Dolphins can thank these 5 players for having 2 wins so far this season

The Miami Dolphins have reached their bye week. It comes at a good time, as they are banged up. Miami needs to regroup as a team and Mike McDaniel has to figure out how to coach if this team wants to keep improving.

To say this season has been ugly would be an understatement. They have looked horrible against every team they have played, but lucky for them, the Jaguars and Patriots were worse. The Dolphins have a tough schedule ahead, but still manage to sit with a relatively easy "strength of schedule" through five weeks.

The Dolphins have two weeks to get ready for the Colts, their presumed final game without Tua Tagovailoa. If they can hand the keys back to him with a 3-3 record, it will be a victory in and of itself. The Dolphins, to get to .500, must lean on these five standouts from the first five weeks.

5. Jalen Ramsey

They said the Dolphins were making a mistake trading for Jalen Ramsey. He was over the hill and on the downslope of his career. The Dolphins didn't think so. In 2023, Ramsey showed that he wasn't done yet. During this past training camp, the Dolphins decided to give him a bigger contract, making him the highest-paid player at his position once again.

Ramsey may not be worth being paid that much, but on the field, he is having a fantastic year and should be in the team's MVP conversation even this early. Ramsey's stats are not impressive if you take them as simple numbers. He has 15 tackles, no interceptions, no sacks, and no passes defensed. He is giving up almost 70 percent of the completion rate to opposing quarterbacks. That sounds horrible, but dig a bit deeper, and entering the Patriots game, he has only allowed seven completions and has only been targeted 10 times. Teams are not attacking his side of the field.

4. Emmanuel Ogbah

Emmanuel Ogbah was released for salary cap reasons in March. He wasn't playing up to the lofty contract that he was given three years ago. After sitting out the offseason, the Dolphins had no choice but to bring him back after Shaq Barrett abruptly retired nine days before the start of training camp.

Miami needed depth on the outside edge and there wasn't much available to the Dolphins. They got a guy who wanted to still start. Ogbah fought his way in camp and so far is the biggest surprise of the season. He has one interception, a pass defended, 14 tackles, a sack, and four hits on the quarterback.

Statistically, he may not lead the team, but his play has been nothing short of unexpected. Ogbah is playing younger than he is, and the time off must have helped him physically and mentally. It's great to see him back on the field creating problems for quarterbacks and shutting the edge off to runners.

3. Calais Campbell

Calais Campbell has been in the NFL since 2008. Let that sink in for a second. In 2008, Jerod Mayo was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He is now the head coach of the Patriots. The Miami Dolphins capped the biggest turnaround in NFL history, going from 1-15 in 2007 to 11-5 and winning the division. 2008 was the last time Miami won the AFC East.

Now, 16 years later, Campbell is not only playing at a high level; he may be the best defender on the Dolphins' interior line. Sorry, Zach Sieler. Campbell is creating problems for opposing teams. He is handling double-team blocks without many issues. He has two sacks through five games and 12 tackles, nine of them solo. It isn't clear how long Campbell wants to continue playing, but the Dolphins would be smart to give him an extension because he is better than half of what they have on both sides of the ball right now.

2. De'Von Achane

The only offensive player to make this list, although Jonnu Smith was given consideration, Achane has shown that he can handle the workload. The downside is that he isn't built physically to be a downhill runner between the tackles. He is best suited for the outside where he can use his speed. Built for speed, Achane doesn't play as well when he needs to get through big defensive linemen.

Regardless, he has taken advantage of his opportunities despite having a horrible offensive line. He has run 53 times for 165 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers are low, and we won't lie to you - five games and he has yet to eclipse 200 total yards isn't all that impressive, so you have to dive in a bit deeper.

The problem for Achane is twofold. One, McDaniel's play-calling has been atrocious and the offensive line play hasn't been good either. As a result, Achane has better numbers as a receiver, 20 receptions for 187 yards and a score. That is the marker that highlights how bad McDaniel's play-calling has been.

1. Zach Sieler

Maybe the presence of Campbell has made it easier for Sieler, but the only defensive tackle who was not only retained from last year but given a new contract, has played without missing a beat. Entering the game against the Patriots, Sieler had one sack and 13 combined tackles. The statistics from the Patriots game are not official yet.

Sieler has one sack and continues to create penetration issues for opposing teams. He consistently collapses the pocket and forces quarterbacks to make quicker throws than they want to. Defensively, the Dolphins are playing better than they were last year, and they will get better as the season moves along. They are better adjusted to the Anthony Weaver system, which will help Sieler as well.