Miami Dolphins: 10 most important players on the roster for 2022

#7 most important Miami Dolphins player: Austin Jackson

He is certainly not a top-10 performer on the Dolphins roster, but because of the draft capital spent and expectations placed on him, Austin Jackson’s progress will be big for Miami in 2022.

The front office went out and did good work in solidifying the offensive line, but they have apparently opted to retain and plan on giving playing time to some of the pieces that made for the historically bad performance of the unit last year. Jackson is one of those pieces, and he will have everything to lose if he continues his poor performance into the third year of his career.

If he plays poorly and teammate Liam Eichenberg doesn’t progress either, there will be serious trouble for the offense.

#6: Tua Tagovailoa

Ranking him higher would be an easy choice if Bridgewater wasn’t in the equation, but the team has a cushion behind Tua Tagovailoa that makes him “less important” than a potential franchise quarterback would be.

While it may sound harsh, the 2022 Miami Dolphins season is far more important to Tua Tagovailoa than Tua Tagovailoa is to the 2022 Miami Dolphins season. The third-year quarterback will be having his final audition for being the starting quarterback for the team going forward, and the front office and coaching staff have provided him with all of the necessary tools to be successful this coming year.

If Tagovailoa performs well and lives up to the billing of being a top-5 draft pick, then his importance will skyrocket. If he doesn’t, well, there’s always Teddy Bridgewater.

#5: Jaylen Waddle

The player who I personally deemed as the most important for the future of the franchise makes this list as well, though not as high.

Jaylen Waddle enjoyed a record-breaking rookie season in 2021 in what was an otherwise flat Dolphins offense, and he is considered to be one of the fastest players in the league (while being maybe the 3rd or 4th fastest on his own team).

Paired with Tyreek Hill, the duo will create matchup headaches for opposing defenses all season, and will be one of the most lethal 1-2 punches in the game. Without Waddle, teams would have an easier time honing in on Hill and the other weapons in Miami’s offense, and Tagovailoa’s most familiar teammate will be taken away.

Stay healthy, Jaylen.