Kelly: 2023 Miami Dolphins Midseason Honors
To get there, the Dolphins need more from important players like Terron Armstead, Jalen Ramsey, and Xavien Howard.
The Miami Dolphins, who have been the hottest and most entertaining team in the NFL for the last two months, had an incredibly successful first half of the 2023 season.
That was adorable, but now it’s time to focus on improving on that 6-3 start, fighting for postseason berths, and deciding who gets to host in the AFC playoffs.
That is, assuming the Dolphins don’t lose sight of their goal as they did the previous year, when they dropped five straight games in December before making it to the postseason.
Let’s honor the top players from the first nine games of 2023 and address some areas of concern today. We’ll worry about tomorrow tomorrow.QB Tua Tagovailoa is the team MVP.
At least when Miami plays at home, he is the mastermind behind the NFL’s most potent offense. If he finishes first, where he has spent the majority of the season, he will become just the third quarterback in league history to lead the league in passer rating in back-to-back seasons. He’s in exclusive company as the only quarterbacks to accomplish that in consecutive seasons are Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning. Tagovailoa must develop his clutch playmaking skills in order to close out close games during the second half of the season.
Because of his speed, quickness, and knack for making plays that keep defenses and their coordinators up at night, Hill is one of the most dangerous weapons on the football field and is on pace to become the first NFL player with 2,000 receiving yards in a regular season, surpassing a record set by first-ballot Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson. If Hill can maintain his current pace of 119.5 receiving yards per game, he will produce 2,031 receiving yards; if not, he will finish the season with 2,031 receiving yards.
Sanders is still largely dependable, even though he has only made two of the nine field goals he has tried this season, particularly when it is within fifty yards. He still needs to get better at kickoffs, though, because 36 of his 45 kickoffs have come from a distance that allowed a return. Additionally, Sanders failed to kick an extra point.
Best Rookie: RB De’Von Achane If he hadn’t missed four games due to a knee injury, the Dolphins’ 2023 third-round selection would have been among the NFL’s top rushers. Although Achane’s astounding 12.1 yards per carry average is impressive, don’t count on it to continue after he recovers from his knee injury. Let’s hope the star player from Texas A&M has the quickness to consistently produce big plays.
Most Developmental Player: RT Jackson, Austin
This time last year, Jackson was considered a first-round bust despite not being well enough to play more than a few snaps with the starting unit. He’s longer, slimmer, and more of a scrappy guy this season. Most significantly, for this soon-to-be free agent, the fact that he is the only offensive lineman to have played every snap this season is a huge positive step.
Jalen Ramsey, CB, is the Comeback Player of the Year.
Following his meniscus tear in his left knee, the general consensus was that Ramsey would be out until at least December. However, the Pro Bowl cornerback intensified his rehabilitation and returned to the field three months after the knee was fixed. In his first game back, he recorded an interception. With Ramsey and a healthy Xavien Howard on the boundary in the second half of the season, it will be interesting to see if defensive coordinator Vic Fangio can step up Miami’s defense.
ILB David Long Jr. is the 2019 Newcomer of the Year.
He was sidelined for the majority of the offseason program due to an undisclosed injury, and when he started practicing, he lived in Fangio’s doghouse because of his propensity to shoot gaps quickly, which occasionally left the defense exposed. Given that Long has improved over the last four games and has been a major contributor to the defense’s turnaround, it appears that he and Fangio have put their differences behind them. With 63 tackles, he leads Miami’s players. He has also forced one fumble and produced one sack. We might be in for something unique for years to come if this rate of production keeps up.
Most Disappointing: Silence the Super Bowl Talk While it’s fair to point out that we’re only at the midseason point, the Dolphins have lost every game they’ve played against a team considered a Super Bowl contender — Buffalo, Philadelphia and Kansas City — this season. In fairness to Mike McDaniel’s team, all of those games were played on the road, and maybe the outcome would have been different at home, or if Miami hadn’t short-circuited in those contests. But this isn’t a time to make excuses. It’s a time to lick the wounds, lock in and focus on doing what’s necessary to improve so that the Dolphins can win the AFC East division crown, and earn home field advantage in the playoffs
C/OG needs the greatest improvement. Eichenberg Liam
Eichenberg, a 2021 second-round pick that the Dolphins acquired by trading away draft picks, has so far performed mediocrely to averagely at every position he has started in the NFL. Additionally, he has experience at every offensive line position. Although it appears that he can do the least amount of damage at center, what happens if an injury forces him to switch back to guard? Eichenberg must improve his ability to hold his ground against 300-pound defensive tackles or else the team will have to move on from the disappointing early selection of Michael Deiter, who will likely become the next Eichenberg.
First Reserve: OT Lamm, Kendall
Lamm, who was unemployed when the Dolphins signed him late in the previous season, has been a football godsend. In addition to playing a great stand-in for Terron Armstead during Miami’s Pro Bowl left tackle’s two consecutive knee injuries, the eight-year veteran demonstrated that he is more than capable of starting offensive tackle in the National Football League. Lamm’s performance and his straightforward, unpretentious, and unassuming demeanor make him an ideal choice for this franchise. Because of this, the Dolphins ought to work to secure an extension for him before the season ends and another team tries to sign him to a starting position.
When the Dolphins agreed to a five-year, $75 million contract with the frequently injured but highly skilled left tackle, they knew exactly what they had. He hasn’t remained healthy, despite their hopes that he would roll the dice. Armstead played through multiple injuries that should have ended his season last year. Even though he wasn’t at full strength, he was competent enough to make the Pro Bowl. He has only appeared in 2.5 games this year due to a variety of injuries. The Dolphins must devise a backup plan and work toward it if Armstead isn’t giving the team and his teammates his all, as the intimidating offensive lineman he occasionally displayed.
For the first time since 2008, the Dolphins must concentrate their entire team’s efforts on taking the AFC East. The best way to accomplish that would be to defeat the Raiders, Titans, Jets, Cowboys, and Bills at Hard Rock Stadium to go undefeated at home. While sweeping the Jets would be advantageous as well, there is a good chance that the division title and home-field advantage will be decided in the season finale against the Buffalo Bills.
