The Miami Dolphins’ reclamation project is more clear than ever after the transactions of the 2020 offseason — this is a team that aspires to play physical in the trenches, and do so courtesy of prototypical size across both sides of the line of scrimmage. And, along with the team’s additions in the secondary, Miami appears poised to play matchups with nearly every team across the league in the pass game; hopefully being able to mix and match coverage to eliminate any given team’s preferred target throughout the course of a game.
The overhaul wasn’t just limited to players, either — Brian Flores will have two new coordinators in 2020 and, as a result, the team will effectively be starting from square one in some capacities.
But the momentum of Miami’s offseason is real. And some, such as NBC Sports’ Peter King, are starting to take notice. King revealed this week his NFL power rankings in the aftermath of the 2020 offseason and the Dolphins checked in as high as they have in any power rankings in quite some time — 19th out of 32.
“Most Overused Peter King Stat of the Offseason . . . 2019 records (including playoffs) since Halloween: Miami 5-4, New England 4-5. And then the Dolphins added an electric quarterback, half the Patriots roster, and reinforcements for the offensive line. I look at the two coordinators Brian Flores let go with a mixture of suspicion and praise. Chad O’Shea’s offense may or may not have been too encyclopedic, and Patrick Graham may or may not have meshed with Flores’ defensive philosophy totally, but I like a coach who has the guts to open himself up for criticism for having two new coordinators (the offensively simplistic Chan Gailey and Josh Boyer) in year two.” — Peter King, NBC Sports
The rest of the AFC East landscape, according to King?
13. Buffalo Bills
19. Miami Dolphins
21. New England Patriots
28. New York Jets
And as another note of interest to Miami Dolphins fans, the Houston Texans (whose 1st- and 2nd-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft belong to the Dolphins) are ranked a measly 22nd — what a treat that would be for the Dolphins to see materialize come next January.