The Miami Dolphins will be facing a critical year in 2025, and in order to be successful, they have to find a way to stop some of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.
This upcoming season will be unique for Miami. On paper, they have a good enough team to compete, but that paper also shows inexperience at several positions and holes in others. Of course, there are also questions about Mike McDaniel's ability to call plays and run an offense.
Immediately ahead for the Dolphins are a few OTAs and mini-camps where they can sort out some of the questions ahead of the 2025 season, but on defense, there are challenges ahead for Anthony Weaver.
Weaver has had one year with Miami, and most of that early season was trying to undo some of the things Vic Fangio did a year before. Dolphins fans learned quite quickly that Fangio's way of doing things may have been better. It simply rubbed too many prima-donna veterans the wrong way, apparently.
Still, Weaver had the defense flowing by mid-season, and this year, he will have a better head start with many returning players. Will that be enough to get back to the playoffs and end a now 25-year playoff victory drought? He will have to beat these quarterbacks if they are.
6 best quarterbacks the Miami Dolphins will face in 2025
If the Dolphins are going to find success in 2025, they will need to beat some of the better quarterbacks in the NFL.
Week 6 - Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers)
It is another Tua Tagovailoa vs. the guy who was drafted immediately after him. Justin Herbert got the Chargers to the playoffs last year, but a lot of that success came on the shoulders of Jim Harbaugh's coaching. Herbert could take a big step forward in his second year with the coach.
Weeks 3 and 10 - Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)
It's bad enough that the Dolphins have to face him twice, but they have only beaten him twice in 14 tries. This year, the Dolphins will travel to Buffalo in Week 3 and then host in Week 10. The Week 3 game is at night, another problem for a team that doesn't play well in primetime. At least there is no adverse weather this year.
Week 11 - Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders)
Now a year older and more experienced, Jayden Daniels should be better than he was last year, and that isn't good for opposing teams. He has better offensive weapons at his disposal.
Week 9 - Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)
The reigning NFL MVP, or at least he should have been. Lamar Jackson is a great quarterback, and he has caused a lot of problems for the Dolphins.
Week 16 - Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals)
Taken in the same draft as Tua, number one overall, Joe Burrow has every tool to beat anyone, which makes it tough on opposing teams. His injuries, however, hold him back.
Week 17 - Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
The last quarterback on this has flipped the coin on his journeyman future and into a legitimate top signal-caller. So much for those days in Cleveland.
The above six quarterbacks represent eight different games for the Dolphins. If they can't beat these quarterbacks, their season will be a lost opportunity.
On the other side of that line, the Dolphins' biggest quarterback question is about Tagovailoa's health. If he can't stay healthy, the Dolphins' odds of making the playoffs will be significantly lower.