Miami Dolphins should terrify rest of NFL now and for the future

The Miami Dolphins are now 6-3 and firmly in the playoff hunt this season.

It was an enormous shock last year when the Miami Dolphins, a team projected by most to finish with the NFL‘s worst record, went on a late-season run to finish 5-11. It was a testament to then-first-year head coach Brian Flores and the culture he was already building in South Beach. But that’s just it; the Dolphins were still a rebuilding project not yet fully completed.

So they waged forward into the 2020 NFL Draft, an event in which they possessed three first-round picks, which they turned into quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, offensive tackle Austin Jackson and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene. Additionally, they bolstered the defense and offensive line — two major weaknesses in 2019 — with veterans like Ted Karras, Shaq Lawson, Emmanuel Ogbah and the prize of the class, Byron Jones.

After a respectable 3-3 start with veteran signal-caller Ryan Fitzpatrick still at the helm, Flores made the call to bring in the No. 5 overall pick, Tagovailoa, as the starter. And since then, the rookie out of Alabama has helped guide the Dolphins to three straight wins with Miami now sitting as the No. 6 seed in the AFC.

The Dolphins defense has, no hyperbole, looked like one of the best units in the league as of late. Meanwhile, the offense has started to truly hit its stride. Aided by splash plays from the aforementioned defense and special teams, Tagovailoa hasn’t been asked to do all that much. But what he has been asked to do, he’s performed with aplomb and, just as importantly, has improved over every outing.

Miami simply being in the playoff hunt on this side of midseason makes for a fantastic story for fans to follow. However, it should also be a nightmarish thought for the rest of the league. Because even if other organizations believed the Dolphins were building the right way, few (if any) expected them to be at this point already.

The Miami Dolphins rebuild is ahead of schedule, which should terrify the NFL.

Make no mistake, the Miami Dolphins were supposed to improve this season. And by the measure of what’s transpired in a general sense, they are on schedule. Fitzpatrick would start the year and make way for Tua. The defense would take a step forward with the addition of veterans. And the offensive weapons would get more comfortable.

What’s been shocking though is the size of the steps that have been taken in these areas. Again, this has looked not only like an improved defense but like an elite defense. The offensive line has created a viable running game and the pass-catchers have performed well. And then there’s Tua.

With Miami’s schedule altered due to COVID-19 postponements throughout the league, you could make the argument that a moved-ahead bye week forced them to turn to the rookie quarterback earlier than expected. Yet, outside of a strip-sack courtesy of Aaron Donald on his first play as a starter, the former Crimson Tide star has met the challenge with open arms.

Tagovailoa’s stats thus far aren’t going to wow anyone but he’s more than passed the eye test. And if there is one box score number that does show that, it’s the 5-0 touchdown-interception ratio he’s sporting over his first three starts — not to mention the fact that the Dolphins haven’t lost since he earned the nod.

That Flores already has this youth-laden roster playing at a playoff level should be scary enough for the rest of the NFL as the Dolphins are a threat right now. But what’s more disconcerting for the other 31 franchises is that, though the rebuild is far ahead of schedule, it’s also not done.

Miami still has two first-round and two second-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, both owed to them by the Texans as part of the Laremy Tunsil trade. And as fate would have it, Houston would currently be sending the Dolphins a top-five pick in each of those rounds. Thus, they have the opportunity to add another top-five prospect in addition to four players in the top 64 picks.

All the pieces are falling into place for the Miami Dolphins to pull off what was a massive rebuilding effort. But the results are already starting to show. So while this isn’t necessarily a Super Bowl contender just yet, that they have progressed to this point so quickly lends itself to the notion that they could be in that conversation sooner rather than later.