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The Miami Dolphins are seeking to shake the label in 2025.
This is a football team that's been labeled as a finesse team, a front-runner, and 'soft' in recent years. Some of the critique has been earned through struggles against top competition. Other portions of the reputation may have been unfairly perpetuated by some bad luck along the way. At the end of the day, the only way a narrative changes is by taking matters into your own hands.
This year's Miami Dolphins will try. They could only be so lucky as to have the fanbase and pundits judge them strictly on their performance. The 2025 team will, instead, absolutely be held to the critiques of names like DeShon Elliott, the 2023 Dolphins safety who blasted his former team, calling them "soft as (redacted)" on an appearance on the "Punch Line Podcast" last November. Elliott suggested that the Dolphins melted down the stretch in 2023 in large part because they were not a bunch of mentally tough individuals.
It very well may have been true. It cut some members of last year's team that were holdovers deeply based on their reactions to the quote. But there's one big problem with judging this year's group against that criticism, or any of the last two years, for that matter.
Hardly any of the players on the Dolphins' 90-man roster this week were even employed by the Dolphins back in 2023. Here's a look at the Dolphins' depth chart from December 1, 2023 and which players are still under contract. It paints a jarring picture of roster turnover.
Survivors from Miami Dolphins' December 2023 53-Man Depth Chart
A grand total of 23 holdovers who were playing during Elliott's alleged "soft" collapse are still around. One such player, cornerback Jalen Ramsey, is actively on the trade block and not expected to return. Six additional holdovers (in yellow) were not on the active roster starting on December 1st due to either injury or serving on the practice squad. Just 16 members of the 53 man roster entering December of 2023 remain on Miami's 90-man offseason roster today. That's only 30% of the 53-man. Several of those players, including Cameron Goode and Channing Tindall, are long shots to make the roster in 2025.
Based on summer projections, the Dolphins could be down to as few as 16 holdovers all together when they cut to 53-players this fall.
These are not the 2023 Miami Dolphins. They're also not the 2024 Miami Dolphins — Miami returned the sixth lowest percentage of their roster from last season of any team in the league last year (63.8% according to OverTheCap). Of the players no longer with the team, nearly 20% of them still have yet to find a new home on a different roster in 2025. That figure is the fifth-highest of any team in the league this offseason, trailing only the Browns, Jets, Vikings, and Titans. Three of those four teams picked in the top-seven of this year's NFL Draft.
Common denominators are dwindling
If the Dolphins struggle with the same issues again in 2025, the directions of which the finger can be pointed are dwindling. Fast.
Miami has talked the talk about changing the culture of their team this offseason — which has also drawn some criticism from pundits. But until this year's Dolphins get the chance to actually show the world what they're about on the field, all they can do is talk. And they've been asked about it. Repeatedly.
You'll have a hard time insulating general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel from absorbing the brunt of the blame if Miami again struggles to dictate the line of scrimmage or has such a stark split in performance based on the quality of the opponent in 2025. After all, their actions indicate that they seem to feel the root of their issues has lied in the personnel. Some rooms, such as Elliott's home in the secondary, have been completely torn to shreds in the past 18 months.
If overhauling the individual groups doesn't do the trick, one can only then assume that it is the architect and the leadership that need to change. Time will tell. But in the sake of fairness, your judgements of the 2025 Dolphins should lie with the 2025 Dolphins, not in the stereotypes and criticisms of the earlier years of McDaniel's tenure. Most of those players guilty of those narratives around the Dolphins don't call South Florida home any longer.
Acknowledging that is, at the very least, a start. From there, it's in the hands of this year's group to change the tune around the Miami Dolphins. They'll do that by walking the walk.
More must-reads:
- Colts' QB decision makes no sense, sets stage for wasted season
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- The '2024 NFL rushing TD leaders' quiz
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Chicago Bears looking at bringing back familiar face at running back
The Chicago Bears don’t appear satisfied with their running back room with one week left to decide the 53-man roster. The Bears have until Aug. 26 to make their final cuts before preparing for the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. The Bears entered training camp with questions at running back. Veteran D’Andre Swift had a down year in 2024. Roschon Johnson isn’t a long-term solution, and seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai will have a steep learning curve when the regular season begins. The Chicago Bears worked out a former running back Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC, the Bears worked out running backs Royce Freeman, undrafted rookie Kylin James and former Carolina Panthers practice-squad player Dillon Johnson. Royce Freeman played with the Bears in 2024 Of the three, Freeman is the only running back with stats at the NFL level. Freeman, a third-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2018, has appeared in 79 games and started nine games. He’s rushed 471 times for 1,472 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Bears signed Freeman to the practice squad in December. He was then signed to the Los Angeles Rams practice squad in January. He last played a regular-season game in 2023, when he added 319 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games for the Rams. The Bears are signaling their need for a running back this summer. There are other options available in the trade market, as the Washington Commanders are shopping Brian Robinson Jr. during the preseason. More running backs will be available after other teams trim their rosters to 53 players, but they might not be the type of athletes to make a significant boost for the offense early in the regular season.
