The Miami Dolphins’ offensive exploits of the 2010s aren’t necessarily going to move the needle for anyone — despite the team’s best efforts to hunt down a high-flying offense, the team proved it had the capacity to handle anything but a modern, sexy offense throughout the course of the decade. Under the watch of Tony Sparano, the Dolphins’ offense was bogged down with quarterback play. Under Joe Philbin, a conservative approach and one dimensional offense allowed opposing teams to pick on the mistakes of a volume passing offense — especially when they got cold feet in key situations. And under Adam Gase, the Dolphins simply refused to retain their best personnel — which caught up to the team as injuries to the offensive line and to QB Ryan Tannehill sucked the life out of the unit.
In all, Miami still managed to have three representatives within the NFL’s 20 most productive quarterbacks of the decade. Not all of that production came with the Dolphins, of course — as Ryan Tannehill logged a majority of the decade as the team’s starter. But one year stints for two other top-20 passers across the NFL over the decade did allow Miami to have some strong representation.
The Dolphins’ team leaders in passing production over the decade can be found here. Which ones are among the best of their peers over this decade?
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Passing yards in the 2010s: 28,782
NFL rank in the 2010s: 13th
Fitzpatrick has done well for himself despite his status as a journeyman in the NFL. He trails Russell Wilson and Cam Newton on the list despite logging only 10 starts between the 2017 & 2018 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fitzpatrick logged only three seasons with 16 starts throughout the course of the decade — and yet managed to situate himself in the top 12 in passing yards across the entire league.
Ryan Tannehill
Passing yards in the 2010s: 23,176
NFL rank in the 2010s: 18th
Tannehill’s tenure in Miami will likely be looked back on in a favorable light — especially as the sins of former coaches continue to come to light in their time spent with other teams. Tannehill was not a perfect player; but he showed in his first season in Tennessee what he’s capable of being if he’s not asked to shoulder the brunt of the offense — which is what he was asked to do under Joe Philbin. By the time Adam Gase came into control, Tannehill’s body was worn down from years of heavy sack numbers. His tenure in Miami ended with a 42-46 record and over 20,000 passing yards with the team.
Jay Cutler
Passing yards in the 2010s: 22,443
NFL rank in the 2010s: 20th
Cutler made a single season appearance in Miami — mercifully, we might add. The Cutler experience in Miami came after a short-lived retirement; although at times Cutler looked as though he yearned to be sitting on the beach with a cool drink in hand and not playing quarterback. Approximately one eleventh of his passing yards over the decade came in 2017 with the Dolphins — and Cutler hasn’t played again since. Interestingly enough, he did log his fourth highest win total of the decade in Miami (6) that season, tied for the most he’d scored as a starter since 2012.