The Miami Dolphins are angling to move themselves up the standings this season — the 2019 campaign saw the Dolphins finish last in the AFC East and with one of the five worst records in football. That wasn’t necessarily unexpected, but to see the same results in 2020 would certainly be a disappointing development after so much new talent was added to the team this offseason.
More expectations will naturally lead to more pressure — and these are four Miami Dolphins players who will have pressure to perform in 2020. If they don’t, the Dolphins could be in the market for a replacement next winter.
WR Jakeem Grant
Grant is a very likable talent who brings explosive speed and the potential for big plays down the field. With his suddenness in short spaces, Grant poses a unique matchup for opposing defenders — but he’s struggled with durability throughout the past few seasons and has never been more than a complimentary player to this point in his career. If Grant is going to be taken seriously as a potential long-term staple of the wide receiver room, this needs to be the year he steps up.
FS Bobby McCain
McCain (surprisingly) got a second season as the team’s de-facto starting free safety — the team charged him with converting from cornerback to safety last offseason and McCain’s play was inconsistent throughout the portion of the season that he was on the field. Growing pains are to be expected but it was still a surprise none the less to see the Dolphins opt not to bring in a more experienced option at safety — even if that meant picking one up in the 2020 NFL Draft. McCain will be the free safety once again, but another underwhelming season could be the end of this experiment.
RB Matt Breida
The Dolphins opted to avoid investing heavily at the running back position in the 2020 NFL Draft and found themselves a bargain in Breida for a 5th-round pick. But Breida comes to the Dolphins in a contract year — so this marriage could be a short-term solution to a big problem for the Dolphins. If Breida is going to convince the Dolphins to keep him long-term, he’s going to have 16 games to do it or else run the risk of hitting the open market and looking for his third team in as many years.
LB Raekwon McMillan
McMillan is, like Breida, entering into a contract year in 2020. The Dolphins are reportedly going to test McMillan once again this summer — last year the team had him engage in a positional battle with LB Sam Eguavoen for a starting role. This year’s challenger is reportedly LB Kamu Grugier-Hill, the former Philadelphia Eagle. At some point, Miami needs to become comfortable with McMillan the starter or else we may be looking at a departure in free agency, where some team would inevitably pay a premium for his physical play.