Giants have firm stance on possible Jameis Winston trade
The New York Giants have one of the deepest quarterback rooms in the NFL, and there has been speculation that Jameis Winston could be the odd man out when the regular season begins. It does not sound like Winston is going anywhere, however. Russell Wilson is expected to be the Giants' starting quarterback in Week 1. The big question is whether Jaxson Dart or Winston will enter the year as Wilson's primary backup. Dart has played well through two preseason games, and Brian Daboll and his coaching staff have raved about the former Ole Miss star. Some have wondered if the Giants could entertain trade offers for Winston should they decide they view Dart as their No. 2 quarterback. Assistant general manager Brandon Brown was asked about that on Tuesday, and he all but ruled it out. "I appreciate people that are interested, but Jameis is a New York Giant. The way that he's gone about his business from day one, he's made it very intentional of the fact that he wants to be here and he wants to be here for the long haul," Brown said. "Teammates love him. His preparation process, whether it's the off-field things that he does in terms of community relations, Bible studies, things in the locker room, galvanizing the group together — not just the quarterback room, but the offense as a whole. "He's been comic relief, but he's also been a really good example of how to be a pro and handle your business in terms of prehab, rehab and postgame care. So, I'm happy he's here, and he's gonna continue to do those things. He hasn't wavered, and he hasn't been shaken by any distractions at all." Winston signed a two-year, $8M contract with the Giants in free agency this offseason. The deal could climb as high as $16M with incentives, but he would need to play quite a bit to hit those. The Giants value Winston's extensive experience, just as they value Dart's upside. There is a reason they signed both Wilson and Winston and traded up to draft Dart. They believe in all three players, and they likely will not be inclined to trade Winston unless they receive an excellent offer.
Aaron Judge seemed annoyed with Aaron Boone over troubling health update
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone offered a concerning update on Tuesday about Aaron Judge's recovery from an elbow injury, and the slugger did not seem thrilled about that. Judge returned to the Yankees' lineup on Aug. 5 following a 10-day stint on the injured list. The two-time American League MVP had a flexor strain in his throwing elbow, and he has been slotted in as New York's designated hitter since he returned. In an interview with WFAN on Tuesday morning, Boone said he does not believe that Judge will get back to "throwing like he normally does" at any point for the remainder of the season. Judge was caught off guard by his manager's remarks. Prior to Tuesday night's game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Judge told reporters that he is unsure of why Boone provided the pessimistic update. "I don’t know why he said that. He hasn’t seen me throw the past two weeks," Judge said. "I’m pretty confident I’ll get back to that.” Boone later admitted that he may have misspoken during the WFAN interview. Many were surprised by the apparent disconnect between Judge and Boone. It is possible that what Boone said in the initial interview was accurate and Judge did not want that information to be made public. The alternative is that Boone is not completely up to speed on his best player's recovery from an injury, which would be a bad look for the manager. Judge is batting .333 with 39 home runs and 91 RBI this season. His bat is far more important to the Yankees than his glove, but he has struggled at the plate a bit since returning. Judge is batting just .229 with a .429 slugging percentage in 11 games since he came off the injured list.
'If You Need to Move On…': Aaron Rodgers Got Honest With Mike Tomlin During His Delay in Joining the Steelers
When you’re as famous as Aaron Rodgers, it’s next to impossible to keep a low profile. The former Green Bay Packer often embraces the spotlight and the criticism that comes with being one of the most premier players in NFL history, but when members of his inner circle were battling cancer, he wasn’t necessarily afforded the privacy that he had hoped to receive. During a recent sit-down discussion with his newfound teammate and Pittsburgh Steeler legend, Cam Heyward, the four-time All-Pro informed Rodgers that he couldn’t help but sympathize with the fact that his privacy wasn’t respected during what was surely a trying time in his life. “I think there’s an entitlement to that information,” Rodgers responded. That personal turmoil also proved to be the cause of Rodgers’ delay in signing with the Steelers earlier this offseason. Although a “super honest” conversation with his new head coach, Mike Tomlin, helped to get them on the same page. “I told every team that I talked to that I’m not making a decision right now. I’m taking care of my people… Then I can give you a decision… I told this to Mike Tomlin… ‘If you need to move on, love and respect to you… But, out of respect for this process and what my people are going through, I can’t fully commit to the team in this moment.'” For Rodgers, this offseason was more stress-inducing than relieving, and the added scrutiny from the media, who didn’t seem to have all of the facts, certainly didn’t help. Thankfully, he did manage to find a glimmer of happiness through his newfound wife, Brittani. “The stuff I was going through this offseason, outside of my marriage, were very difficult things.” According to the man himself, Rodgers had little control over his portrayal in the media. Even when it came to the title of his latest docuseries, Enigma, he had no say in the matter. After spending the majority of his career attempting to safeguard his personal life, he’s now come to the realization that, whether he likes it or not, a lot of that information will eventually make its way into the hands of the public. He’s done his best to open up more in his later years, but he still wishes that certain things could be kept behind closed doors. “The first 10 years of my career, I didn’t want to talk about anything. I was having issues with my family that I thought was appropriate to keep private. Although I dated high-profile people, I, for the most part, wanted to keep that private.” Unfortunately, sensationalism tends to reign over the truth in today’s world. Interactions on social media and malicious rumors are actively putting food on people’s tables, so long as that’s the case, figures such as Rodgers will continue to struggle with their public perception.
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