The Miami Dolphins will play their eighth football game of the season this upcoming weekend in Arizona against the Cardinals, guaranteed to be at least .500 and well in the thick of the chase for the postseason after stringing together a stretch of wins over the month of October and the start of November. Over the past month, it has been easy to forget that this is a rebuilding franchise that still has plenty of work ahead of them to become the Super Bowl contender they aspire to be.
But there’s plenty of work to be done yet. And as much as the next two months is about chasing the postseason, it’s also going to center around continuing to evaluate this roster and identifying the most pressing issues.
What stands out through the first eight weeks of the 2020 season for the Dolphins? Here are the most pressing issues on the defense entering the mid-way point on the schedule.
Middle Linebacker
The Dolphins’ current middle linebacker situation showcases Elandon Roberts and, at times, Jerome Baker. Baker played one hell of a game against the Rams and has the range to be an impactful player. Baker has a future with this team, but the more you play him in space or as a pressure player with his quickness, the more success you should expect to have. Playing him as a true inside (MIKE) linebacker isn’t where he’s best suited to play; Miami needs someone with some pop there.
That’s where Elandon Roberts comes in; as he’s effectively taken on the Raekwon McMillan role in the Dolphins’ defense. But imagine if Miami has a player with the physicality of Roberts and McMillan but also has more versatility to stay on the field in 3rd down situations. That’s a player the Dolphins currently don’t have — and finding one would be adding a whole new element to their defensive structure.
EDGE Defender
Emmanuel Ogbah has been a man on fire since the Jacksonville game in Week 3. He’s logged at least a half a sack in every game since Week 2 and has become quite the bargain buy for the Dolphins this season. He’s already tied a career-high in sacks and Miami has yet to play their eighth game of the season to hit the formal halfway point.
Hybrid linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel has become quite an impactful player as well and he scored his biggest play of the season to date with a rumbling fumble return for a touchdown against the Rams.
But is there ever such a thing as too much pass rush? The Dolphins have gotten good play out of DE Shaq Lawson, but his contract isn’t dissimilar to the deal Miami paid OG Ereck Flowers on offense (3-years, $30M). Both players could feasibly be moved on from after just the 2021 season and save the team up to $19M in cap space for 2022. As Miami looks to make the most of their winning window with a rookie quarterback contract, cap space may become valuable and the Dolphins, as they continue to build up their roster, would be wise to start transitioning in some areas from making investments for right here, right now and start making moves a year in advance the way teams like the Baltimore Ravens do.
That way, tough financial decisions can be made and taken in stride. The situation with Lawson will be one to watch as that (along with Flowers at left guard) are perfect examples of players that are playing well but may not live up to their price point in the long-term.
Nickel Corner
The Dolphins have committed to Noah Igbinoghene playing outside cornerback only for the time being, which leaves Nik Needham as the de facto starter at Nickel corner. That’s a position that Miami could legitimately upgrade.
The good news? Perhaps the plan is for Igbinoghene to step into that role with more time and development, so this need may not require a new investment. But Needham has forced just 3 incompletions on 17 targets thus far this season and has been called for several penalties in coverage as well. Opposing quarterbacks? Their passer rating when targeting him is 118.7 thus far this season. Whether it is Igbinoghene or someone else, the Dolphins can certainly afford a boost in the nickel.
