The Miami Dolphins were always going to have a young group of talent in 2019. That will happen when you shuttle off three quarters of your starting lineup in the name of a rebuild but lack cap space and draft picks to replenish the roster. And that’s exactly what we saw during the Dolphins’ “foundation” season in 2019 — the team cleared cap, cut or traded aging players and angled themselves towards a more promising future with the knowledge that 2019 was probably going to be a rough year.
And it was. But Miami’s improvement from the start of the season to the end of it shouldn’t be overlooked, especially with so many snaps invested into rookies that could develop with more time into prominent starters or role players in the future.
How many snaps were invested into rookies? The most in the NFL, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates.
Teams with the most snaps played by rookies this season:
1. Dolphins: 6,551
2. Giants: 6,372
3. Redskins: 5,428
4. Raiders: 5,236
5. Jaguars: 5,071
6. Broncos: 4,591
7. Cardinals: 4,276
8. Lions: 4,266
9. Rams: 4,122
10. Buccaneers: 4,077— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 1, 2020
Only one other team in the league was within 1,000 snaps of Miami’s grand total of 6,551 — a jaw dropping number. It’s further proof of what Miami can be once they have added time to further develop their players and add more physical talent to this roster. None of the teams in the top-10 were able to make the playoffs, so added youth is going to continue to be an important piece of the puzzle for these teams in aiding their long-term outlook.
But none of these teams have more high draft picks and salary cap space than Miami — so bring on another season of high snap counts for rookies in 2020. Only this time around it will be 1st and 2nd-round picks making the plays, not UDFAs and late round picks.
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