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 offense entering the mid-way point on the schedule.
Wide Receiver
The Dolphins have shown that they like to spread the love in the passing game and there have been big performances this season from DeVante Parker, Preston Williams and Mike Gesicki. Parker is the de facto No. 1 receiver and will surely have a primary target share in the future so long as he’s healthy. Gesicki is a receiving tight end but he’s really a big slot receiver — Miami can play matchups with him and target him when they like their one on ones; as evidenced by some of his intermittent production this season.
Williams has been a frustrating play for Miami. And the rest of the wide receiver room is also littered with questions. Can Isaiah Ford beat man coverage or will he be primarily a zone beater? Can Jakeem Grant string together strong play at wide receiver and eliminate some of the errors in his targets and touches?
And most importantly: who is going to be the explosive, big play weapon? Miami currently doesn’t have one who can take the ball short and create a chunk gain with it after the catch. Grant is physically capable of being that player, but he hasn’t produced that success yet
Running Back
Everything relevant about the wide receiver needs can also be applied to the running back position. Myles Gaskin has been a treat to watch come into his own as a back for Miami this season — especially after he was unexpectedly thrust into the feature role early in the season. But what is the ceiling with Gaskin? He’s not overly big, he’s not overly explosive. He’s tough, he’s reliable (except for a brutal fumble in Week 7 against the Rams) and he’s tough and willing as a pass catcher and as a pass blocker. Miami has embraced him as their featured back because the entire playbook seems to be available to them when he’s on the field.
But Miami certainly needs to ask themselves some hard questions here, because the running game has regressed in recent weeks and the team now averages just 3.6 yards per carry on the season.
Not all of that falls at the feet of Gaskin. The line needs to be better, too. But the Dolphins certainly need a more dynamic option here and they don’t seem too intent on raising up the snaps of RB Matt Breida — so consider this position a big need as well. (The Dolphins seem to agree, given their pursuit of Le’Veon Bell in October.)
Interior Offensive Line
There is no one, singular root of Miami’s troubles running the ball. A more dynamic back would help. So would better sustained blocks on the interior. Miami has done fairly well developing pass protection chemistry but the run blocking as a whole has been frustrating. Some of those issues can be resolved with this line evolving to get Jesse Davis out of the starting lineup once Austin Jackson is healthy. But on the interior, the Dolphins are paying Ereck Flowers, a team leader, a hefty sum of money to only be an average starter, and he’s under contract through just 2022. Ted Karras, the center, is only under contract through the end of the year. There may be additional overhauls coming between the left guard and the center position, but is seems as though Miami has found viable starters with each of their three rookies from the 2020 NFL Draft.
