Miami Dolphins are formulating a solid roster nucleus
After a couple weeks of free agency and with the 2017 NFL Draft just a little more than a month away, the Miami Dolphins have done a good job of forming a solid nucleus of core players to build around for years to come.
The fans that have been around for a while know that the Dolphins have struggled to have a core nucleus of players to build around since the days of Dan Marino. There was a point in time where the future looked bright with Ricky Williams carrying the offense while Jason Taylor anchored the defense, but we all unfortunately know how that prematurely ended.
If you look around at the teams who have consistently been successful over the years, you’ll notice that they either have an elite quarterback or they have a group of players who they’ve built around to form a sense of identity – this has clearly been lacking in South Beach.
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Under the direction of head coach Adam Gase there is definitely a new buzz around the team as fans hope this buzz turns into a legitimate identity of a team that is built to win consistently for the foreseeable future.
On the offensive side of the ball, there is still some doubt that surrounds starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill, but it’s clear that he has a fan in Gase as we saw the fifth-year signal caller take a step in the right direction once he was given more freedom and responsibility last season.
Surrounding Tannehill is a group of skill players that features several playmakers including Jay Ajayi who burst onto the scene last season after a week-one benching, Jarvis Landry who is one of the top slot receivers in the NFL, Kenny Stills who led the team with nine touchdowns last year and is a constant deep threat and DeVante Parker who hasn’t completely lived up to his potential, but has shown flashes of what he can become if he can stay healthy and master the mental side of the game.
Ajayi is in just his third year in the league, Landry is likely to receive a contract extension at some point as the team is rumored to be set on locking him up with a long-term deal, Stills just re-signed for another four years with Miami and Parker still has three years left on his rookie contract.
The current offensive line, while not solidified by any means at guard, features three former first-round picks in center Mike Pouncey and tackles Laremy Tunsil and Ja’Wuan James. Despite the question marks at guard, it’s likely that Miami will use one of its top draft picks on the offensive line, which ideally will give the team a solid core group up front to protect Tannehill and create running lanes for Ajayi.
On the defensive side of the ball, the core players are admittedly not as strong as those on offense, but there are still a group of core guys the defense can build around.
These players include two of the best at their respective position in the NFL in Ndamukong Suh and Reshad Jones. Suh – even when not respected by some in the mainstream media as being one of the most dominant defensive tackles in the league – is continually double teamed freeing lanes for linebackers, consistently penetrating the middle of the offensive line forcing pressure on opposing teams quarterbacks, and giving edge rushers such as Cam Wake one-on-one matchups on the outside which he often capitalizes on.
While Suh and Jones lead the core of players the team can build around, the front office has done a nice job adding linebacker help with the free agent signing of Lawrence Timmons and the recent contract extension of Kiko Alonso.
One downfall is the fact that the team is fairly thin the secondary, but they have youth on their side after selecting cornerback Xavien Howard in the second round of last year’s draft.
So while there are still holes to fill on both sides of the ball, it’s clear that the team has a vision and is taking the necessary steps to build around a core group of guys that can hopefully lead the team back to the playoffs and eventually become a championship contender with a few more key additions.
READ MORE: Miami’s potential first round draft picks
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