Miami Dolphins 19 best players of the 2018 season
By Nick Belotto
19 Albert Wilson
There is no doubt that I will get some kick back for putting Wilson so low. I would like to say from the beginning that I have nothing against the player and think that he can do great things when healthy, which brings me to my reasoning for him being so low on the list.
Wilson only played in 7 games due to an injury. If you take away the Oakland and Chicago games, his numbers weren’t all the great either. With that being said, his play gave us one of the defining moments of the season that ultimately became the twitter cover photo for about half of the Dolphins fans on social media.
Wilson brings a lot of promise and excitement to next season but with his limited playing time and hot and cold performances, he will end the year at the bottom of this list.
18 Jakeem Grant
This brings us to the second half of the greatest high five of all time: Jakeem Grant. Similarly to Wilson (and just about everybody on the roster), Grant’s season was cut short after a season ending achilles injury. Before the injury, however, Grant looked dynamic every time he touched the field. It seemed as though Grant finally made the jump that many GMs would expect out of young receivers.
Grant brought a level of excitement to the team every time that he touched the ball. Whether it was returning a kick, catching a pass, or being the only player fast enough to catch up to Albert Wilson against Oakland, Grant’s presence was electrifying. Similarly to Wilson, expectations will be high when he returns from injury next season.
17 Ja’Waun James
Of all the problems that plagued the offensive line this season, the book ends played some solid football. Injuries have slowed at certain parts of his career, but Ja’Waun James seemed capable of shaking that injury bug in 2018. To illustrate this point, James played 15 games this season, improving on 2017’s 8 game campaign.
When he is on the field, James can be a very solid tackle in this league. Pair him with an improved guard on the right side of the ball, and that can fix some of the issues that plagued this offense.
16 Matt Haack
Yup, the punter. Regardless of his positioning, claiming that Haack wasn’t an instrumental player on the roster this year would be a disservice to the young punter. In a few of the Dolphin’s wins this season, Haack was responsible for keeping the opposing offense in terrible positions. In fact, his play was so effective this year, he should have been in the conversation for earning a pro-bowl honor.
Haack is a good, quality punter that can help Miami win the field position battle week in and week out.
15 Kenny Stills
Stills didn’t have the season many predicted him to have in 2018. Nevertheless, he still contributed a number of scores, even if his receptions and receiving yards dropped in this most recent campaign. He finished the year with only 37 catches for 533 yards and 6 touchdowns. This was a considerable drop from his numbers last year: 58 catches for 847 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Similarly to a number of the offensive players on the roster, it’s hard to fault Stills for the drop in his numbers. The offense struggled as a whole this season and with the quarterback unable to top 200 yards in a few of the games, there are few throws and catches to go around.
Stills is still a leader in the locker room and can provide a veteran presence during this power transition.