Dolphins 2015 Preview: Complete Miami Guide for Preseason, Season
As usual, the Miami Dolphins were not among the league's quietest teams in the offseason. With several high-profile trades and big-name free-agent signings and cap casualties, the Dolphins stayed in the headlines from March through July.
Now, the focus shifts to what the headlines will be from August through December.
There are a lot of new faces, a lot of key training camp battles and a lot of other storylines to be taken into account when we are formulating predictions for this team. Make no mistake, the 2015 Dolphins look almost nothing like the 2014 version of the very same team.
The question is will those differences affect the team for better or for worse in 2015?
Here's a preview of the Dolphins preseason and regular season.
Full Schedule
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| Week | Opponent |
| Preseason 1 | at Chicago Bears |
| Preseason 2 | at Carolina Panthers |
| Preseason 3 | vs. Atlanta Falcons |
| Preseason 4 | vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 1 | at Washington Redskins |
| 2 | at Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 3 | vs. Buffalo Bills |
| 4 | vs. New York Jets |
| 5 | Bye |
| 6 | at Tennessee Titans |
| 7 | vs. Houston Texans |
| 8 | at New England Patriots |
| 9 | at Buffalo Bills |
| 10 | at Philadelphia Eagles |
| 11 | vs. Dallas Cowboys |
| 12 | at New York Jets |
| 13 | vs. Baltimore Ravens |
| 14 | vs. New York Giants |
| 15 | at San Diego Chargers |
| 16 | vs. Indianapolis Colts |
| 17 | vs. New England Patriots |
New Faces
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Rookies
This Dolphins' rookie class is all about setting the table for the offense to succeed for years to come.
The Dolphins knew they needed a talented deep-ball receiver to round out their offense, so the acquisition of DeVante Parker came as no surprise. The 6'3", 209-pound pass-catcher has the ability to open up new dimensions of the passing game for offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, but only if he can get on the field. The rookie had surgery to replace a screw in his foot in early June, but head coach Joe Philbin says he expects Parker to be ready for Week 1.
Rookie running back Jay Ajayi will take some snaps away from veteran Lamar Miller, but the Boise State product will not unseat his elder just yet. Ajayi has the potential to be a three-down back, although there are some questions about how long he can last in the NFL after suffering several knee injuries in college.
Jamil Douglas may be the first true zone-blocking guard the Dolphins have had since Philbin arrived in 2012. The rookie could threaten second-year pro Billy Turner and third-year pro Dallas Thomas for a starting spot on the inside of the offensive line. But Douglas has the best skill set for a zone-scheme guard of anyone he'll be competing with.
The additions on the defensive side were less noteworthy. Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips is the only prominent defensive player added through the draft. The starting defensive tackle spots currently belong to Ndamukong Suh and Earl Mitchell, but Phillips could be asked to fill one of those spots in a year or two, depending on what the future holds for Mitchell.
The Dolphins responded to the losses of several veteran linebackers by stockpiling their depth chart with young, capable undrafted rookies. Neville Hewitt, Zach Vigil, Jeff Luc and Mike Hull all have special teams ability, and all three could be candidates for backup spots.
Veterans
Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is arguably the biggest addition to the AFC East this offseason. The Dolphins signed the four-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time first team All-Pro to a six-year contract worth more than $114 million with nearly $60 million in guarantees. The hope is that his presence will shore up the Dolphins' shaky run defense (24th in NFL in 2013 and 2014).
They also needed help in their pass defense, with a thin defensive backfield. The team signed several veteran free agents, including Brice McCain and Zack Bowman. The latter is likely to serve as a fill-in and special teams ace, but McCain could start in nickel packages.
McCain has excelled in the slot over the past few years, but particularly in 2014. He allowed one reception per 12.8 coverage snaps he played in the slot, and he was only targeted on one in every 8.1 coverage snaps in the slot. Both of those ratios were fifth-best out of 61 qualifying cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. His 8.3 yards per coverage snap in the slot were ninth-best.
Veteran wide receiver Greg Jennings is no stranger to head coach Joe Philbin, from the time the two spent together with the Green Bay Packers. Jennings is no longer the 70-plus-catch, 900-plus-yard receiver he was in those days with Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but he is a savvy veteran with sure hands. If Parker is unable to play at the beginning of the season, Jennings' name could be very important.
One player who will be important regardless is Kenny Stills. The Dolphins traded for the wide receiver from the New Orleans Saints, and the third-year veteran immediately projects as a starter in any formation. His ability to run routes at all levels of the field will make him a perfect fit for Lazor's offense.
Tight end Jordan Cameron helps the team seamlessly transition out of the Charles Clay era. His presence will be welcome as a dominant pass-catching tight end with those all-important basketball skills of bodying up defensive backs and extending over his frame for jump balls.
What to Watch in the Preseason
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Linebacker Combinations
Over the first week of training camp, we've seen a lot of combinations at linebacker. To this point, weak-side linebacker Jelani Jenkins has been the lone constant. The other two top spots have been split between a pair of pairings: one pairing has Koa Misi at middle linebacker and Chris McCain at strong-side linebacker; the other pairing puts Kelvin Sheppard at middle linebacker and Misi moving over to the strong side.
According to Dolphins Philbin, it's not just about which players are the most talented.
