC East and they will play in the AFC title game if he is healthy,” Riddick said before Jalen Ramsey’s injury that will sideline him until later in the season. “This offense is explosive. They can run the ball. They’ve got playmakers all over the defensive side.
“A team other than the Bengals that can really challenge Kansas City [over the next five years] has to be Miami because they have got firepower on offense. I would assume this year offensively, they are going to [change a bit] philosophically [by accentuating] the run game. As you saw last year when it was really dialed up, it was something that could take pressure off Tua. It could slow down opposing pass rushers.
“If Mike McDaniel emphasizes that, they have got weapons coming out of the ears. Defensively, they have a young nucleus of guys who are QB hunters as well as any team in the AFC or NFC, who can get after Patrick Mahomes. This team is uniquely positioned to make a run.”
▪ ESPN analayst and former NFL coach Herm Edwards: “If Tua stays healthy, this team can challenge to win its division. They are going to have a better pass rush.”
▪ ESPN analyst and former NFL cornerback Domonique Foxworth: “The Dolphins are perfect just the way they are. Tua will stay healthy. He’ll be good throughout the season. They’ll protect him. The most impressive thing about them is adding Vic Fangio and what that’s going to mean.”
▪ ESPN analyst and former NFL defensive lineman Booger McFarland: “They can beat anybody if Tua stays healthy. They’re going to have the fastest offense in football with Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and this rookie De’Von Achane. The offense is going to be outstanding. If Tua learns how to fall, the Dolphins can be really, really good.”
“Where I think they can make hay is on the defensive side. They’ve always been this uber-aggressive defense, either boom or bust. Now you bring in Vic Fangio, and I know Jalen Ramsey is hurt. But even without him, the defense is going to be really good with Fangio, because he doesn’t give up the big plays.”
▪ NBC analyst and ex-NFL quarterback Chris Simms: “I’m going to pick them No. 1 [in the AFC East]. I believe in Mike McDaniel. Everything they’ve got there is top notch. The only thing we question at all is the offensive line. McDaniel is smart; he knows how to hide it for the most part [with] a lot of other things you have to slow down the pass rush for, with reverses and speed sweeps.”
▪ ESPN analyst and former NFL QB Tim Hasselbeck: “The ceiling is they’re a playoff team and maybe can win a playoff game, potentially two. That being said, you’ve got to face Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers twice, and when you look at the rest of the conference being as good as it is, that ends up being a challenge for the Dolphins.”
▪ ESPN analyst and ex-NFL safety Ryan Clark: “This could take this team from contender to an actual champion based on what Fangio can do.”
▪ ESPN analyst and former QB Dan Orlovsky was effusive about the Dolphins before the Ramsey injury, less so now: “The Jets for me are a true contender, a little bit more than the Dolphins, especially since the Ramsey injury. That injury is going to be a bigger deal for their defense than maybe we’re giving it credit.”
▪ ESPN analyst and former NFL offensive lineman Damien Woody: “The Dolphins’ front seven is going to be elite. Jaelan Phillips is going to break out; he’s going to lead that team as far as sacks and pressures. You talk about Christian Wilkins; we already know he’s an elite run defender. He’s going to add to that with pressure. This Dolphins defense, particularly the front seven, they’re going to be a group that’s going to be hard to stop this year.”
▪ ESPN analyst and ex-Jets and ex-Dolphins executive Mike Tannenbaum: “The fundamental challenge Miami has is this: Tua was hurt in college. He’s been hurt in the NFL. When you look at their offensive line, while they did bring over Terron Armstead, he’s had durability issues.
“But the biggest issue is Austin Jackson. He’s their projected right tackle, which — as a left-handed quarterback — that’s the blindside to Tua. He only played in two games a year ago. They moved on from Mike Gesicki, which means to me they’re going to be even more receiver dominant. It’s going to come down to protections as it relates to Tua, his blindside and Austin Jackson’s durability.”
