The Miami Dolphins are entering into a pivotal window that will help to finalize the direction and legacy of this chapter of the team’s history. An ambitious rebuild has been undertaken in Miami and while a 10-6 season in year two of the effort can go down as a successful season, the success of the rebuild isn’t going to be defined until we get a more clear picture of the final form of this team.
Will Miami make this the new normal? Or will the team regress into the middling tier of NFL franchises that it has been stuck among for the better part of the last two decades?
Miami’s fate belongs to plenty — but how the Dolphins choose to handle the quarterback position will go a long way in determining if 10 wins is once again a new standard for Miami. There would be a lot less guesswork if there wasn’t a top-5 quarterback available on the trade market — one who has reportedly behind the scenes pegged the Dolphins as a favorite landing spot.
The Deshaun Watson rumors will continue until there is a resolution in Houston. And the Miami Dolphins, by extension, will continue to be a part of the conversation — if for nothing else because it has been made known that Watson likes the outlook of this franchise and he would admittedly be an upgrade over the incumbent in Miami, Tua Tagovailoa. But, as ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe has reported, the Dolphins aren’t leaving their offseason plans in neutral to cater to the potential of Watson. They’re instead barging full speed ahead with the intention to build around Tagovailoa.
“Significant offseason decisions behind the scenes have already been made with Tagovailoa in mind, multiple people within the Dolphins’ organization told ESPN. Decisions we’re aware of include Charlie Frye’s hiring as Dolphins quarterbacks coach and the co-offensive coordinator promotion of George Godsey and Eric Studesville.
The Dolphins have committed to Tagovailoa’s long-term development. Miami’s staff believes many of Tagovailoa’s rookie struggles are fixable with a full offseason with more reps, and the Dolphins are aiming to get explosive playmakers around him and banking on good chemistry with Godsey and Studesville.” — Cameron Wolfe, ESPN
Does this fully eliminate the potential of Deshaun Watson becoming a Miami Dolphin? No. But it is reassuring to know that the Dolphins’ decision makers have a plan in place for the 2020 No. 5 pick and have made significant hires to help cater to his continue development as a player. Miami would be irresponsible to make hires at this point in the game with any other mentality — Watson is under contract with the Texans and the team has made no indication that they will grant his request for a trade.
So, for the time being, we’ll all continue forward with the focus being on Tagovailoa, how these coaches mesh with his play style and how the Dolphins can best surround him with the right talent to become the playmaker Miami envisioned when they made him a top-5 pick in last year’s NFL Draft.