The Miami Dolphins took the unenviable title of “cellar dweller” in 2019 among their AFC East rivals — finishing in last place for the first time since a 6-10 campaign in 2015 (Joe Philbin’s final season) and for just the second time since 2007, when the team finished 1-15 under the “direction” of coach Cam Cameron. For all of Miami’s struggles to find relevancy in the postseason, it’s pretty incredible to think that the team has had as many postseason berths as they have last place finishes in the AFC East since 2008 — two apiece.
The Dolphins are hoping to avoid a repeat performance in 2020, but more importantly begin to show progress that would indicate that this team isn’t “stuck in the middle” amid the limbo of mediocrity; but instead is headed towards more regular appearances in the AFC postseason and hopefully gathering some postseason wins along the way.
Those goals, however, may be more of a long-term point of view. Miami will face significant overhaul in both the coaching staff and with the players and personnel on the field. In addition, Miami does face a difficult schedule in 2020; although the rest of the AFC East follows suit with many of the same opponents. Miami’s two unique opponents for the 2020 season versus the rest of the division are the Cincinnati Bengals and the Jacksonville Jaguars — a much better draw than New England’s matchups against the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans or Buffalo’s Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans pairing.
Which of the AFC East teams is most likely to finish in last place in 2020? Despite all of Miami’s turnover, it should be considered the Dolphins. Instead, look north to the state of New Jersey, where the New York Jets will return Adam Gase as the team’s head coach for a second season and have made only marginal improvements to the supporting cast of young quarterback Sam Darnold.
Gase’s teams have been paltry moving the football for years and play a sloppy, undisciplined brand of football. Pair that with the improvements throughout the rest of the division (mainly in Miami and Buffalo) and the continued presence of Bill Belichick in New England and the team entering the 2020 season with the least appeal is the Jets. Despite Miami’s tumble to the cellar in 2019, look for the Jets to reclaim their positioning — they’d finished in 4th place in each of the three previous seasons and in four of the last six years overall.