To Rebuild or Retool the Dolphins Roster?

To Rebuild or Retool the Dolphins Roster?

To rebuild or retool the roster to stay competitive? That is the question the Miami Dolphins face this offseason, with a new front-office structure. 

Before we get to that stage, the question is, will head coach Mike McDaniel survive? I say no, he doesn’t survive. I will say with McDaniel is that he hasn’t lost the team, and the players haven’t quit on him, especially after the team went 2-7 and then fired GM Chris Grier. I will also say that he has shifted the offense into a run-first instead of passing and relying on big plays in the passing game.

It also took a set of balls to bench his quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, after he had been in his corner and even advocated for him to get a new contract last year. However, the bottom line for me is McDaniel doesn’t do well against playoff teams or teams above .500. I was reminded of that after the Dolphins got destroyed on Monday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and they aren’t that good this year. Then came back the next week and got embarrassed at home against the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s time for a change and a clean sweep. 

This also includes the roster, because the Dolphins are going to be over the salary cap and won’t make many free-agent moves, only signing players to cheap contracts. The Dolphins can get out of a lot of bloated contracts, such as Tagovailoa, Bradley Chubb, and others, and start fresh. The bottom line is the roster that Grier put together hasn’t won jack, and they need to continue to rebuild the roster.  

The Dolphins started last year with the defensive line, drafting 3 players, who, after a slow start, have started to develop and become potentially solid players. They also started to go younger on the offensive line with Patrick Paul, who is quietly becoming one of the better left tackles in football, so they have a building block on the line. They also drafted Jonah Savaiinaea in the second round last year, and after a slow start started to play better.  

The problem with the offensive line is that they have two players, Aaron Brewer and Austin Jackson, heading into the last year of their contracts next year. They also have players in Cole Strange, Larry Borom, Kendall Lamn, and Daniel Brunskill who will all be free agents after Sunday’s game. The offensive line has been a strong point this year, but more changes are needed. Lamn and Brunskill are both in their 30’s and are primarily backups. Borom is a backup who played well when Jackson got hurt, but he’s not a long-term answer.

Jackson signed a new deal at the end of the 2023 season, which he earned, but has played in less than half the games since and is due 13 million, so either he restructures his deal, or he’s gone in my opinion.

He has been stable at the position when healthy, but the Dolphins need to find someone in the draft. The Dolphins also have James Daniels, who signed as a free agent this past offseason, but he missed all but four games with the Steelers in 2024 and only played fewer than five snaps this year.

The Dolphins can get out of his contract and start fresh, or they can keep him since he doesn’t have a huge salary and let him compete. They would have nobody to play right guard or tackle if the Dolphins cut their losses with Jackson and Daniel, so they need to continue to build in the trenches this offseason on the right side. Then comes Brewer, who is going into the last year of his contract and is going to want a raise from his 7 million. He is playing like one of the best centers in the game, and the Dolphins need him to stabilize the offensive line, but at what cost?

The Dolphins should re-sign him to a short-term extension, and it could help the team’s salary cap this year, or they can look to trade him and roll the dice with Andrew Myer, who played well last week in Brewer’s absence. 

The rest of the roster, for the most part, is bare in talent, especially at the most important position, quarterback. The Dolphins are going to move on from Tagovailoa and let Zach Wilson leave, which leaves Quinn Ewers, who I think should get a look at the starting position next year, and bring in someone to compete with him. This draft and free agent class isn’t very good at quarterback, so the Dolphins don’t have to spend a lot of money or take one high in the draft. Next year’s quarterback class looks more promising in the draft, and the Dolphins can build the roster up and look at a quarterback next year. I don’t think Ewers is the long-term answer, but in his two games has played decently to where the Dolphins can give him a look. 

The Dolphins don’t have any real talent in the secondary. They have Minkah Fitzpatrick, but he has one more year on his deal and will probably want a new deal, but he’s turning 30 years old. The Dolphins do have Dante Trader, who has played well at times returning, and then they have nobody else at safety.

They had a good year from Rasual Douglas, but he’s 32 years old and isn’t resigning for less than 2 million again. He is going to want to get paid. The Dolphins have Jack Jones, but he is up and down. They have Jason Marshall returning, and he had an injury-plagued rookie season. The Dolphins have no real talent in the secondary, and that is going to be a problem against teams that pass the ball in today’s game. I would see what Fitzpatrick wants, and if he doesn’t want to be part of a rebuild, then look to move on. 

The Dolphins have good linebackers and edge rushers, but are they part of the team’s long-term plans? Chubb had to take a pay cut to return this year, and with 8.5 sacks coming into the season finale, are the Dolphins and Chubb going to be able to reach an agreement on another restructured deal? I would think no, and the Dolphins should try to make a deal with a team looking for a pass rusher, or just release him, and if they must eat some dead money, so be it, because the Dolphins must get their finances in order. Chop Robinson has had a disappointing second season, so it will be interesting to see what the new GM thinks of him. They don’t have any edge rushers otherwise.

The Dolphins have two solid linebackers in Jordan Brooks and Tyrel Dodson, but they are both entering the final year of their contracts. Brooks will be looking for a new contract, as he should, since he leads the NFL in tackles and is the Dolphins’ emotional leader on defense. The question again is, will the team be open to signing him to a new deal? Again, like Brewer, the Dolphins could give him a short-term extension that helps the team’s camp this year while also boosting his pay. Dotson, I don’t know if he fits into the team’s long-term plan,s and the team can save money by releasing him. The Dolphins look like they are going to be going for a reset at linebacker and the edge position. 

The Dolphins look set to have a new punter and, potentially, a new kicker as well. Jake Bailey has had a solid season, but he’s not under contract. Jason Sanders hasn’t played this year because of an injury in warmups in the preseason, and the Dolphins can save almost 4 million by releasing him. They found a solid replacement this year in Riley Patterson, as he has only missed two field goals this year. 

The biggest position in the rebuild is the skill position, specifically wide receiver Jalen Waddle and running back De’Von Achane. The Dolphins have some good running backs behind Achane in Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon. Still, Achane is having a career year and is in the last year of his rookie deal, and the Dolphins did take some calls at the trade deadline for him, so the question is do you trade arguably your best skills player and try to get the most in return, or do you keep him on a long-term deal?