What Miami Dolphins units improved over 2014?

The Miami Dolphins will kick-off the 2015 season when they start training camp next week. The Dolphins head into camp mostly healthy and with new looks on both sides of the ball. The question is what units improved this off-season and what units regressed?

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Miami is hoping to not only make the playoffs in 2015 but unseat the New England Patriots as the top team team in the AFC East. They will need to hold off a new look Buffalo Bills team and a New York Jets team that is very stout defensively. It won’t be an easy task but the team could get off to a fast start with a favorable schedule. It will be the end of the season that will be the test. For now, the Dolphins need to do the prep work to make a positive season happen and it starts with training camp.

Quarterback

Change – EVEN

The Dolphins gave Ryan Tannehill a franchise contract and Tannehill has improved each of his first seasons but this year he will need to make even larger strides if he is to take the team to the next level. Matt Moore returns as the primary back-up but it’s the third team quarterback that is up in the air. McLeod Bethel-Thompson and former first round pick Josh Freeman will compete for that role which may not actually be a role. Miami has carried only two quarterbacks in recent years.

Running back

Change – IMPROVED

Lamar Miller fresh off a 1,000 yard rushing season will once again be the featured back. Returning spot duty runner Damien Williams also returns but Knowshon Moreno is not on the roster. At first glance one would think that Moreno’s absence makes the unit a little weaker but Moreno missed almost all of the 2014 season. 5th round pick Jay Ajayi has a lot of people talking and if he can get through camp healthy the Dolphins rushing attack will be improved over last season. Mike Gillislee may not find his name on the final 53 man roster but he has not contributed to the team since being drafted. LaMichael James gives the Dolphins another back who has a lot of upside but he too needs to showcase what he can do either as a running back or on special teams. For what it’s worth, the Dolphins improved simply by not having Daniel Thomas in the back-field rotation.

Wide-Receiver

Change – IMPROVED

Mike Wallace was supposed to be the teams answer to the long ball but he and Ryan Tannehill rarely connected and Wallace’s frustrations eventually boiled over. Brian Hartline was more of a possession receiver than first look target and Miami saw no need to retain him, releasing him prior to the start of free agency. It would be easy to call the loss of two starters a setback but the Dolphins added Kenny Stills to fill the deep threat role and drafted DeVante Parker in round one to be the threat receiver the team needs in the red-zone. While Parker will miss all of camp recovering from foot surgery he should be available for the start of the season. The real steal however was Greg Jennings who will give Ryan Tannehill a veteran threat. Jennings is not the same player he used to be but the Dolphins will find plenty of production left in the long time veteran. The return of Jarvis Landry for year two will be fun to watch. Landry is an all around football player. He excels in leadership, film study, practice, and on game day. The Dolphins may have lost two starters but gained three.

Tight-end

Change – IMPROVED

Charles Clay was a locker room favorite for this team but on the field his production came more from the sides of the field than the seams. Clay also all but disappeared in the red-zone. Enter Jordan Cameron. This is a big if with Cameron considering his health issues last year but Cameron says it’s not a concern and Miami could easily find the 2013 Cameron who made the pro-bowl as their tight-end. Cameron is big, strong, and runs great routes. He uses his frame well and should be a big target inside the 20. Returning TE Dion Sims showed a lot of improvement last season and could give Miami the best two tight end set players in a very long time. The Dolphins also have a couple of young rookies that have stood out in OTA’s.

Offensive Line

Change – EVEN

The Dolphins entered 2014 with big free agent Branden Albert manning the left side. Albert is rehabbing the ACL injury suffered last season and his availability is still a question mark. Ja’Wuan James did not fair well last season at left tackle but he is back at RT where he should improve. Last year at RT James did very well for a rookie. Mike Pouncey will back at center this year after spending last year at right guard. The guard positions right now are a wreck. Miami has two virtually unknown players fighting for the guard spots. Rookie Jamil Douglas is hoping to man the left guard position while Billy Turner is trying to unseat last years miserable Dallas Thomas. With questions at both guard positions and at left tackle, it’s hard to believe that the Dolphins have improved along the offensive line. They get an “even” mark because they basically entered last season and finished last season the same way.

Defensive Line

Change – IMPROVED

Ndamukong Suh alone does not improve the defensive line. The Dolphins lost Jared Odrick and released Randy Starks but they also added a 2nd round body, Jordan Phillips, and signed free agent C.J. Mosley. The Dolphins are pretty stout on the defensive line and the additions that were made this off-season more than compensates the unit for it’s losses. While the team as a whole needs to improve on the season, it will be Suh who will generate the most interest from the fan base through camp.

Defensive Ends

Change – Even

There really isn’t much to say here because Olivier Vernon and Cameron Wake are back manning the edge. The unit should improve with the addition of Suh but player for player the Dolphins made no changes to this unit. Derrick Shelby and Terrence Fede both will return as well to the rotation.

Linebackers

Change – Regressed

This is an on paper assessment. Last years linebacker unit was great on paper with Dannell Ellerbe, Phillip Wheeler, and Koa Misi starting. Ellerbe and Wheeler are both gone and the Dolphins will be relying on Jelani Jenkins to improve over a great 2014 campaign. Misi is back in the middle and more comfortable but the other outside spot will feature Chris McCain. McCain is the key to the Dolphins unit. If he can play up to his potential the Dolphins linebackers will be vastly better than last season but if he falters the unit will suffer. For now, on paper the Dolphins did not stay the same or get better but that should change as McCain gets more acclimated to starting.

Cornerbacks

Change – IMPROVED

Forget about Brent Grimes the real story will happen on the other side of the ball. Cortland Finnegan is gone but the Dolphins found Jamar Taylor capable of handling the role. They added quality depth in Brice McCain and Zach Bowman who will compete for playing time and nickel duties and added some young prospects in the draft. Tony Lippett and Bobby McCain could make an impact on special teams this year and Will Davis could potentially be battling from a corner which could make him better. He needs to be.

Safeties

Change – EVEN

Reshad Jones is back but so is Louis Delmas. If Delmas can finally stay healthy, something he hasn’t been able to do for three seasons now, the Dolphins deep secondary will be very good. If Delmas can’t stay healthy then the team will likely turn towards Michael Thomas. Thomas was very good last season before a chest injury forced him to IR. The team is also high on Walt Aikens as well. Overall the unit is pretty much the same as last season which is good for the team. It just doesn’t warrant an improved rating.

Special Teams

Change – regress

It would be easy to say that this is an “even” change but the retention of Caleb Sturgis with no real competition is unnerving. Sturgis is not only inconsistent on field goals, he is consistently bad at kick-offs. Sturgis can’t seem to get the ball out of the end zone on kicks and that gives opponents opportunities for better field position. Brandon Fields returns again and should perform much better than his off year of 2014. The Dolphins are hoping to lift up the special teams unit this year and are paying particular attention to that part of the game hoping to improve it but unfortunately, Sturgis brings the entire special teams down a notch. The Dolphins need to find a veteran kicker to challenge him for the job.

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