Any set of NFL power rankings this summer will make it very easy to find the Miami Dolphins — just start from the back and start working your way up. Odds are strong you’ll find Miami inside the first six to eight teams at the bottom of the list. That includes the most recent set of power rankings from USA TODAY’s Touchdown Wire, where the Dolphins are checking in at No. 27 overall and one of the worst six teams in the NFL.
Should the Dolphins feel disrespected by the low rankings? Yes. Is it hard to blame those crafting the power rankings for their lack of enthusiasm for getting the Dolphins to check in any higher on the list? No, to be perfectly honest.
At the end of the day, the Miami Dolphins are going to have to execute before they’re given any respect from pundits across the league — promise and potential can only take you so far before you ultimately need to live up a certain expectation in order to be given your due. That is where the Miami Dolphins now stand — they’re a team that has gotten a lot better on paper but because they have so much turnover it is easy to dismiss them as a team that could be ready for a breakout year “next year” — but not in 2020. There’s nothing stopping the Dolphins from being a team that improves significantly in 2020 and potentially even building upon their 2020 record to move to .500 and possibly push for a low playoff seeding.
But no one is going to assume the Dolphins will be able to execute that sudden improvement and the team will only get their due if they actually do it. In the meantime, Miami will be an easy team to peg near the bottom of power rankings — and that’s okay. At the end of the day, games aren’t played on paper and the Dolphins will have every opportunity to change the narrative.