Tag: Dolphins

Dolphins legend is Hall of Fame semifinalist for the first time

Richmond Webb is closer to Pro Football Hall of Fame induction than he’s ever been.

Former Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Richmond Webb reached the semifinalist stage of the Pro Football Hall of Fame voting process for the first time and is one of 25 remaining candidates for the Class of 2025.

Webb, 57, was the No. 9 selection in the 1990 NFL draft and spent 11 seasons with the Dolphins mostly protecting Dan Marino’s blindside. The stalwart left tackle earned Pro Bowl honors seven times, was a two-time First Team All-Pro, and a two-time Second Team All-Pro during his time in Miami. Webb then finished his career with two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Among those that didn’t advance to the semifinalist stage is former Dolphins wide receiver and current wide receivers coach Wes Welker.

Webb is one of seven first-time semifinalists along with Luke Kuechly, Eli Manning, Terrell Suggs, Earl Thomas, Adam Vinatieri, and Marshal Yanda. All six of those players are in their first year of Hall of Fame eligibility.

Later this year, the list of 25 semifinalists will be trimmed to 15 finalists.

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Mike McDaniel explains Dolphins’ new emphasis on ball-control drives

The Dolphins had as many 14-play drives Sunday as they did their entire 2023 season.

During the Miami Dolphins’ prolific year of offense in 2023, they had three drives with at least 14 plays. On Sunday, they matched that total in a single afternoon.

During a 34-19 win against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Dolphins put together a pair of 14-play drives along with a 16-play drive that was the longest for the team since Mike McDaniel was hired in 2022. It wasn’t an aberration either. In the six games Tua Tagovailoa has started this season, Miami has put together 16 drives with at least 10 plays.

In the absence of big plays from Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and De’Von Achane, the Dolphins have found a new identity as a team willing to methodically grind away at its opponents.

“When you have some offensive production, or sustained offensive production, specifically with last year … you’re going to get offseason attention and people are going to have a different plan for you,” McDaniel said Monday. “You have to adjust to what is being presented to you and people have different plans of actions.

“Once people put two-high conservative and/or two-man coverages against your offense — until you’re able to take advantage of that through the quarterback extending plays or throwing shorter to space and staying efficient and maximizing those gains with YAC — until you prove that you’re able to execute and have games like that where you don’t punt the ball, you’re going to get that type of defense.”

Will the Dolphins’ recent success with lengthy, mistake-free drives force defenses to rethink their approach to stopping Tua Tagovailoa and co.? It remains to be seen. But McDaniel is hopeful that Miami is learning lessons that will pay dividends down the stretch.

In 2023, the Dolphins offense faded in the final weeks of the season. After averaging 31.5 points and 414.1 yards in the first 15 weeks, Miami managed just 18.3 points and 341.7 yards per game in the last three. A 26-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs followed.

“Something that we’ve been talking about since the start of the offseason in conjunction with forecasting how do we win elimination games? How do you win down the stretch of the season?” McDaniel said.

“Something that has been on the forefront of our guys’ minds in terms of we’re finding different ways to execute and move the ball down the field and score points, and I think that’s an important part of the process when you’re talking about a winning formula for big games and elimination games in particular, which is what we’re trying to grow to.”

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Where the Dolphins landed in power rankings after Week 11 win

Experts are slowly starting to believe in the Dolphins again after back-to-back wins.

A win against the Las Vegas Raiders isn’t exactly a statement game, but the Miami Dolphins put together a nearly perfect offensive performance in Week 11.

The Dolphins didn’t punt once or turn the ball over at all against the Raiders, turning every one of their possessions into points with the exception of a last-minute drive at the end of the first half.

Back-to-back wins haven’t yet convinced most experts that the Dolphins are in the top half of the NFL. But they’ve continue to inch forward in most rankings.

Here’s where experts now rank the Dolphins heading into Week 12:

Miami will face the 3-8 New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday in a Week 12 matchup.

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Jonnu Smith says Dolphins teammate is ‘LeBron James of the NFL’

“The guy is 1,000 years old and playing like he’s 21.”

LeBron James will turn 40 next month, but the NBA legend’s production on the court doesn’t show it. The Los Angeles Lakers star is averaging 23.3 points, 9.2 assists, and 8.6 rebounds per game so far in his 22nd career season.

Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith says there’s a player on his team that has managed similar age-defying play.

“Calais [Campbell] is one of my favorite teammates in all the sports I’ve played,” Smith said Monday during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “He’s like the LeBron James of the NFL right now. As far as his age and the production that he brings to the game, still playing at a high level. The guy is 1,000 years old and playing like he’s 21.