"We're looking to find the exact right combination," Philbin said. "Who works best with one another? Who communicates best with one another? Who has the most production when they're out there?"
We'll get to see how these different groupings all mesh together as one unit during the preseason, and it will be our best glimpse into which unit has the best chance of finishing the preseason as the starting trio.
Starting Guards
The Dolphins are 60 percent of the way toward a complete offensive line, but to borrow from an adage about chains only being as strong as their weakest link, an offensive line is only as strong as its weakest spot. Ja'Wuan James and Branden Albert are solid tackles and Mike Pouncey is a dominant center, but without two talented guards, the Dolphins will still be easy to expose on the offensive line.
Dallas Thomas and Billy Turner are two big-time tackle-to-guard projects who need to take big steps forward in 2015 to help the Dolphins find the answers they seek. Thomas has a bad reputation, but he's shown some promise at guard. He allowed seven sacks in his six games at tackle in 2014, but didn't give up a single sack in seven games at guard, according to Pro Football Focus. As for Turner, there's much less tape of the second-year guard at his new position.
As mentioned previously, Douglas has the skill set to push both men for their jobs. As is the case at linebacker, it could be about which unit works best together rather than simply putting the five best players on the field.
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3 Most Important Regular-Season Games
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Week 1, at Washington Redskins
It's the season opener, so obviously it's important for the Dolphins to get off on the right foot. But never has it been more important than this year, when there is a greater opportunity at the top of the division thanks to the possibility that the New England Patriots will be without Tom Brady for four games due to suspension.
The Dolphins should be able to take this one, especially considering their greatest strengths (passing game, defensive line) are great counters to the Redskins' biggest weaknesses (secondary, offensive line). Redskins quarterbacks were sacked 58 times in 2014, second-most in the NFL. Their defense allowed a 108.3 collective passer rating, making their pass defense the worst in the league last year.
This is a very winnable road game for the Dolphins to open the season.
Week 8, at New England Patriots (Thursday Night Football)
What better way to show the world that the Dolphins are ready to compete for the AFC East title than by beating the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on a national stage?
The Dolphins do not have an opportunity to directly capitalize on Brady's suspension—the Buffalo Bills are the only AFC East team with that privilege. That being said, the Dolphins have made life difficult for the Patriots in the past couple of seasons even with the future Hall of Fame quarterback calling the shots; the Dolphins are 2-2 against the Patriots over the past two seasons.
A win here would catapult the Dolphins into the playoff picture—a necessary step to quiet some of head coach Joe Philbin's loudest critics.
Week 13, vs. Baltimore Ravens
The Dolphins have a seven-game stretch from Weeks 6 through Week 12 in which five of their games are on the road. This is their first game back at home after that stretch.
The Dolphins have lost two straight against the Baltimore Ravens, both in heartbreaking fashion. Miami had a 10-0 lead in the first quarter last season before losing 28-13, and a 13-6 halftime lead before losing 26-23 on a bad late-game coaching decision.
Over the years, the Dolphins have proved that they have the talent to hang with the Ravens. The bigger question is whether Philbin has the coaching acumen to hang with Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. If Philbin and his staff can put together a strong game plan, they can come away with the late-season win at home over a team they'll probably need to beat in the wild-card picture.
This Season Will Be Successful If...
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Ryan Tannehill Continues to Improve
You didn't think you would get through this whole column without reading a word about Ryan Tannehill, did you? The Dolphins paid Tannehill like a franchise quarterback this offseason, giving him a four-year contract extension worth $77 million in new money with $21.5 million fully guaranteed. Now, it's time for Tannehill to live up to that billing.
From a pure numbers perspective, Tannehill has improved each year in the NFL. His touchdown-to-interception ratio, completion percentage and passer rating all improved from 2012 to 2013 and from 2013 to 2014.
With receivers Jarvis Landry, Kenny Stills, DeVante Parker, Greg Jennings, running backs Jay Ajayi and Lamar Miller and tight end Jordan Cameron, the Dolphins have surrounded Tannehill with the best skill-position group he's ever had in his three-year career. This will be his second year in Bill Lazor's offense, so there should be more improvements to come.
That being said, it's not all on Tannehill; those players have to perform up to their expectations, and more importantly, they have to all get on the same page before the regular season begins.
The Dolphins Win 10 Or More Games And Make the Playoffs
How much longer can the Dolphins muddle in mediocrity before wholesale changes are coming? The better question is can the Dolphins afford to find out?
There were four key lines from the transcript of Dolphins owner Stephen Ross' press conference with the media:
""
- (On what his goal is for this season)—"It's winning."
- (On if winning means playoffs and Super Bowl)—"All of the above."
- (On if he is getting antsy for winning results given all of the spending on free agents, stadium, sports science)—"You're goddamn right."
- (On how much he hopes this year is the payoff given all of the patience he's shown with this regime)—"I'm expecting it."
The New England Patriots still sit atop the division, but if Tom Brady has to miss four games due to suspension, there's at least an outside shot that another team could contend. In order to have a shot at making the playoffs, the Dolphins will have to at least crack a double-digit win total.
That way, they would almost assure themselves a playoff spot whether they win the division or sneak in as a wild card.
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained via team news release.
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