So Laremy Tunsil won the division title before the Miami Dolphins. He appeared in a home playoff game before the Dolphins. And he won a postseason game in front of his old team.
Let's understand that for a moment.
The guy the Dolphins used as a trade item in the massive rebuild that began in 2019 and was supposed to make Miami a perennial Super Bowl contender is now looking at the Dolphins in the rearview mirror.
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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa warms up before their wild-card playoff game against the Chiefs on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Dolphins still mediocre despite rebuilding
That's because Tunsil will remain in this postseason, even though the alluring draft pick the Dolphins acquired for him turned into a pawn for another bright talent. And the Dolphins are essentially in the same position they were in 2019 when the rebuild began.
They are looking for their first playoff win since December 2000 and their first division title since 2008, before Stephen Ross took over as full owner.
So the rebuild is not happening as promised.
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That should be painfully obvious to Dolphins owner, front office, fans and everyone in sight after Saturday night's 26-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL Wild Card Round.
The Dolphins were very entertaining and explosive against sub-.500 teams this year, but they ran into another team with a winning record and lost. Also.
Dolphins “didn't reach'' their goal
The Dolphins finished the season with a record of 1-6 against teams with a winning record. They had 10 wins and 1 loss against losing teams.
In other words, this rebuild has led to the construction of the NFL's best cream puffs so far.
The most beautiful mirage in the league.
The tallest basement in football.
Tyreek Hill of the Dolphins sings the national anthem before a game against the Buffalo Bills on January 7, 2024 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
“We came here to win and that didn't happen, so we fell short of our goal,” coach Mike McDaniel said after the loss to the Chiefs. “We had very high expectations for ourselves, and one of the reasons a lot of people don’t put themselves out there and hold on to those expectations is that when they don’t meet those expectations; Because I get emotional and my heart feels like it's going to break.
“We lost the game. We gave it 100 percent without fear and we felt like we were going to win. But hats off to the Kansas City Chiefs. They beat us, they outplayed us, they coached us. And I did all those things…but tonight it's that.'' Tonight it hurts. ”
Dolphins haven't won in the playoffs since 2000
So now the franchise, which has torn people's hearts by failing to win 23 times in the postseason, is feeling heartbroken. Well, boohoo, guys. Join the club.
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What those who haven't drawn a check from owner Ross are wondering is whether next January will be different. That's all that matters.
The conga dance during a 70-point outburst against a sub-.500 team in September was amazing. But my guess is that Miami's fan base wants an ugly, bloody, bone-crushing victory against a contender in mid-January 2025.
But the scary part is that there is no clear path to getting there within 12 months. It is not based on a restructuring that began way back when today's kindergartners were born.
As we all know, the Dolphins are a team full of mysteries.
Tagovailoa is a slow QB on a team that strives for speed.
They boast great talent, but much of that talent comes with a significant injury history. That's why some of them are available. As such, many star players who could help the Dolphins make the playoffs won't play late in the season or in the playoffs.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa passes during a wild-card playoff game against the Chiefs on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
The Dolphins are also a team built on incredible speed. Players like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Devon Ashen and Raheem Mostert could be selected for the relay team. But the flying clubs were too often grounded against good teams as they lost at the line of scrimmage.
And, by the way, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the trigger man who activates all the speed on offense, has more weight now than when he entered the NFL. That allows him to withstand injury-causing hits, but at the cost of that, he's slow and doesn't seem to be able to create plays with his feet.
Tagovailoa has shown great ability to make quick decisions and deliver the ball with great accuracy. However, his weaknesses are exposed when quick judgment and reading are not available and he has to improvise in a methodical manner.
Dolphins have a decision to make on Tagovailoa
Maybe that's the gap between him being a good quarterback and being a great quarterback.
And this is where it gets uncomfortable. Because while Tagovailoa was on his rookie contract, it would have been easy to wait to see if he could fill that gap. But that's over now.
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel during a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Deutsche Bank Park on November 5, 2023 in Frankfurt, Germany. (Mario Hommes/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Tagovailoa is signed with a fifth-year option for 2024 and will be paid $23.1 million in guaranteed money.
So after the Dolphins lost and Tagovailoa ended a season-ending three-game stretch in which he underperformed against Baltimore, Buffalo and Kansas City, the seemingly easy path to take is to do nothing. The Dolphins effectively only need to let Tagovailoa play on a one-year contract.
If Tagovailoa does well next year, he will be paid after the season.
Tagovailoa's contract issues come with questions
Except that's the storyline the Dolphins have already used against Tagovailoa and his representatives this season. Therefore, the QB and his agent maintain that the QB has been healthy all season and will likely be hoping for an extension. And failure to deliver can create a situation that no one wants to manage.
Fans may not care, but McDaniel continues to say he's committed to Tagovailoa on the one hand and continues to give Tagovailoa the “you're my man” love while on the other hand trying to be committed and involved. What does it mean to be part of a management team that doesn't? Long-term contract with Tagovailoa?
Perhaps Tagovailoa simply accepted that he had more to prove and accepted that approach. But that would make Tagovailoa and his agent different than 99.99% of other NFL players and agents.
Raheem Mostert of the Dolphins carries the ball during a game against the Carolina Panthers on October 15, 2023 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images))
Tagovailoa said future contract issues are not a concern “for now.” But the time has come for it to come to the forefront.
So perhaps the Dolphins feel they have to pay Tagovailoa without overpaying him. Maybe they try to replicate what they did with Ryan Tannehill and pay him a more modest salary while they wait to see if he continues to develop.
Dolphins face salary cap challenge
No, it didn't work. That's because Tannehill failed to become an elite quarterback in his seven seasons with the team. And of course, following the Tannehill model, the Dolphins could find themselves in a similar scenario at the same position.
Adding to Miami's other set of issues is the salary cap. The Dolphins will face one of the most dire cap situations in the league, starting about $55 million over the cap.
So teams that might have to pay quarterbacks and retain homegrown talent like Christian Wilkins will have to find a way to get under the cap before they can start competing in free agency. not.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel stands on the sideline during a game against the Tennessee Titans on December 11, 2023 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Cooper Neal/Getty Images)
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“What I know is we're going to be in a situation where we're going to try to get better,” McDaniel said. “And I think we were a better team than last year, especially offensively.
“That's the important point. We're going to be looking at a lot of things to get concrete, practical, hard information about what we can do going forward to improve.”
Therefore, a five-year rebuilding process will follow.
