The 2024 regular season is over, and unfortunately, the Miami Dolphins didn't perform well enough to qualify for a spot in the playoffs.
After starting the 2024 campaign with a 2-6 record and then going 6-2 in their next eight games, Miami had a shot to do something few teams ever do by taking an ugly season and turning it around to make the postseason. But in the final week of the regular season, things just didn't end up rolling in the Dolphins' favor enough for them to sneak into the playoffs.
Looking back on the 2024 campaign, Miami wound up in its end-of-season predicament for a lot of reasons. Some of the decisions made by the Dolphins front office and head coach Mike McDaniel were perfect, while other decisions still make fans scratch their heads and wonder what they were thinking.
3 fantastic moves (and 3 horrible ones) the Miami Dolphins made in 2024
Fantastic Move No. 1
Signing TE Jonnu Smith
Smith had a career season with the Dolphins and luckily he is locked up for another year in 2025. Smith got off to a slow start in 2024, but it wasn't his fault. McDaniel started the season using Durham Smythe and Julian Hill more until it became clear Smith was poised to take over the starting job.
Smith broke the Dolphins tight end reception record this year and posted seven touchdowns, becoming a go-to for Tua Tagovailoa. When the Dolphins needed to make a play to extend a drive, Smith was more reliable than any other player on the offense.
Worst Move No. 1
Extending QB Tua Tagovailoa
Miami didn't necessarily rush to get Tagovailoa's new contract completed, but there was pressure to do so. Tagovailoa was holding an "in-practice" holdout during the start of training camp and that added more pressure to Chris Grier to get a deal done. While the contract wasn't horrible, Miami should have waited given the injury history Tagovialoa had.
Tagovailoa was set to play the 2024 season on his fifth-year option, and that would have been smarter for the Dolphins. Had Tagovailoa's season gone as it did, the Dolphins would have better leverage and knowledge about a new deal. Instead, they invested a lot of money in a guy who missed several games due to injury multiple times during the 2024 campaign.
Fantastic Move No. 2
Signing LB Jordyn Brooks
Brooks turned out to be the best linebacker the Dolphins have had in maybe a decade. Brooks was perfect in Anthony Weaver's top-10 defense and made plays consistently all year. One of the few players who still wrap and drive to make tackles, Brooks made game-changing plays each week, showing the kind of consistency the Dolphins have lacked at the position.
Brooks has a couple of more years on his contract with the Dolphins and if he plays this well again next year, he will have a great case for a restructured deal or a new contract entirely. Adding Brooks to the defense was one of the best moves Grier made all year.
Worst Move No. 2
Letting LB Andrew Van Ginkel go
Sticking with linebackers, the decision to let Van Ginkel leave in free agency isn't about matching a contract offer from the Minnesota Vikings. The Dolphins never made an offer to him at all.
Van Ginkel played like he always does in 2024, making plays and changing a game, and this year, he was rewarded with a Pro Bowl roster spot. Meanwhile, the Dolphins' attention to replacing him went to Shaquil Barrett, who quit nine days before training camp.
Jaelan Phillips didn't last half of the season before going on injured reserve yet again, and Bradley Chubb never made it back from the torn ACL he suffered at the end of 2023. Had Miami kept Van Ginkel, he and Brooks may have become one of the best linebacker duos in the NFL.
Fantastic Move No. 3
Drafting edge Chop Robinson
During the first month of the NFL season, many believed the Dolphins wasted yet another first-round draft pick. Taking Robinson was viewed as a critical mistake by Grier but too many were focused on the sack total and not the play.
Robinson had a stellar rookie season. Often ranked high in pressures, Robinson got over the "sack" hump midway through the year and when he did, he put up six sacks before Week 18.
Robinson was incredibly fast and consistent off the edge and instincts were good enough to adjust to the run immediately. Robinson statistically ranked high among edge-rushers in pressure situations and his future with the Dolphins looks to be limitless.
Worst Move No. 3
Not using cap space to fix the offensive line
Chris Grier spent a lot of money during the offseason. On defense, he gave Jalen Ramsey more money. Offensively, he gave Jaylen Waddle a massive contract that typically goes to a No. 1 receiver (Waddle is not a No. 1 receiver). He gave Tagovailoa the largest contract in Dolphins history and then gave Tyreek Hill more money.
The Hill money is interesting because it was not a restructure, didn't extend his contract, or lessen the Dolphins cap space. Yet Grier, once again, did nothing to help the offensive line.
After restructuring Terron Armstead and pushing more money into 2025, Grier ran it back with Robert Jones and Liam Eichenberg at guard. While a lot of Miami's offensive problems can be attributed to bad play calling and Tagovailoa's injuries, the interior of the line was a mess, especially with Eichenberg.
The big play for Grier was to re-sign Isaiah Wynn, but he was unable to practice or play until December. His impact upon his return was noticeable, but it didn't help the team earlier in the season.