The Miami Dolphins did a lot to improve their roster this offseason to give new head coach Mike McDaniel and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa the best weapons that they could.
Those efforts included signing talented free agents like Terron Armstead, Connor Williams, Cedrick Wilson Jr., Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert as well as trading for Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs.
Add in guys like Xavien Howard, Jevon Holland, Mike Gesicki and Jaylen Waddle who are all returning from last year and the Dolphins have a roster that’s ready to compete for a playoff spot.
The changes happening in Miami Gardens have even caught the eye of former Dolphins head coach-turned-analyst Jimmy Johnson, and he’s really impressed with what they’ve put together.
“I talked to Chris Grier, their general manager, last week,” Johnson said in an interview with the Miami Herald. “I told him, ‘Man, you’ve brought in some talent.’ Obviously they haven’t played a game yet, but this may be the most talented Dolphins team since the [Dave] Wannstedt took them to the playoffs [in the early 2000s], which is a long time.
“In professional football, first of all, the No. 1 thing is talent, and they’ve got talent. As I’ve said on Fox NFL Sunday, the 49ers last year with [Kyle] Shanahan — and McDaniel — did the best job of anybody in the league with their run schemes. That will really help as far as Tua [Tagovailoa], being able to protect him and keep the pressure off him to where he can throw the ball to those great receivers.”
On paper, this roster looks like they can compete with most teams in the league, but there’s a long way to go before they can call themselves postseason contenders.