“The best leader I’ve been around. Good dude, good person, deserves everything that’s coming to him.”

Campbell, 38, recorded his fourth sack of the 2024 season in a 34-19 win against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. It brought his career total to 109.5, moving him into a tie for 29th all-time. With two more sacks, he’d pass fellow future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald for 28th.

The Dolphins signed Campbell to a one-year, $2 million contract in the offseason. In August, he revealed it was “the cheapest offer” he received “by a large margin,” but he took the deal because he believed in the team.

When the Dolphins spiraled to a 2-6 start to the year, they reportedly received calls from other teams looking to acquire Campbell before the midseason trade deadline. But Miami spurned those offers to keep the 17th-year defensive lineman.

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Chop Robinson has been one of the NFL’s best pass rushers in November

Chop Robinson has recorded a pressure on a phenomenal 23.9 percent of his pass rush snaps in November.

The lightbulb has gone on for Miami Dolphins rookie outside linebacker Chop Robinson.

The No. 21 pick in the 2024 NFL draft had a slow start to his first season with zero sacks in the Dolphins’ first seven games. But that has given way to a strong November for the rookie.

In three games this month, Robinson has recorded two sacks, two tackles for loss, and 15 pressures. According to Pro Football Focus, only five players in the NFL — Tuli Tuipulotu, Jeffery Simmons, Trey Hendrickson, Jared Verse, and Kyle Van Noy — recorded more pressures in the last three weeks. And all of them did it with at least 100 pass rushing snaps while Robinson recorded his 15 pressures on 78 snaps.

His rate of recording a pressure on 23.9 percent of his rushes is best in the NFL among players who have more than 40 pass rushing snaps in the last three weeks.

“He’s found a way to disrupt the passer for us, which is exactly what the doctor ordered at the right time,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Monday.

With Jaelan Phillips lost for the year with a knee injury and Bradley Chubb yet to return from the knee injury he suffered at the tail end of the 2023 season, the Miami pass rush was in desperate need of Robinson’s uptick in production.

The question now is how his recent success will impact opposing game plans, and if the rest of the Dolphins defense can take advantage.

“Once you are making plays or you’re creating disruption, then you have to find a way to impact the game once people devote the appropriate attention, which always comes when you’re making an impact on the game,” McDaniel said.

“When someone devotes extra attention to Chop, he needs to be productive in those situations. And then his teammates have to take advantage of the extra space — whether that’s a halfback getting out late because he’s trying to chip his way out, or the guard getting out to the tackle to provide help, which in turn gives some lightness in protection internally. All those things play off each other. … We’ll have to take his positive plays and make more positive plays.”

The Dolphins expect Chubb to return at some point this season, but McDaniel hasn’t indicated that it’ll happen any time soon. If the team hopes to continue its climb back into postseason contention, it’ll need Robinson to continue his emergence as a bright spot on defense.

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NFL playoff picture, Week 11: Dolphins back in the mix

The Dolphins are creeping their way up the standings in the AFC.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

The Miami Dolphins earned a second straight win Sunday with a surgical dissection of the Las Vegas Raiders. The 34-19 victory improved the Dolphins’ record to 4-6 and kept the team in the mix for a playoff spot.

While there’s still work to be done for Miami, the team is hot on the heels of other teams in the AFC that are vying for one of the conference’s seven postseason berths.

But unfortunately for the Dolphins, not much ground was given up by the teams ahead of them. With Week 11 in the books, here’s how the AFC standings stack up:

  1. Kansas City Chiefs: 9-1 (30-21 loss vs. Bills)
  2. Buffalo Bills: 9-2 (30-21 win vs. Chiefs)
  3. Pittsburgh Steelers: 8-2 (18-16 win vs. Ravens)
  4. Houston Texans: 7-4 (34-10 win vs. Cowboys)
  5. Los Angeles Chargers: 7-3 (34-27 win vs. Bengals)
  6. Baltimore Ravens: 7-4 (18-16 loss vs. Steelers)
  7. Denver Broncos: 6-5 (38-6 win vs. Falcons)
  • Indianapolis Colts: 5-6 (28-27 win vs. Jets)
  • Miami Dolphins: 4-6 (31-19 win vs. Raiders)
  • Cincinnati Bengals: 4-7 (34-27 loss vs. Chargers)

The six AFC teams not listed all have at least eight losses.

What may loom large at the end of the year is the Dolphins’ 16-10 loss to the Colts in October. However, if Miami keeps winning, those tiebreaking consequences could be left in the dust if Indianapolis picks up more losses.

