Last week, the Miami Dolphins hit the road for a loss to the Cleveland Browns. This Sunday, the Dolphins return to Hard Rock Stadium to host the Philadelphia Eagles 5-6. The last time Miami battled the Eagles was in November of 2015 in a 20-19 nail-biter victory. Philly took a 16-3 lead in the first quarter, but Miami’s defense tightened up only allowing a field goal in the fourth quarter to assure the comeback victory.
Miami hopes to put themselves in a position to play spoiler to the Eagles who are in a battle with the Dallas Cowboys for NFC East supremacy.
Jerome Baker tackling challenges on defense
While the Dolphins gave up 41 points to the Browns, that isn’t due to a lack of effort from Jerome Baker. After recording seven tackles this past Sunday, Baker has five games with seven or more total stops.
At this point, it could be argued that the offense’s struggles in moving the chains are more of a hindrance to the defense than any roster woes.
From a rebuilding standpoint, when you have a guy like Baker as the midpoint of a defensive unit, a Pro Bowler like Xaiven Howard at cornerback and a defensive tackle like rookie Christian Wilkins, who is developing as nicely as he is, it can be argued that Miami is a safety and edge rusher away from making a rise to relevance a reality on defense.
Wide Receivers forced to carry the offensive load
With the situation at the running back position being what it is in addition to rookie Preston Williams missing the rest of 2019 due to injury, DeVante Parker must fill an immense production gap for Miami to compete. While he had six catches for 91 yards last week, his second contest in a row with that many catches and 90 or more yards, the receiving corps still fell well below the task demanded.
But as the chances for the top spot in the 2020 NFL Draft decline and with Tua Tagovailoa’s hip injury throwing his viability into question, perhaps they can go a different direction without fear that a lesser talented prospect will lack support.
With the remaining receivers returning to health and Mike Gesicki at tight end, the Dolphins can use draft picks and free agency to beef their offensive line and add a sleeper running back to carry the load. If that is achieved, don’t be surprised if they become a threat in the AFC East sooner rather than later.