Five players the Miami Dolphins can not afford to lose not named Tua

Miami Dolphins fans know that losing Tua Tagovailoa would practically kill the 2023 season. The prospect of Mike White and Skylar Thompson do not breed confidence. One game maybe two, all is fine but this isn't about Tua. This is the other five players on the roster that Miami can ill afford to lose.

Connor Williams is one of the only consistent offensive linemen on the Dolphins roster. While losing Robert Hunt would not be good, losing Williams puts the Dolphins in a bad spot as there is no other center that can step in as consistently as Williams.

The Dolphins, if we are being honest, can't lose any offensive lineman. Even Austin Jackson as they have little depth and frankly, those that are on the roster can be up and down. It is a big problem for the Dolphins but losing Williams would hurt more than the others.

Xavien Howard is now, once again, the lifeblood of the secondary. The loss of Jalen Ramsey was hard enough on the team but if they lost Howard, they would be back to square one like last year.

The Dolphins are not certain when Cam Smith will be back on the field after his shoulder injury but without Howard, the Dolphins would be down two veteran starters and only youth behind them. While Miami's secondary played well last season despite the lack of experience, it isn't an ideal situation.

Jevon Holland has emerged as one of the rising stars in the NFL. This year, many expect him to have his breakout season on a national stage. Holland is the leader of the secondary and without him, Vic Fangio is going to have a hard time getting the defensive looks he wants.

Miami has good depth at safety but with Brandon Jones lost all last season, we saw what Miami needed and didn't get. Moves made this off-season provided support but losing Holland could be a big hit that Miami will have a hard time replacing.

Zach Sieler is in a contract year and wants an extension, he deserves one, just like Christian Wilkins. Sieler going down would not be catastrophic as the Dolphins have quality depth on the defensive line but he and Wilkins work very well together and know each others moves and reads.

Christian Wilkins is another DT that the Dolphins can't lose and if they did, Chris Grier will get a shot at seeing what his DLine will look like without him. He is playing a dangerous game with Wilkins' contract who will be a free agent after the season. For the Dolphins, losing Wilkins would be a huge blow to the front of the defense.

Jaylen Waddle has to stay healthy. So far, he has. Personally, I think losing him would be more costly to the chemistry of the offense than losing Tyreek Hill. Miami can adjust to the loss of Hill's speed and deep threat abilities but Waddle brings more versatility to the offense as a player who can run just about every route effectively.

Without Waddle, defenses could float more protection onto Hill but losing Hill doesn't necessarily mean a shift toward Waddle.