Miami Dolphins: 5 Offseason Moves That Will Make Them a Playoff Contender

The Miami Dolphins had rough start in 2011, as they were 0-7 through the first eight weeks of the season.

They proceeded to go 6-3, finishing the year with a record of 6-10 and sitting third place in the AFC East.

There were many improvements shown in the second half of the year that gave Dolphins fans a look at what they could expect in the future.

This is a team that still has a bit of work to do, but are a good offseason or two away from being legitimate playoff contenders.

Highlighted over the next few slides are some of the things the Miami Dolphins franchise needs to do during their time off in order to be a competitive team in 2012.

Make a Decision on Chad Henne

Twenty-six-year-old quarterback Chad Henne was drafted by the Dolphins in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft. This was Miami’s third pick in the draft behind offensive tackle Jake Long and defensive end Phillip Merling.

He appeared in three games during his rookie season, but became the starter in his second year after an injury to Chad Pennington.

After two years of sub-par performances, most fans were calling for Henne’s head and wanted the Dolphins to bring in a new quarterback last offseason.

Well, they did, but it was not the Cam Newton or Andy Dalton that everyone wanted.

Miami picked up Matt Moore from Carolina, who became the starter after Henne’s season-ending injury in Week 4.

With a top-10 pick in this year’s draft, a handful of quarterbacks hitting free agency and Matt Moore already on the roster, the Dolphins have to make a decision on free-agent-to-be Chad Henne.  

Sign Jason Campbell, Not Matt Flynn

With the hiring of former Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, it has been speculated that Miami will make a play on current Packers back-up quarterback Matt Flynn.  

The situation is similar to that of Kevin Kolb’s last year, where he signed a five-year, $63 million dollar contract with the Arizona Cardinals.

As mentioned in the previous slide, the Dolphins already have Matt Moore on their roster, who is a better quarterback than Flynn.

If Miami gives up on Henne and Flynn is signed, many believe that he will become the immediate starter. What they should do, however, is sign a different free agent quarterback, that being Jason Campbell.

Campbell played fairly well in Oakland before getting injured and likely won’t re-sign considering that the Raiders traded for Carson Palmer.

Signing Campbell would make for a good preseason battle between him and Matt Moore, and it would also allow the Dolphins to be more successful in the aggressive and creative offense that Coach Philbin wants to run.

Add Depth to the Secondary

Sixth in points per game, third in rushing yards per game, 15th in yards per game and 25th in passing yards per game.

The Miami Dolphins secondary was not as good as it should have been this year, but is only a few tweaks away from being in the top half of the league.

With Sean Smith and Vontae Davis at corner, the Dolphins don’t need a big name. With that being said, Will Allen’s contract is expiring, and Miami should be looking for a replacement.

Richard Marshall or William Gay would be good targets.

Yeremiah Bell has been great for the Dolphins over the past several years, but he’s not getting any younger. He still has a couple good years left, and in that time, Miami should be looking for a replacement.

Whether it is someone in the later round of the draft or a younger guy in free agency, I’d look for Miami to pick up a strong safety to back up Bell and add depth to the safety position.    

Establish a Three-Back System

The running back position for Miami in 2011 was different from years past, as they no longer had Ricky Williams or Ronnie Brown.

During the offseason, they drafted Daniel Thomas in the second round and signed free agent Reggie Bush. While Bush had a pretty good season, he is not going to be able to carry the ball 20-25 times a game on a consistent basis.

If David Wilson out of Virginia Tech falls to them in the second round, he would be a great pick. If not, they should look to target someone like Maurice Morris, Jerious Norwood or Mewelde Moore in free agency.

Establishing a three-back system would allow them to run the ball 30-40 times a game, taking tons of pressure off of whomever the Dolphins quarterback is.

Draft Riley Reiff or Jonathon Martin

Miami fans are starting to get bored each April, with the Dolphins taking offensive linemen in two of the past four drafts.

While this may be another “boring” pick, it is one that needs to be made. The offensive line features one of the best tackles in the game in Jake Long, a dependable guard in Vernon Carey and a future star in center Mike Pouncey.

Both Reiff and Martin played left tackle in college, but many scouting reports have them moving over to the right side at some point in their pro careers.

Either one of them would be a huge upgrade over current right tackle Marc Colombo and would give the Dolphins one of the better offensive lines in football.