The Miami Dolphins’ reclamation project was never meant to be a one year ordeal. The management and ownership of the Dolphins have been very clear with their expectations — that they’re willing to take a more gradual approach if it ends up leading to sustainable success. No more quick fixes, mega-contracts in free agency and aggressively chasing today’s stars to spurn building and coaching the stars of tomorrow.
So when ESPN released their “future” power rankings in an effort to rank the forecast of every NFL franchise over the course of the next three seasons, Miami fans would’ve been well within their rights to be intrigued.
Where does all of this cap space and draft capital land the Dolphins in a future forecast over the next three seasons?
Spoiler alert: the exact same place they sit in every current set of power rankings for 2019 — dead last.
The methodology ESPN used to craft these rankings featured ratings for quarterbacks, the rest of the roster, front office, drafting and coaching. With Miami’s current situation, it is understandable that they’d score low on several of these areas — most notably at quarterback, which was the second highest valued variable.
And ESPN predictably rated the Dolphins dead last on both the overall roster and the quarterback position. But it is stunning to see Miami rated 25th in drafting with a dozen draft picks for 2020 and contributors like Xavien Howard, Laremy Tunsil, Kenyan Drake, Jakeem Grant, Raekwon McMillan, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jerome Baker all added since 2016, all with Chris Grier as the general manager of the team. The Dolphins’ highest variable was their front office, which ranked 22nd out of 32 teams.
Our bold response? The Dolphins do not have the worst forecast of any franchise in the NFL over the next three seasons. 2019 may get ugly. But with the renewed philosophy of team building and the foundation set by the Dolphins this offseason, Miami has set itself up to be a successful football team. And all that 2020 Draft ammo will yield enough results (with or without a quarterback) to push the Dolphins away from their current perception as a talentless program.
