History has a way of sneaking up on you from time to time. For the Miami Dolphins, who would have known that the team would endure such a dry spell of historic moments in the 2010s. After all, the Miami Dolphins are one of the most history rich franchises in the NFL — the team with the undefeated season, the trailblazing play of Dan Marino and a slew of Hall of Famers and the league’s most winningest coach. But history hasn’t been kind to the Dolphins over the last ten years.
There have been glorious moments, such as the walk-off safety by Cameron Wake on Thursday Night Football or the Miami Miracle. But those wins have been lost to mediocre seasons and underachieving football teams. The Dolphins have played in one playoff game over the past decade, a 30-12 stomping by the Pittsburgh Steelers that saw Miami down 20-3 in the first 18 minutes back in 2016.
The Dolphins are enduring a dry-spell of history.
But that changes this week, because for better or for worse, the Miami Dolphins will be undertaking a historic draft in 2020. Currently scheduled for 14 picks and six in the first 70 overall, Miami will be picking players early on at a volume that is rarely ever seen. And in time, this year’s NFL Draft will be looked back at as a catalyst for success or an all-time failure — but it will be looked back at as historic in either case.
And for the Dolphins, who have been so barren and without history over these past ten years, the 2020 NFL Draft serves as the most historic moment in franchise history since… what, exactly?
December 28, 2008. That was the day the Miami Dolphins last won the AFC East, making them the only team since the New England Patriots to claim an East division title since the year 2002. The Dolphins beat the Jets in East Rutherford that day, claiming a 24-17 victory over Brett Favre and the Jets that afternoon, highlighted by a leaping touchdown from Ted Ginn in the corner of the end zone and a subsequent interception return by defensive lineman Phillip Merling for two touchdowns in a span of 15 seconds of game clock just before the half to elevate Miami from a 6-0 deficit to a 14-6 lead.
Miami would hold on, clinch the AFC East courtesy of a tiebreaker and then go on to lose in the AFC Wildcard Round to the Baltimore Ravens. We didn’t know it then, but that division championship would be a historic moment. It’s the only time since 2002 that the Patriots didn’t win the East. And it’s been Miami’s most recent bit of history ever since — until now. Don’t let the weight of this moment sneak up on you, Dolphins fans. The 2020 NFL Draft is all about Miami. It isn’t a question of if this draft class will go down in the history books, it is instead a question of what it will go down in the history books for — for better or for worse.