Miami Dolphins 19 best players of the 2018 season

9 Reshad Jones

Jones has been a stud on this team for quite some time. Something happened this year, however, that slowed down his performance. His tackles were down considerably from a year ago (122 to 72) and he had no forced fumbles: interesting considering his reputation as a big hitter in this league. His use was also complicated this year as he was rotated out a lot more than normal to make some playing time for other safeties on the roster (Fitzpatrick and McDonald). This complicated his, and the other players, playing time and thus, their impact.

Nevertheless, Jones is one of the better players on this defense and should be recognized for what he does when he is on the field. With a new coordinator next season, Jones should have a strong rebound year and should return to form considering his pedigree.

8 Jerome Baker

Baker was a pleasant surprise this season. In my rookie report card article, I gave Baker a B+ because of his athleticism and speed. He proved to be a perfect compliment to McMillan in the center of Miami’s defense. Similarly to the other defensive players on this list, Baker will benefit from a stronger coordinator and an improvement in his strength and block-shedding ability.

I expect good things from this young player as he transitions into his second year.

7 Cameron Wake

One of the best players on the Dolphins roster for the last ten years, Cameron Wake has always played hard and has always inspired the rest of his teammates. Nothing changed this year. His numbers were down, but just looking at sack numbers doesn’t effectively show how Wake played this past season. He always seemed a millisecond off from attaining the sack. The pass rush as a whole struggled this season but this was not Wake’s fault.

Wake will be 37 next season and will hopefully play again for the Dolphins next season. Miami needs to get him some more help so that he can be effective when he needs to be.

6 Jason Sanders

The highest ranked rookie on this list, Sanders was a great addition to this team. He hit on 90% of his field goals and over 97% on his extra points. The team went with Sanders after a strong kicking competition in the preseason and it paid off.

Given more opportunities to kick, I see no reason why Sanders won’t be one of the better kickers in the NFL once he continues to grow and develop. A great pick by GM Chris Grier in the later rounds.