The Miami Dolphins will play their eighth football game of the season this upcoming weekend in Arizona against the Cardinals, guaranteed to be at least .500 and well in the thick of the chase for the postseason after stringing together a stretch of wins over the month of October and the start of November. Over the past month, it has been easy to forget that this is a rebuilding franchise that still has plenty of work ahead of them to become the Super Bowl contender they aspire to be.
But there’s plenty of work to be done yet. And as much as the next two months is about chasing the postseason, it’s also going to center around continuing to evaluate this roster and identifying the most pressing issues.
What stands out through the first eight weeks of the 2020 season for the Dolphins? Here are the most pressing issues on the offense entering the mid-way point on the schedule.
Wide Receiver
The Dolphins have shown that they like to spread the love in the passing game and there have been big performances this season from DeVante Parker, Preston Williams and Mike Gesicki. Parker is the de facto No. 1 receiver and will surely have a primary target share in the future so long as he’s healthy. Gesicki is a receiving tight end but he’s really a big slot receiver — Miami can play matchups with him and target him when they like their one on ones; as evidenced by some of his intermittent production this season.
Williams has been a frustrating play for Miami. And the rest of the wide receiver room is also littered with questions. Can Isaiah Ford beat man coverage or will he be primarily a zone beater? Can Jakeem Grant string together strong play at wide receiver and eliminate some of the errors in his targets and touches?
And most importantly: who is going to be the explosive, big play weapon? Miami currently doesn’t have one who can take the ball short and create a chunk gain with it after the catch. Grant is physically capable of being that player, but he hasn’t produced that success yet