In their first season under new head coach Mike McDaniel, the Miami Dolphins achieved the same record as they had the prior year with Brian Flores at the helm. However, this year, 9-8 was enough to get them into the postseason for the first time in six seasons.
With winning and losing streaks throughout the year, it actually felt a lot like the year prior, but the potential of the team, when everyone is healthy, has the organization and fans feeling pretty good about the future.
Here are a few things that we learned throughout the 2022 season.
Backup quarterback options weren't what they needed to be
Following 2021, it was imperative for the Dolphins to find a backup with Tua Tagovailoa having an injury history. Miami ended up signing Teddy Bridgewater and drafting Skylar Thompson, who took on the backup and third-string roles, respectively.
However, when they were called upon, they were unable to keep up with Tagovailoa’s production. In games that Tagovailoa didn’t play or didn’t finish due to injury, the Dolphins were 1-4, and their lone win came in the season finale.
Draft class was unimpressive
Chris Grier had only four draft picks in 2022, and he used them on linebacker Channing Tindall, wide receiver Erik Ezukanma, quarterback Skylar Thompson and linebacker Cameron Goode.
Thompson was the only one to play significant snaps, and he looked exactly like a seventh-round rookie.
Tindall and Ezukanma saw very limited game action while Goode was cut prior to the regular season and spent the year on the practice squad.
UDFA CB took on a huge role and succeeded
While the draft class wasn’t great, cornerback Kader Kohou, out of Texas A&M Commerce, was a welcomed surprise. The undrafted rookie was thrust into a starting spot with Byron Jones and Nik Needham’s injury situations.
Kohou played strong opposite Xavien Howard and even outplayed him in a number of games. His performance this year makes it a lot easier for the front office and coaches to make decisions regarding the group for 2023.
Jason Sanders struggled but came up big in the end
Kicking was a severe issue for the Dolphins this season, as Sanders has stretches of horrible play to the point where he couldn’t be trusted in moments where a made field goal would’ve changed the game.
However, he finished the season strong, making 82.9% of his field goals in the regular and postseason, with his biggest kick coming as a game-winner over the New York Jets in Week 18.
LB room is one of the best in the league
From top to bottom, it’s hard to find a room that was more complete than Miami’s. Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Melvin Ingram and Andrew Van Ginkel all had their moments on the edge, recording 16 sacks between the four of them.
Elandon Roberts and Jerome Baker, who spend time inside, combined for another 8.5 sacks and had over 100 tackles each.
Duke Riley was solid in coverage, and Sam Eguavoen was a special teams contributor again.
Connor Williams move to center worked out well
When the Dolphins announced that Williams would switch to center this season, many were skeptical. He had been a solid guard in Dallas, and Miami seemed to have a competent center in Michael Deiter.
However, Williams’ transition ended up being a solid one. He played in all 18 games, as he limited the high snaps that were an issue in training camp and dropped his penalty count from 14 in 2021 to just five in 2022.
