If I was going to ever sell my writer soul and let artificial intelligence do the writing for me, a Miami Dolphins season preview article would be the culprit. Ever since Stephen Ross bought the team in 2009, you knew before each season exactly what The Miami Dolphins will give you… mediocrity. They might be a couple games over .500 or a couple games below. They might even make the playoffs a couple times a decade, but only to get slaughtered in the first round. It’s been a joyless, thankless exercise being a Dolphins fan the last 16 years.
This is probably right around when ChatGPT would show me links to suicide hotlines. But where there’s life, there’s hope. Even hapless franchises like The Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions have won playoff games in recent years. Could the 2025 Miami Dolphins break their quarter century curse and finally win in the postseason this year?
Let’s start with our 6th year quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa. Here’s what I wrote about Tua two years ago in the 2023 season preview. “He is a winning quarterback when he plays. The Dolphins have a 21-13 record with Tua as starter. Unfortunately he has also shown his body is not made for the rigors of football.” Somehow now he’s 40-24 without seemingly ever beating a good team.
Or ever seemingly fully healthy. Last year he ended the Dolphins season in week 2 by running head first into a tackler knocking himself out of consciousness and out of the next month of games. He came back to get the Dolphins into playoff contention, only to miss the last two games and the playoffs.
Since then his supporting cast has only gotten worse. Once great wide receiver Tyreek Hill found himself in more off field controversies than he had touchdowns last year which only numbered six. Jaylen Waddle slumped even worse, only able to get in the end zone twice. Once promising running back De’Von Achane had double the rushing attempts in 2024 compared to 2023 and only managed 100 more yards for his troubles. Their best offensive lineman Terron Armstead retired and the lone 2024 bright spot in tight end Jonnu Smith was traded.
On the defensive side of the ball linebackers Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips are supposedly coming back from season ending injuries, but counting on them making it through an NFL season without another injury is the height of insanity. Future hall-of-famer Jalen Ramsey demanded a trade which took him to Pittsburgh in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick who it seems like just yesterday demanded a trade from the Dolphins. The rest of the secondary is filled with no names.
Now we get to see what Coach Mike McDaniel is made of. Can he get a team that looks awful on paper to overachieve? Is he the wunderkind that he was touted upon his hiring or the overwhelmed dweeb he comes across at press conferences?
Three years and change is all Stephen Ross generally allows Dolphins coaches to last. He fired Adam Gase and Brian Flores after year three, while cutting loose Tony Sparano and Joe Philbin midway through year four. Looking at the 2025 schedule the Dolphins late bye week looks like it could be when McDaniel gets the axe. The Dolphins will have three tough home games going into it against Baltimore, Buffalo, and Washington. Go 0-3 in that homestand and I don’t think McDaniel will survive. Especially after an offseason where he was mocked and ridiculed by former players as a pushover.
Betting lines have the Dolphins at exactly .500 picking them to win 8.5 games. I’m going the under and see a dreadful 7-10 season in our future.
