Yardbarker
Yardbarker
x

When the Miami Dolphins went all in on tanking in 2019, it was the result of years of being in a competitive limbo. Miami won the AFC East in 2008 with an 11-5 record, but lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.

Chad Pennington who was cast off from the rival New York Jets in favor of Brett Farve won comeback player of the year and to make the story that much sweeter he defeated his former team in their home stadium on the last night of the season to win the division and punch the Dolphins’ ticket to the playoffs.

For a fan who was too young to see the glory years of Dan Marino, this season stands out as the most exciting season of my Dolphins fandom. We’ll ignore the fact that this was only possible due to Tom Brady being knocked out for the season in week 1. 

Instead of setting up years of fielding consistently competitive teams, it was the beginning of a 10-year stretch that saw the Dolphins finish between 6-10 and 10-6 every season. During that time, they made the playoffs once and were easily dispatched by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round. Tony Sparano, Joe Philbin, and Adam Gase each brought their own unique styles to the team, but the results were the same: mediocrity.

So after a 7-9 season, Miami fired Gase and hired Brian Flores and began to tank in hopes of securing a high draft pick, likely to turn into Tua Tagovailoa. They also traded standout players like offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to obtain draft capital to escape the .500 win percentage bubble. 

Ultimately, despite a late-season surge that saw Miami win five of their final nine games, the Dolphins were able to secure Tua with the fifth pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. After two more decent seasons from Brian Flores, the team and coach had a messy divorce that resulted in a lawsuit that isn’t the point of this article. As ugly as that situation was, it would allow the team to hire Mike McDaniel, an offensive wonderkid from the San Francisco 49ers.

With their new coach, the Dolphins would go all in on winning now with trades for Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey and the free agent signing of Jonnu Smith. Despite these moves, the Dolphins have been unable to win a playoff game during McDaniel’s time in Miami. Though they would finally match their 2008 win total of 11 in 2023, unfortunately, they were unable to build off of that momentum heading into 2024 due to injuries to Tua, finishing 8-9, mediocre once more. 

Now it feels as if their window of opportunity is closing; trade rumors are swirling around Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith. Tyreek Hill might be stuck with the Dolphins due to his monstrous contract, but if it weren’t for that, he would likely also be on the trade block as well.

The rebuild has only brought the Dolphins back to where they started. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who thinks Miami will play above the .500 mark this season. If they are serious about trading Smith and Ramsey, then it feels like they are closer to tanking than competing, a disappointing development in what many thought would be a year that saw the Dolphins go all in. 

Prior to the trade rumors, I had stated in multiple blogs that Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel were fighting for their jobs in 2025. It seems that the urgency the fans feel is not reflected by ownership. It would be unfair to expect a hugely successful run from this squad, and as such, I now believe that Grier and McDaniel are safe unless things go wildly off the rails.

So the Dolphins and their fans once again find themselves in NFL limbo, football purgatory, not good enough to compete seriously and not bad enough to hope for a high draft pick. Just mediocre, same as they’ve been since 2008, and same as they will be unless something drastic changes. 

You can follow me on YouTube @WickedGoodSports and X @TheFakeBMarr

This article first appeared on Dolphins Talk and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST

DK Metcalf makes huge claim about Steelers defense
NFL

DK Metcalf makes huge claim about Steelers defense

D.K. Metcalf has faced plenty of steep competition through his first six NFL seasons, both during games and practice, but the star wide receiver has noticed something different in his first training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers. During an interview with Ian Rapoport and Steve Smith of NFL Network on Sunday, Metcalf discussed some of his first impressions of the Steelers. He spoke about how challenging it has been to go up against cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr., Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay every day. When asked how the practice competition compares to what he saw with the Seattle Seahawks, Metcalf made a bold claim about his new teammates. "You don't want my opinion, because I think they're the best defense I've ever seen," Metcalf said. "There's some dogs everywhere on the field, and I tip my hat to them because they come to work every day and we don't have any choice but to get better." There is no question that the Steelers should have one of the best defensive backfields in the NFL on paper. While they sent five-time Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins in the Ramsey trade, their cornerback trio of Ramsey, Porter and Slay is as talented as any in the league. The Steelers allowed 20.4 points per game last year, which ranked eighth in the NFL. Their pass defense surrendered 228 yards per game, which only ranked 25th. If Metcalf's assessment is accurate, Pittsburgh should show great improvement against the pass in 2025.

