The Miami Dolphins will enter the 2025 season with more questions than answers. Some will take some time, others may not.
This is expected to be a critical season for the Dolphins. Chris Grier admitted on Wednesday that the team went through a reset this offseason. They shed some salary, cleaned up the locker room, and got younger. He also said the expectations are to make the playoffs and advance.
That might be the plan, but after two straight years of playoff appearances under McDaniel, the slide last season is hard to overlook.
Miami Dolphins look to rebound in 2025 despite getting younger and resetting the roster
With the season set to begin against the Indianapolis Colts on the road on September 7th, these are the five areas that need close monitoring from the start.
5. Is the TE room going to blossom or fall flat?
Dolphins fans are wondering, out loud, if this unit is one of the worst on the team. There are continued questions about Darren Waller's availability (and McDaniels' reasons for his absence from practice) as well as who will step up if he is unable to play.
Tanner Conner may be the best tight end on the roster outside of what we believe will be Waller, but he takes a backseat to Julian Hill, who still makes fans question why he is on the field. The Dolphins may very well regret not making an offer to Noah Fant.
The good news is that until last season, the tight end was an afterthought in McDaniel's offense, so maybe that becomes the solution for Miami. They made the playoffs twice without being a featured part of the system.
4. Can Tyreek Hill stay healthy?
The Dolphins found out what it means not to have Hill on the field. Last year, he was a shell of his usual self, and while he played, he had quite a few drops and was consistently outplayed at the line.
Hill has to have a bounce-back season this year. At 31, his NFL career will start to drop, and this is why many fans believe the Dolphins should explore options to trade him.
Miami has a good wide receiver group outside of Hill. Jaylen Waddle needs to step out of Hill's shadows and take over the unit. Miami is young at the position behind Hill, which bodes well for their future.
Like it or not, Hill will not be around after the season unless he somehow returns to his younger self. The big question will be whether he has lost a step or not. That is what fans will be watching for.
3. Will Mike McDaniel lose the locker room?
The Dolphins believe they have eliminated the disrespect and bickering from the locker room. Jordyn Brooks told the media that this year's team is the closest team he has ever been on.
Miami has attempted to alter the culture within the facility. If it works and they play harder and win, everything will be great.
What if that doesn't happen? Can McDaniel survive if the team goes on a big losing streak, with or without Tuat Tagovailoa behind center?
Many believe the campfire Kumbaya will work if the team is successful, but we all will see what they think of their head coach if that isn't the case. We will also learn what Stephen Ross thinks.
2. Can Tua Tagovailoa stay healthy?
There is only one bigger question to this season, and we will get to that: Tagovailoa's health. If he misses any significant time, it could quickly curtail the season.
The entire offensive system is built around this quarterback, and Miami may believe that Zach Wilson can step up in his absence, but that isn't going to happen.
Tagovailoa missed six games last year and told the media this offseason that he needs to play smarter and avoid taking unnecessary risks. He has said that before. Another concern, however, isn't the head injuries he has suffered, but the hip injury last season.
He admitted this offseason that it may never be 100 percent and that he has to be careful, or he could make the situation worse. This is a significant concern for the Dolphins and their fans.
1. Can the cornerback room do enough to keep opposing offenses from scoring?
Jalen Ramsey is gone, Jevon Holland is gone, Kader Kohou will miss the season, and if that isn't enough, Storm Duck is the only returning player from last season who will start at one of the secondary positions.
Miami is relying on rookie Jason Marshall to handle the nickel job and a combination of Jack Jones and Rasul Douglas on the other side.
The depth at the corner position is also bad. Miami can't afford to lose a single player after already having been gutted. The Dolphins made the moves they needed to in order to fix problems internally, but the cost was eating a lot of dead cap space.
If the Dolphins are going to succeed defensively this year, it has to be the secondary taking advantage of Miami's well-built front seven and pass rushers.
BONUS: The offensive line
This is a simple one: if the starters stay relatively healthy, the line should be okay, but if the Dolphins need to dip further down the depth chart to fill in, it might turn into a disaster.
Like the CB unit, Miami lacks quality depth at every position on the line. That isn't good for a team known for watching injuries pile up at the position.