The Miami Dolphins have made serious upgrades to their roster, with former NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson now saying that they’re putting themselves in a position to become a football dynasty like the New England Patriots.
Burleson made his comments on the NFL Network and noted that outside of the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, the Dolphins have the best opportunity to become a dynasty.
Not surprisingly, Burleson believes that the Dolphins have had the best offseason among the league’s 32 teams, which includes drafting the team’s quarterback of the future: Tua Tagovailoa.
“I know some people are saying you’re the ridiculous-take guy,” Burleson said on NFL Network this past week. “I was trying to figure out some parallels between the dynasty that we’re used to seeing, which is the Patriots and when that started, and something that’s in a similar place. It could fall apart for Baltimore [and]… San Francisco. We have seen teams struggle to get back….
“What about the Dolphins? Let’s start at the starting quarterback position. There was that old vet with the young [Tom] Brady. There was [Drew] Bledsoe and Brady. There’s Fitz [Ryan Fitzpatrick] and there’s also Tua. Fitzpatrick is a guy that’s going to lead the way. Tua is the guy that needs to prove himself, just like Brady needed to prove himself.”
Burleson also pointed toward the Dolphins taking steps to improve the team’s running game and drafting offensive linemen to open holes for them, much like the Patriots did two decades ago.
The fact that Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and some of his staff coached at New England serves as another parallel in Burleson’s eyes.
“What about the coaching staff? You have a [defensive coordinator], who was coached and mentored by an absolute legend,” Burleson said. “That’s [Bill] Belichick and [Bill] Parcells. How about Brian Flores with Belichick? The similarities are there.”
Burleson pointed out that prior to the Patriots’ first Super Bowl title in 2001, they endured a rough first season under Belichick.
“What about the season?” Burleson asked. “They were terrible last year; they went 5-11. Do you know what the Patriots were before they won their first Super Bowl. They were 5-11.”
Summing up his bold thesis, Burleson offered a major endorsement of Tagovailoa as the future leader of the Dolphins.
“Right now, the Miami Dolphins have all the pieces,” Burleson said. “If you know how the Patriots set up their dynasty, right now the Miami Dolphins are in position to do that. Let’s not act like Tua ain’t a winner. Tua has proven to be one of the best quarterbacks.”
Of course, preseason projections for a team that’s been struggling like the Dolphins have a way of falling apart. Just last season, the Cleveland Browns were considered solid playoff contenders and promptly finished 6-10.
Right now, Flores and his staff are focused on getting on the field and simply trying to reach the postseason. Any discussion of a dynasty shouldn’t even be acknowledged until the Dolphins are once again Super Bowl champions.