'Superman' VOD Home Streaming Date Confirmed and It's Shockingly Soon
Entertainment

'Superman' VOD Home Streaming Date Confirmed and It's Shockingly Soon

In a move that seems faster than a speeding bullet, the new 2025 Superman movie will be available to watch at home just over a month after it hit theaters on July 11. According to multiple outlets, including World of Reel, the new Superman reboot movie will be available for video-on-demand (VOD) purchase starting very soon. In fact, the movie will almost certainly still be in theaters when you can watch it at home. Superman Streaming/VOD release date DC Studios' Superman, directed by James Gunn and starring David Corenswet, will be available for purchase digitally starting on August 15, 2025. This means that just over 30 days after its first theatrical release, the new Superman is coming home. To be clear, this is not the same as streaming on HBO Max, but it does mean you'll be able to pony up a certain amount of money (close to the price of two movie tickets) to watch the movie at home. Purchase of VOD movies generally happens on iTunes, Amazon, and other platforms. DC vs. Marvel VOD releases If this home video release seems quick, it is. For comparison, the last two Marvel superhero movies had nearly two months, not one, between theatrical release and VOD release. Thunderbolts* hit theaters on May 2, and was on VOD on July 1. Meanwhile, Captain America: Brave New World was in theaters on February 14, and on VOD on April 15. Both of those films were deemed, in the eyes of box office pundits, to be failures, while Superman is generally considered to be a success.

Heat Predicted To Stun Fanbase By Landing $153 Million All-Star In Win-Now Blockbuster Trade
NBA

Heat Predicted To Stun Fanbase By Landing $153 Million All-Star In Win-Now Blockbuster Trade

Giving Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro an opportunity to lead the Miami Heat appears the most likely outcome for the 2025-2026 season. However, the right opportunity arising at February's trade deadline could always shift an organization's plans. The Los Angeles Clippers have the league's oldest roster, led by Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Bradley Beal, Chris Paul, and more, so there's no telling how much next year will play out for them. It's possible all of the veteran stars thrive together, or the Clippers could fall completely out of title contention due to injuries and inconsistency. If the latter takes place, PFSN predicts the Heat could swoop in and acquire Leonard in a win-now blockbuster trade. The six-time All-Star has two seasons remaining on his three-year, $153 million contract, which is ideal for Miami's front office. It would give the Heat a few seasons to contend with a trio of Herro, Adebayo, and Leonard before money comes off the books for what is projected to be a loaded 2027 free agency class. Los Angeles trading Leonard would signal a rebuild is on the horizon, so the likes of Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, and draft capital could play a part in this scenario. One obstacle to this deal occurring is the Heat are often stubborn about how many assets are given up, so it's much more likely Leonard finishes out his rollercoaster career in L.A. or elsewhere. Miami Heat Moderately Rated In ESPN's Latest Free Agency Power Rankings Miami Heat Star Viewed As Biggest Building Block For Future

 Maurice Jones-Drew Ranks Omarion Hampton Above Ashton Jeanty As Top Rookie RB
NFL

Maurice Jones-Drew Ranks Omarion Hampton Above Ashton Jeanty As Top Rookie RB

The Las Vegas Raiders selected running back Ashton Jeanty sixth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, the highest a back has been taken since Saquon Barkley was drafted second overall in 2018. With the Raiders bringing in Pete Carroll as head coach, who loves to run the ball, many are expecting a big rookie season for Jeanty. However, former three-time All-Pro running back Maurice Jones-Drew believes rookie Omarion Hampton of the Los Angeles Chargers will have an even better year. In his running back rankings on NFL.com, Jones-Drew ranked Hampton 13th, ahead of Jeanty, who was 17th, and explained why he is higher on Hampton going into this year: Some of you might be surprised to see Hampton ranked higher than No. 6 overall pick Ashton Jeanty, based on their respective standings in my pre-draft RB rankings, but hear me out. Hampton joins a Jim Harbaugh-led offense that loves to the run the ball, so there will be plenty of touches to go around. He should be the bell cow for this unit — with veteran Najee Harris in the backup role — thanks to his patience and ability to bounce off defenders. Hampton is in the perfect situation to find early success, and while you could say similar things about Jeanty, Pete Carroll’s recent comments (which I’ll get to in a minute) swayed my opinion some. It seems as if Jones-Drew views Hampton’s situation with the Chargers under Jim Harbaugh in a run-first offense as better than that of Jeanty. However, when he got down to Jeanty at 17th in his rankings, Jones-Drew echoed many of the same things that have him high on Hampton: I can’t wait to watch Jeanty take his first NFL snap. The No. 6 overall pick in this year’s draft is tough to tackle and should fit perfectly in an attack that wants to bully opponents under Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly. Carroll said last month that the offense won’t rely on just one back in the ground game, but it’s hard to envision the Raiders consistently looking to Raheem Mostert, Zamir White or Sincere McCormick when they have a talent like Jeanty on the roster. While it is true that Carroll has said that he plans on a committee approach, as Jones-Drew noted, Jeanty’s talent should have him head and shoulders above the other backs in the Raiders’ backfield. And like Hampton, Jeanty is coming in under a coach that prioritizes running the ball. Who will wind up having the better rookie season will be found out, but Jeanty could certainly use this as some extra motivation going into his debut season with the Raiders. Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty names Saquon Barkley as favorite current running back Most would consider Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley as the best running back in the NFL today, and Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty likewise views him as his favorite in the league today.

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!