How the Miami Dolphins Can Take Next Step to Super Bowl Contention

Someone find me a camel, because while it may be Wednesday, it sure feels like hump day any time we talk about the Miami Dolphins.

They're always trying to find a way to get over the hump, but no matter how many nudges they give themselves, they can never quite seem to get there.

Fortunately for the Dolphins, the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks offer a blueprint to get there. Find a top-flight quarterback, one of the best cornerbacks in the league and at least one, maybe two dominant skill players at his position on offense. 

Easy enough, right?

Well, it always sounds easier on paper than it is in practice, but here's a look at some of the things that could help the Dolphins edge closer to their ultimate goal of their first Super Bowl win in more than 40 years.

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No More Growing Pains for Ryan Tannehill

In his career, Ryan Tannehill has experienced more growing pains than Mike Seaver. 

The 2013 season was by far the most painful of these growing pains; Tannehill was sacked a franchise record 58 times. Tannehill hit a bit of a growth spurt in 2014, though, with the arrival of new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and the cutting of the umbilical cord between Tannehill and former Dolphins offensive coordinator/Texas A&M head coach Mike Sherman, who had been with Tannehill for six straight years.

Year	Comp	Att	%	Yds	YPA	TD	INT	Rate
2012	282	484	58.3	3294	6.8	12	13	76.1
2013	355	588	60.4	3913	6.7	24	17	81.7
2014	392	590	66.4	4045	6.9	27	12	92.8

In 2014, Tannehill's numbers went up across the board. It was his first season with a passer rating higher than 90, and he set career bests in every category. 

There are areas Tannehill must improve, particularly in the vertical passing game. In his career, Tannehill has completed only 52-of-168 pass attempts (31 percent) that have traveled 20 yards or more through the air, according to Pro Football Focus. 

Lazor's offense took advantage of Tannehill's strengths, and minimized the potential for error with a constant short passing game aimed at causing death by a thousand paper cuts. The Dolphins ranked 25th in the NFL in yards per pass attempt with 6.8, and if Tannehill can remain successful in that role, the Dolphins offense could take off. If not, they will be back where they started at quarterback.

The Dolphins will have a hard choice to make this offseason as to whether they will pick up the fifth-year option on Tannehill's rookie contract. He can't make their choice easier between now and the May deadline to pick up that option, but when the 2015 season begins, he'll have an opportunity to eliminate all doubt about his viability as a starting quarterback who can lead his team to success.

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More Depth in the Secondary

If the NFL takes anything away from the Super Bowl, it should be the value of a deep, talented secondary. Both the Patriots and Seattle Seahawks feature a wide range of defensive backs, and at least one or two top-notch corners.

The Dolphins are already partway there with Brent Grimes in the fold, but there's only so much he can do on his own.

Player	Cmp	Att	%	Yds	YPA	TD	INT	PBU
Brent Grimes	56	95	58.9	706	7.4	7	5	1
Cortland Finnegan	45	68	66.2	572	8.4	2	0	5
Jimmy Wilson	32	41	78.0	347	10.8	2	1	1
Jamar Taylor	33	49	67.3	336	6.9	1	0	0

At 31 years old, Cortland Finnegan is beginning to reach the twilight of his career. Couple that with an albatross $6.47 million cap hit in 2015 and the Dolphins would be foolish not to be thinking of new options at cornerback.

Their own in-house options are a little limited at the moment; Jimmy Wilson is a career slot cornerback and young cornerbacks Will Davis and Jamar Taylor are still unproven after spending most of the first two years of their careers on the bench and in rotational roles. 

The Dolphins are already loaded on the defensive line, with plenty of talented pass-rushers who can wreak havoc. Couple that with a ball-hawking secondary, and the Dolphins defense could be the second incarnation of the Seahawks or Patriots defenses that helped get those teams to the Super Bowl. 

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Iron Out Skill Position Offensive Players

With Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, Rishard Matthews, Brandon Gibson and Jarvis Landry all in the fold, the Dolphins have a bevy of talented receivers. The depth is nice, but there's no way to get them all on the field at the same time. 

The Patriots have a diverse group of pass-catchers in tight end Rob Gronkowski, wide receiver Brandon LaFell and slot receiver Julian Edelman. The Dolphins may not find the second coming of Gronk, but they should be looking to expand their options in the passing game. 

Wallace and Gibson have large salaries that could be cost-cutting moves this offseason; releasing Wallace after June 1 would save the Dolphins $6.9 million, and releasing Gibson would save $3.26 million. That being said, those moves would thrust the burden of the offense onto the shoulders of Hartline, Matthews and Landry. The Dolphins had better have a backup plan, or a trade partner, in place when they are deciding on the fate of those players.

 All salary cap information taken from Spotrac, unless otherwise noted.