The Miami Dolphins’ top 20 Players of the 2021-2022 season
By Nick Belotto
#20 Durham Smythe
Smythe is one of the unsung heroes on an offense that was plain bad at times over the year.
In the pass catching department, he finished with a career year even though he didn’t find the end-zone. But, that’s not really what the team needed him to do.
Smythe is one of the better blockers on this team and the offense needed him on the field often to help keep Tua’s jersey clean this season. He’s one of those “down and dirty” players who doesn’t show up in the box score yet still has a positive impact when he’s on the field.
Smythe did a great job this year, as he has during his career, of doing what needs to be done to win football games.
#19 Myles Gaskin
2021 Stats: 612 RuYds, 3 RuTDs, 49 catches, 234 ReYds, 4 ReTDs
Gaskin’s inclusion on this list might make some people angry given how putrid the running game was all year. Dolphin fans know the offensive line was more than a problem this year and it had a negative impact on a lot of people’s performances with Gaskin being one of them.
Even with terrible blocking, Gaskin was the Dolphins best runner for most of the season (no disrespect to Duke Johnson) and combined for 7 touchdowns on the year through the air and on the ground.
Gaskin is a shifty back who does a lot of his damage outside the tackles. He may not be the best runner in the game but he is a useful weapon on offense and should be commended for being somewhat serviceable this season.
#18 Elandon Roberts
2021 Stats: 83 tackles, 42 solo, 2 FF, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 TD
We’re going to be seeing a lot of defense on this list.
Roberts was a solid defender for this team all season. He was very consistent against the run and pass and even had a memorable pick 6 against the Raiders in week 3. He doesn’t have any real eye-popping numbers but was consistent and a perfect compliment to the outstanding play of some others on the defense.
Roberts is a guy who followed Brian Flores to the Dolphins from New England and I think it’s safe to speculate he might do the same when Flores lands a new gig. If that happens, it will be a shame to lose a player who may not be the most explosive player but is someone that you can count on to do his job all of the time.
#17 Robert Hunt
When I was making this list, and I really went through to find 20 of the best players on the team, I was shocked that an offensive lineman actually made it!
The offensive line was bad this year, but Hunt was the best of the bunch, which I know isn’t saying much. According to Pro Football Focus, Hunt ended the year with a 67.4 grade which is not great a notable drop from last year.
I still think Hunt could be a good blocker in this league and think a lot of his step backwards was related to bad schemes, coaching and overall players around him. He’s good enough to bounce back next year if Miami can get some other players to play next to him.
#16 Byron Jones
2021 stats: 58 tackles, 0 interceptions
Since coming over from the Dallas Cowboys last season, Byron Jones has failed to live up to the big contract expectations. Last year, he was alright at best and this year he did improve a little bit.
Opposing QBs had a passer rating of 100.6 against him and a completion percentage of 60%. Those numbers don’t jump off the page, especially for a guy who was paid the way Jones was paid. Nonetheless, his improvement was noticed, especially when the team was on their 7 game winning streak.
Jones may never live up to the contract he signed, but he’s good enough to earn a spot on this ranking.