The Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins will travel to Frankfurt, Germany for a Week 9 international showdown.
The Dolphins were a very streaky team in 2022. After beginning the season with three straight victories they proceeded to lose their next three, then won five in a row, only to lose their next five. Miami capped its season off with a scrappy 11-6 win over the New York Jets, clinching a postseason wildcard spot.
The Dolphins gave a valiant effort in the wildcard round against the Buffalo Bills but fell short by a 34-31 final score. Despite their inconsistencies, the Dolphins established an explosive offense, finishing sixth overall in total yardage and fourth in passing.
Miami re-signed its top two running backs, Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. in the offseason as well as starting safety DeShon Elliott. They then signed free agent middle linebacker David Long Jr., who will plug right in as a starter. The big offseason move for the Dolphins, however, was trading for All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
Unfortunately, Ramsey injured his left meniscus during training camp and will miss a significant portion of the regular season. The Dolphins recently signed veteran cornerback Eli Apple to fill in for Ramsey. They also drafted cornerback Cam Smith who could challenge Apple to be a starter.
Now, let’s take a look at some of the Dolphins’ top players and their outlooks heading into the 2023 NFL season:
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa
Statistically, Tagovailoa has improved in each year of his career. In 2022 he set a career-high with 3,548 passing yards and had a stellar 25-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He also led all quarterbacks in yards per completion with 8.9 and quarterback rating at 105.5.
The biggest obstacle that Tagovailoa still needs to overcome is staying healthy. He has missed games due to injury in each year of his career, including suffering multiple concussions.
This led to Tagovailoa contemplating retirement over the offseason. If another concussion occurs, it may be best that Tagovailoa hangs up his cleats for good, which would be a shame considering all of the improvements he’s made.
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill
Chiefs legend Tyreek Hill will face his former team for the first time in his career in this Week 9 matchup. Hill is in the top five in receptions, yards, and touchdowns in Chiefs history, and had he stayed with the team he would have had a shot to finish in first place in all of those categories.
Hill’s game didn’t slow down after joining the Dolphins in 2022 as he set a career-high in receptions with 119 and yards with 1,710. He saw a whopping 170 targets and was the centerpiece of Miami’s offense.
It will be interesting to see if there’s any bad blood between Hill and his former teammates in the week leading up to and during this matchup. It’s a shame and a bit of a head-scratcher that the NFL didn’t schedule this game to be played at Arrowhead.
Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle
It’s safe to say that Waddle is one of the most underrated receivers in the league. He has eclipsed 1,000 yards in each of his two NFL seasons and has 15 total touchdowns during that time. In 2021 Waddle set the NFL record for most receptions in a season by a rookie with 104.
The arrival of Hill cast a bit of a shadow over Waddle, but the two have made for a dynamic duo, perhaps the best in the NFL. Like Hill, Waddle is a speedster who can line up all over the field and is a threat to beat defenders deep or underneath after the catch on every play.
Outside linebacker Bradley Chubb
The Dolphins acquired Chubb midway through the 2022 season, paying a hefty price that included a first-round pick. They also gave Chubb a colossal vote of confidence, giving him a five-year contract extension worth $119 million. Chubb turned in a mediocre performance for Miami, recording 2.5 sacks.
At just 27 years old, Chubb can still get back to his old self. The Dolphins hired Vic Fangio as their new defensive coordinator, reuniting him with Chubb from their days together with the Denver Broncos. Chubb is a two-time Pro Bowl selection but has had trouble staying healthy, only playing a full season once in his five-year career.
Cornerback Xavien Howard
A seven-year veteran, Howard has been one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL over the course of his career. He is a four-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro selection, and has led the league in interceptions twice. Howard specializes in press-man coverage and can be left isolated with the best receivers in the game.
One of the reasons Howard snags so many interceptions is that he’s a risk-taker, which can sometimes come back to bite him. That seemed to happen more than usual in 2022 as he only recorded just one interception and 12 passes defended. 2023 will tell us if that was an aberration or if perhaps age is catching up to Howard.
