Miami Dolphins insider Cameron Wolfe called the 2024 season a “transition” and “reset” year for the team.
The words "reset year" and "transition" were said by @CameronWolfe on NFLN regarding Dolphins.
Seems like Miami is in this in-between ground, still trying trying to compete with its roster core and some coming additions but not able/willing to keep all its talent together at the…
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) March 11, 2024
The Dolphins have made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, but the team has let several key players – especially on the defensive side of the ball – leave this offseason.
Safety Brandon Jones, defensive lineman Christian Wilkins and offensive lineman Robert Hunt have all left in free agency, and the team recently released former Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard.
The team has also moved on from defensive lineman Emmanuel Ogbah and linebacker Jerome Baker.
It appears that the Dolphins are willing to let talent that would cost the team a lot of money – and cap space – go this offseason in order to build for the future. It makes sense that the Dolphins are taking this approach to some degree, as the team likely will ink quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to a major extension in the near future that would tie up a good chunk of the franchise’s cap space going forward.
The Dolphins are poised to pay Tua Tagovailoa more than $50 million per year, per @ArmandoSalguero pic.twitter.com/Y712hnae1x
— Dolphin Nation (@Dolphin_Nation) March 11, 2024
Still, it certainly hurts to see Miami lose so many key players from last season’s team, especially since the Dolphins nearly won the AFC East for the first time since the 2008 season.
Miami entered the final week of the regular season with a chance to clinch the division, but the team lost to the Buffalo Bills, giving Buffalo the edge in the standings. That knocked Miami down to the No. 6 seed in the AFC, and the team matched up with the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the playoffs.
Kansas City, who went on to win the Super Bowl for the second consecutive season, dominated the Dolphins at Arrowhead Stadium, winning 26-7 in freezing temperatures. Fans – and the Dolphins – have to wonder if things would have been different had the team won the division and secured a home game in Miami in the first round of the postseason.
As long as Miami has Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Jalen Ramsey, Jevon Holland and some other core pieces, it still should be able to compete for a playoff spot in the 2024 season.
However, the team is going to need to prove that it can fill the void left by some of the key departures from the roster this offseason.
