Sports Illustrated has updated their NFL Power Rankings in the aftermath of the 2019 NFL Draft — and there’s not a lot of respect to be had for the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins slip from 22nd to 29th in their latest update of the poll, sitting ahead of only the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While it isn’t really a surprise that the national media doesn’t see the Dolphins in a favorable light, it feels a bit misplaced. Think about the Dolphins additions and subtractions this off-season. The team lost Ryan Tannehill, Ja’Wuan James, Cameron Wake, Frank Gore, Danny Amendola and Robert Quinn as their major losses.
The team has added Josh Rosen/Ryan Fitzpatrick, Eric Rowe, Christian Wilkins and Michael Deiter as potential contributors or day one. Downgrades at right tackle and in the pass rush are still a big problem — but this team isn’t done yet, either.
We’ve been told for months that the Dolphins are going to be bad in 2019 because they want to be — by everyone except the actual Miami Dolphins. They expect to compete. So while Miami isn’t likely to make the playoffs or win a Super Bowl in 2019, don’t be surprised if they out-perform these lowly expectations.