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Dolphins player of the game, Week 11: TE Jonnu Smith

All six of Jonnu Smith’s receptions Sunday resulted in either a first down or a touchdown.

In a 34-19 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Miami Dolphins offense was surgical and efficient. The most reliable and dynamic target for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who had to consistently get the ball out quick, was tight end Jonnu Smith.

The veteran pass catcher finished his big day with six receptions for 101 yards and two touchdowns.

Smith’s first touchdown occurred on the opening drive of the game. Miami embarked on a 14-play, 70-yard drive that took over eight minutes off the clock. The Dolphins found themselves in a fourth-and-goal situation a yard away from the end zone and Tagovailoa connected with Smith for the game’s first touchdown.

Smith’s second touchdown was the dagger of the game when Tagovaioa found the tight end wide open in the middle of the field for a 57-yard touchdown

That touchdown was the final blow and all but sealed a Dolphins victory. All six of Smith’s receptions Sunday resulted in either a first down or a touchdown.

After a slow start to the season, Smith has settled into the Miami offense and has found a significant role, becoming one of Tagovailoa’s favorite targets. That was especially evident Sunday in a stellar performance.

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Alec Ingold among Dolphins 7 inactive players vs. Raiders

The Dolphins will be without their Pro Bowl fullback again Sunday.

The Miami Dolphins will be without fullback Alec Ingold for the second straight week due to a calf injury.

Ingold was one of three Dolphins still listed as questionable entering Sunday morning after the team decided to leave Isaiah Wynn and Patrick McMorris on injured reserve. The other remaining two questionable players, offensive linemen Terron Armstead and Robert Jones, are both good to go in Week 11.

With kickoff 90 minutes away, here are the seven players ruled out by each team for Sunday:

Dolphins inactives

  • RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
  • CB Ethan Bonner
  • CB Kendall Fuller
  • FB Alec Ingold
  • LB Mohamed Kamara
  • OL Andrew Meyer
  • WR Dee Eskridge

Raiders inactives

  • RB Dylan Laube
  • S Trey Taylor
  • CB Nate Hobbs
  • G Cody Whitehair
  • C Andre James
  • TE Harrison Bryant
  • DT Zach Carter

The Dolphins elevated offensive lineman Jackson Carman from the practice squad for Week 11 due to their offensive line injuries, but the inclusion of Armstead and Jones in the lineup is huge for the team’s offensive capabilities.

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Dolphins leave 2 players nearing return on IR for Week 11

The Dolphins didn’t do any roster tinkering Saturday and ruled two players out.

Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn and safety Patrick McMorris are both staying on injured reserve and have been ruled out for a Week 11 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Both Wynn and McMorris have returned to practices and were listed as questionable for Sunday, but have been downgraded to out on the team’s injury report. It’s an expected decision for the Dolphins after head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters that a move to the active roster was unlikely for either player.

“I think it’s a more likely week-by-week,” McDaniel said. “But I think that’s more likely a possibility in the next coming weeks than this week.”

Wynn, 28, joined the Dolphins in 2023 after beginning his career with the New England Patriots as a first-round pick in 2018. He earned starting left guard duties with Miami, but suffered a season-ending quad injury after playing in seven games.

The Dolphins have turned to Robert Jones to handle left guard duties so far in 2024 with veteran utility lineman Liam Eichenberg at right guard.

McMorris, 23, was a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft and had strong moments in preseason before he was sidelined with a foot injury.

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Former Dolphins C abruptly retires during first season with Seahawks

One of the players who left the Dolphins as a free agent earlier this year abruptly called it a career this week.

Former Miami Dolphins center Connor Williams abruptly retired this week during his first season with the Seattle Seahawks.

Williams, 27, joined the Seahawks in August on a one-year deal after spending the last two seasons with Miami. While he started all nine of his games with Seattle and was on the field for 100 percent of the team’s offensive snaps in those games, Williams had difficulty with shotgun snaps in recent weeks.

On Friday, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald didn’t give much explanation for Williams’ surprising midseason decision to walk away.

“Personal reasons and we respect that,” Macdonald said. “I don’t believe [there’s a chance he returns]. We’re going to honor his wishes and keep all those reasons and conversations private, for obvious reasons.”

Williams began his career as a second-round pick with the Dallas Cowboys and spent his first four seasons playing left guard for the team. He made the move to center after joining Miami in 2022 and thrived in the middle of the Dolphins line.

But his second season with the Dolphins ended when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in December, and the team opted to sign free agent Aaron Brewer to take over at center in 2024.

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