The Miami Dolphins don’t know a lot about championships. It’s been a long time since the Dolphins have ever played for one, let alone actually won one. Miami hasn’t triumphed in a Super Bowl since the 1970s and the team’s last appearance in the Super Bowl came in the mid-1980s. So how does a downtrodden franchise establish a championship pedigree when they’re so far removed from the real deal?
You approach an offseason like how the Dolphins have attacked the 2020 offseason. Miami spent 2019 building up a firm foundation of mentally tough football players who met the mold head coach Brian Flores was searching for in year one of his new gig. That was deemed a success — but success during a rebuild looks like 5-11 and still owning a top-5 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
But what the Dolphins have done since will at least give this team some optimism that they can build a champion. Because these players? They’ve already been there. Consider the team’s free agent additions. Among them are several who have climbed the mountain in the NFL.
- LB Kyle Van Noy (Patriots)
- LB Elandon Roberts (Patriots)
- DL Emmanuel Ogbah (Chiefs)
- LB Kamu Grugier-Hill (Eagles)
- OL Ted Karras (Patriots)
Half of the team’s prominent free agent additions have gone the distance. Expand that to the NFL Draft and you’ll find several more players with championship pedigree at the college level.
- QB Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama)
- DL Raekwon Davis (Alabama)
- 2019 pick DL Christian Wilkins (Clemson)
And this is just the players who have won championships. There are others who have played for titles that have also tasted bitter defeat — such as RB Matt Breida (49ers in 2020) and OL Solomon Kindley (Georgia in 2018). These Dolphins don’t know the first thing about playing for championships, but they’ve filled their roster with potential critical pieces who do know what it feels like to feel the glory of a championship — and just as importantly the bitter sting of coming up just short. Here’s to those experiences helping the Dolphins mold a championship experience of their own in the coming years.