The Dolphins’ Offense Needs To Face Some Harsh Truths This Offseason
Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
The Miami Dolphins have a lot of retooling to do in the 2025 offseason. They cannot sit at the table thinking they have a pat hand and wait for others to make their move. They need to be aggressive and go out and sign younger free agents, who are in their prime as opposed to handing out one-year deals to players before they qualify for Social Security.
This week we take a look at changes they have to make on offense. Next week, we will examine the defense.
Last offseason, general manager Chris Grier was acting like he got extra draft choices for signing players well past their prime. He handed out one-year, cap friendly contracts to veteran free agents like they were going out of style. Most did not pan out, see Odell Beckham, Jr. One panned out and Grier wanted to trade him before the season was over. He finally brought defensive tackle Calais Campbell home to the city he wreaked havoc in college. Campbell will probably retire in the offseason. He deserves better than the dumpster fire the Dolphins’ organization has become.
The Dolphins need help on both sides of the ball. However, I truly believe they have found their backup quarterback in Tyler Huntley. One cannot blame Huntley for losing to the New York Jets in the season finale as it was played in blistering-cold weather and most of the Dolphins checked out after they saw the Denver Broncos win, thus locking Miami out of the playoffs. Huntley was filling in for the injured Tua Tagovailoa for the second straight cold-weather game in a row and failed miserably, but he was part of a colossal failure by all 53-men on the active roster.
The Dolphins need to rework the trenches. They have to rebuild the offensive line. Terron Armstead has proven he still loves the game, but the game does not love him any longer. He needs to retire. The Dolphins did well to draft his replacement in Patrick Paul as part of the 2024 Draft class. Aaron Brewer is a serviceable center and will have a home there for a few more years, but needs more repetitions with Tagovailoa so they can clean up their mishaps on the center-quarterback exchange. When Tagovailoa was healthy, in the preseason, Brewer was injured. When Brewer was healthy in the beginning of the season, Tagovailoa was in the concussion protocol.
The two did not have enough time to work together to get on the same page until the season was already out of their hands. Perhaps they can spend sometime this offseason working together and getting their timing down so when the preseason rolls around, they are already finely tuned. Given the fact Mike McDaniel does not like to play starters in the preseason for more than a series or two, they need to get it right in practice.
They also need to replace both guards as Liam Eichenberg and Robert Jones have proven they cannot cut it at this level. Jones was re-signed to a one-year deal in the offseason to spell Robert Hunt who was lost to the Carolina Panthers in free agency. Jones never mastered the position and does not deserve a chance to come back and win back his starting position he won by default. The Dolphins need to replace both guards either through free agency or the draft. I was banging the table last spring for the Dolphins to spend a seventh-round pick on Javion Cohen, from the University of Miami, who also played three years at Alabama. They whiffed on Cohen who signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent and ended up starting in the NFL as a rookie.
At right tackle, they have to find a replacement for Kendall Lamm. Lamm is heading into his 11th season and does not have skill set to answer the bell one more time. They have to hope Austin Jackson can recover from the injury that prematurely ended his 2024 season. They must look to the draft for depth at right tackle as Lamm is not the answer, nor is Jackson Carmen who was signed when Jackson went down.
The Dolphins need to make some moves at wide receiver and build around Jaylen Waddle and Malik Washington, last year’s sixth-round selection. First, they need to get rid of the elephant in the living room and set Tyreek Hill free. They need to trade him and get as many assets as they can for the Cheetah. He was nothing but a distraction last season and then said he wanted out of Miami. Good riddance. Look for Miami to sign a veteran free agent at the receiver position and also draft a young receiver. They also have former University of Southern California draft pick Tahj Washington, who missed last season on injured reserve. It will be interesting to see what the former Trojan can contribute with his speed and good hands.
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