Miami Dolphins 2019 end of season player awards

The Miami Dolphins 2019 season has come to an end, and what a season it was.  It’s time to reflect on the season and hand out our season awards.

During the 2019 season the Miami Dolphins rotated a lot of players in and out. The team started more than 80 players this year, an NFL record. While many saw playing time, only a handful deserved recognition for our best of 2019.

Most Valuable Player – Ryan Fitzpatrick – This guy can’t be applauded enough for the role he played on the team this season.  We all heard the stories before he got here. He’s kind of a “different” guy, I mean, just look at that beard!  When talked about, it always seems to be more important that he went to Harvard than his ability to play quarterback.  Fitzpatrick came to a team that he knew wasn’t going to be good. Then, he saw a lot of talent get dealt away and he had to think he was merely a sacrificial lamb.  The team even traded for a young quarterback who they hoped would come in and take his position. But throughout it all, Ryan Fitzpatrick was a consummate professional.  He never griped and he was always prepared. When he eventually took over the starting job again for good in week 7 the trajectory of this team changed. The Dolphins went 5 and 6 in those final 11 games.  The culmination of Fitzpatrick’s season came in a final game-winning drive to beat New England, which ended with Fitzpatrick firing a laser touchdown with 24 seconds left. Fitzpatrick ended the season with a 5 and 8 overall record as a starter throwing for 3529 yards with 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.  The 37-year-old was also the team’s leading rusher with 243 yards and 4 touchdowns. It wasn’t always pretty, but Ryan Fitzpatrick played his guts out each and every week and had fun doing it!

Offensive Player of the Year – DeVante Parker – Parker came in to the 2019 season with his future as a Dolphin up in the air.  It was a “show me” season for the 5th year wide receiver, and did he ever. For the first time in his career Parker played in all 16 games in a season.  Parker finished the season with 72 receptions for 1202 yards and 9 touchdowns. He finished 5th in the league in yards and tied for 4th in touchdown receptions.  Parker became the go-to guy for Ryan Fitzpatrick and came through with big catch after big catch all season. None bigger than the one over Stephone Gilmore on the final, game-winning drive against New England.  Parker showed the coaches he was someone they could count on going forward as the team gave Parker a 4 year $40 million contract extension in early December. The Dolphins wide receiving corps, led by Parker, looks to be a strength of this team as they move into the future.

Defensive Player of the Year – Davon Godchaux – Godchaux didn’t put up eye-popping statistics but he was rock solid in the middle of the Dolphins defensive line.  Let’s face it, interior defensive line isn’t a glamorous position. Players don’t typically rack up sack numbers or tackle numbers. Most often they are asked to eat up blockers so the linebackers can make the tackles.  Godchaux not only did this, he made plays as well. Godchaux recorded 74 total tackles (33 solo 41 assists) including 2 sacks. Davon also played all 16 games for a total of 719 snaps or 64% of the defensive snaps. Godchaux is another young player the Dolphins will build this defense around.

Special Teams Player of the Year – Jason Sanders – Compared to his rookie season, Sanders had somewhat of a down year.  Sanders converted on 23 of 30 field-goal attempts (76.7%) and 29 of 30 extra points. Sanders did almost single-handedly beat the Jets in week 14 when he made 7 of 8 field-goal attempts.  His 21 points accounted for all of the Dolphins’ scoring that day. The highlight of his year though was catching a touchdown pass in week 13 against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Dolphins punter, Matt Haack hit Sanders in the endzone for an important score to help vault the Dolphins to victory.  Sanders also has now attempted enough field goals to qualify for the Miami Dolphins all-time leaders. His overall 82% ranks him first in all-time Dolphins kickers.

Comeback Player of the Year – Mike Gesicki – This award could have easily gone to DeVante Parker.  Many fans were down on Gesicki coming into his second year. It was already being whispered that he was a bust having caught only 32 passes for 202 yards and 0 touchdowns his rookie season.  The problem was, the previous coaching staff had him doing things that weren’t his strength. Coming out of Penn State, Gesicki was not heralded as an inline blocking tight end. What he is though is an athletic freak that is a matchup nightmare in the passing game.   This coaching staff saw that and turned him into a weapon. Gesicki rebounded in his sophomore season catching 51 balls for 570 yards and 5 touchdowns, including the game-winner against New England. Gesicki showed fans that he will be a dynamic weapon in Dolphins’ offense going forward.  The sky’s the limit for this guy and his future as a Miami Dolphins looks bright.

Offensive Rookie of the Year – Preston Williams – Williams was on his way to putting up a solid rookie season before losing the 2nd half of the year to injury.  In what equates to a half of a season Williams had 32 receptions for 428 yards and 3 touchdowns. Extrapolated over a full season his numbers could have been in the 60+ catches for 850+ yards and 6 touchdowns range.  Williams was a star all through training camp and the pre-season and started the regular season strong. Dolphin fans have to be excited about what the wide receiving corps could look like next season as Williams should return fully healthy to be paired with the Dolphins OPOY DeVante Parker.

Defensive Rookie of the Year – Christian Wilkins – Wilkins was the Dolphins #1 pick in last April’s draft.  After a standout season and National Championship at Clemson, the defensive tackle came to Miami and didn’t disappoint.  Defensive tackle isn’t a glamorous position and not one where top stats are put up. Wilkins played in all 16 games and was a foundation block in the center of the Dolphins defense.  Wilkins recorded 55 total tackles (29 solo and 26 assists) including 2 sacks, a fumble recovery and 2 passes defended. Wilkins also made an impact on the offensive side of the ball as he caught a touchdown pass in week sixteen’s 38-35 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.  Maybe the more impressive thing is the passion with which Wilkins plays. He is the first player to sprint down the field and congratulates his teammates after a touchdown. It’s easy to see that Christian Wilkins will become a leader on this team as he moves forward in his Dolphins career.

Coach of the Year – Chad O’Shea – I took Brian Flores out of this conversation as he was the way too obvious choice.  Chad O’Shea’s effect on this offense cannot be overstated enough. Done was the concept of, “here’s what we do, now go do it.”  No more trying to bash the square peg in a round hole. O’Shea looked at his personnel and said, “here’s what THEY do, now let’s do it.”  The biggest example of this came in the form of Mike Gesicki. The 2nd year tight end was no longer asked to stay in and block, something that wasn’t his strong suit.  Instead, he was split out in the slot where his athletic ability could be fully utilized. After four years of average to below-average production, DeVante Parker excelled in O’Shea’s offense.  He became a focal point and again was put in positions and ran routes that he were to his strength. Again, Dolphin fans should be excited about what the future holds on the offensive side of the ball.  Give O’Shea a better offensive line and a running game and this offense could be tough to stop.

** Edit ** 

Since writing this article there have been some obvious changes. O’Shea was fired after the seaso ended.  I still stand by my assessment above.

Breakout Player of the Year – Vince Biegel – Biegel came to the Dolphins in an offseason trade with the New Orleans Saints.  He was acquired straight up for linebacker Kiko Alonso. Biegel had a very good year for the Dolphins.  Biegel recorded a total of 20 tackles in his first two seasons (1 with Green Bay, 1 with New Orleans). In one season with the Dolphins Biegel recorded 57 total tackles (26 solo and 31 assists) including 2 ½ sacks.  Biegel also led the team with 13 quarterback hits. For a good part of the season, Biegel was the Dolphins best pass rusher. He also chipped in with 1 interception. Biegel was a good find for the Dolphins and looks to be an important part of the defense going forward as there has already been talk of a contract extension for the 3rd year linebacker.