Report: Miami Dolphins expect to be competitive this season despite ‘reset year’ of sorts

A recent report indicates that the Miami Dolphins believe they will be a formidable team in the AFC East division and their conference despite all of the changes they have made to their roster in the offseason.

“2024 season will be a reset year, of sorts, for the Dolphins after parting ways with multiple key starters on both sides of the ball. It is not, however, a rebuilding year, and the team expects to be competitive in both its division and conference,” Marcel Louis-Jacques wrote.

The Dolphins were one of the better teams in the AFC during the 2023 regular season. Despite ending the season on a two-game losing streak, Miami finished with an impressive 11-6 record, which had the team in a four-way tie with the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs for the second-best record of any team in the conference.

For reference, the Baltimore Ravens — who lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game — had the best regular-season record in the AFC at 13-4.

The Dolphins’ roster has changed quite a bit since the end of the 2023 season. Miami has lost one of its top defensive players in Christian Wilkins to the Las Vegas Raiders, who handed him a four-year contract worth $110 million. Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey chimed in on the signing via X and is excited to see Wilkins play alongside Maxx Crosby, one of the better defensive players in the NFL at the moment.

Additionally, the Dolphins released Xavien Howard earlier this month. Howard played his first eight NFL seasons in Miami and totaled 45 combined tackles, 36 solo tackles, nine assisted tackles, one tackle for loss and one quarterback hit in 13 starts with the squad in the 2023 regular season.

But Miami has made some additions to its roster this offseason, too. For example, the Dolphins have signed former Chiefs tight end Jody Fortson. In 13 games played for Kansas City in the 2022 regular season, Fortson accumulated 108 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns and six first downs receiving while averaging 8.3 receiving yards per game.

While the Dolphins have lost a couple of productive defensive players in the offseason, Miami still has one of the better offensive teams in the NFL on paper, led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receiver Tyreek Hill.