The 2019 San Francisco 49ers will serve as a source of inspiration for bad teams across the league this offseason. Last winter, the 49ers were coming off of a miserable season that saw them secure the #2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and were facing some quarterback questions with their franchise quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo. Fast forward 12 months? The 49ers entered the postseason as the NFC’s #1 seed and have punched their ticket to Miami for a spot in Super Bowl 54, where they will face off with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Naturally, this path is going to serve as a roadmap for teams everywhere.
“If the 49ers could do it then, we can do it now!”
For some teams, that may be true. But for the 2019/2020 Miami Dolphins, a more tempered approach would be wise. After all, the 49ers built for two or three seasons before their big jump in success, this year was the payoff of several years of impact defenders in the draft and a few key acquisitions this past offseason. The Dolphins’ roster leaves them in a much more precarious situation — at least for 2020. It’s difficult to envision this team finding enough talent in one offseason to kickstart a turnaround of the magnitude we saw from the San Francisco 49ers.
With so many draft selections at their disposal, Miami will most definitely field a more talented team than the one that took the field in 2019. But typically these leaps come with several years of talent infusion, paired with good fortunes. The Dolphins may see some of both, but it still feels like this roster is further away than a few players here or there.
As such, Dolphins fans should sit back and enjoy the ride. This is a unique approach — one that is very different than the Dolphins of the 2010s. It’s going to be fun to see how it pays off, but it won’t likely come with quick gratification.
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