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We haven’t seen any games played any time recently across the NFL, but there is very much a different kind of competition going on. Each of the league’s 32 franchises in engaged in mad scramble to improve their team as much as possible. The allure of a championship is alive for all 32 teams during the offseason — as the saying goes: hope springs eternal every offseason.
For some teams, the idea of a championship is a total pipe dream. For others, such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it can be said that a championship is the expectation. For the Miami Dolphins, the truth falls in between. Miami can very easily make a leap with a young roster and a young quarterback and be a legitimate threat. But the Dolphins haven’t tasted anything remotely resembling postseason success in the last twenty years.
Consider them in the middle. And that’s exactly where the Dolphins fall NFL.com’s updated 2021 NFL Power Rankings, too. Right in the thick of the field with the potential to rise with improved play from young cornerstones and a strong effort in the 2021 NFL Draft.
“Miami Dolphins
Previous rank: No. 12On the surface, replacing Ryan Fitzpatrick with Jacoby Brissett feels like a downgrade at backup QB, but it might help the Dolphins in the long run. Fitzmagic played well for Miami, but his far-reaching popularity was also a tricky fit for an organization trying to establish Tua Tagovailoa as a long-term answer under center. Brissett doesn’t bring the, well, magic of his predecessor, and that should help Brian Flores refrain from the quick-trigger benchings that came to define Tua’s first season.” – Dan Hanzus, NFL.com
It is a bit of a surprise to see the Dolphins drop three spots in the rankings, given the team has endured really only two major losses in Ryan Fitzpatrick and Kyle Van Noy. And Fitzpatrick was set to serve as the backup in 2021 anyway had he returned from the free agent market. But the good news for the Dolphins is that the offseason is not over. And Miami has more ammo in the 2021 draft than everyone not named the Jaguars and Jets as things currently stand; so consider this subject to change.