After being the toast of the NFL two years ago, the Miami Dolphins sit at 1-5, can’t stop teams on defense, and QB Tua Tagovailoa is regressing.
Let’s take it back to the fall of 2023. Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red” and Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” ruled the airwaves, Swift and The Hunger Games won the box office, and the Miami Dolphins epitomized the modern NFL offense.
Led by wunderkind head coach Mike McDaniel, Miami’s West Coast offense emphasized speed, quick strikes, and horizontal movement, finishing second in the league in total points and even hanging 70 points on the Denver Broncos in a single game. It was viewed as revolutionary. Tua Tagovailoa led the league in passing yards. Raheem Mostert topped the NFL in rushing touchdowns. Tyreek Hill paced the league in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, finishing sixth in MVP voting.
Fast-forward to 2025, and the only 2023 Swift song that comes to mind when describing the Miami Dolphins is: “Is It Over Now?”
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Upon the conclusion of Week 6, the Dolphins are 1-5, 27th in rushing offense, 26th in total yards on offense, and 30th in total yards allowed on defense after they were fourth-best in that category last season, showing a marked decline. They’ve allowed nine runs of 20-plus yards when the next-most teams have given up six. Opponents are converting on 48% of their third downs against the Dolphins, the second-worst rate in the NFL after they were fifth-best in that category one season ago.
Players, according to Tagovailoa, are showing up late to players-only meetings or not coming at all. But that team meeting issue also came up in reports at the end of last season, too, indicating a lingering issue that puts the leadership across the board in question. When ESPN’s Hannah Storm brought up a potential cultural issue to insider Adam Schefter to close Monday’s NFL Live segment on the team, Schefter raised his eyebrows and curled his lips, in what I considered a you-don’t-know-the-half-of-it type of way.
“I’m not worried about the team staying together,” McDaniel said. “I’m worried about us getting our football right.“
Tagovailoa’s seven interceptions rank third in the league, and already match his total for all of 2024. He threw three in a 29-27 loss Sunday to the LA Chargers, and he is always one hit away from a career-ending injury, especially given his history of concussions. Meanwhile, one of his favorite targets over the last few years, Hill, suffered a dislocated knee on Sept. 29 against the New York Jets, tearing multiple ligaments — including his ACL — that put his playing future in jeopardy. To compound matters, Cheetah is due $51.9 million in 2026 in the final year of his contract, a projected 16.9% of the team’s cap total. Expect Hill to be renegotiated or waived before next season.
Tua is in year one of a four-year, $212.4 million extension, including more than $167 million guaranteed, that he signed in July 2024 after that huge 2023 season. After finishing 10th in NFL QBR that year, the 27-year-old slipped to 15th in that metric last year and is 21st through six games this season. He’s due $56.4 million next season, and according to Spotrac, the Dolphins can cut Tua before the 2027 season and only take on $34.8 million in dead cap money. Otherwise, they’d owe him $53.4 million in 2027 and $65.8 million in 2028. Are we sure he’s the long-term future?
The way Miami is currently playing and given its short and long-term issues, everything should be on the table. After the 1-5 Tennessee Titans got the coaching carousel spinning by firing head coach Brian Callahan in his just second season, McDaniel’s coaching seat should be feeling rather toasty. Schefter mentioned the Dolphins are considering trading some veteran players before the Nov. 4 trade deadline, including linebackers Bradley Chubb and Jaelyn Phillips. General manager Chris Grier could end up pink-slipped after the season, too, considering the way things have been going.
There are reasons for optimism, perhaps. Six of the team’s last 11 games are against teams with a .500 or worse record. In four of Miami’s five losses, it has been within one score in the last two minutes, offering some hope that it can turn things around. But Tagovailoa’s regressed, the defense can’t stop the run or get off the field on third down, and players are already pointing fingers at each other.
It’s a marked 180 degrees from the success Miami enjoyed just two years ago, with the Dolphins looking like they won’t be able to “Shake It Off” any time soon.
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