The 2020 offseason is everything the Miami Dolphins prepared for. A year of trading away talented players and essentially tanking the 2019 season culminates with the chance to fix years of problems in Miami.
Miami’s preparation for a franchise-changing offseason in 2020 began in August when it traded Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills to the Texans for Houston’s 2020 first-round pick and its first and second-round selections in 2021.
The Dolphins added to their draft capital during the season by dealing star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2020 first-round pick.
Of course, this offseason is about more than draft picks alone. The Dolphins will enter with more than $100 million in cap space. The timing is perfect with a class of free agents particularly deep at positions the Dolphins must address.
Miami’s head coach Brian Flores proved this season that he is the right man for the job, winning five games with a roster that some thought would go winless. It’s critical to have the right voice leading the locker room and the Dolphins now have that.
Now it’s all up to general manager Chris Grier. Everything is in place to address many of the problems that haunted the Dolphins for years. It will take great execution this offseason, but we’re about to show just how that can be done.
Create more cap space: The Dolphins are already in an excellent position to spend this offseason. However, a few moves could give Miami even more money to put towards roster upgrades.
Just two moves created an additional $12 million in cap space. The Dolphins could go even further than this, exploring a way to move on from Reshad Jones’ contract, but these two moves alone create more offseason flexibility.
Rewarding their own: While not a lot went right for Miami in 2019, a few players stood out and proved they can be long-term pieces for this team. The offseason is the time to reward them for their hard work.
Miami already rewarded DeVante Parker for his breakout year. By securing Needham and Biegel, the Dolphins demonstrate they pay young players once they prove themselves.
Bring talent to South Beach: The Dolphins already offer a great selling point to free-agent talent with the beautiful city. Thanks to an improving team culture and absurd money to give out, Miami could be a compelling spot for free agents this offseason.
These five moves alone address critical needs before the draft even arrives. Miami will have added two outstanding tackles and bolstered the defense with upgrades at all three levels.
There is still money to spend, but this would easily be a great offseason by itself for the Dolphins. Of course, things can be even better with a strong draft.
Build a foundation in the draft: This is everything the Dolphins worked for. Three first-round picks and six top-75 selections in a loaded 2020 draft class. As the latest mock draft shows, everything could work out perfectly.
This is the draft the Dolphins need. A franchise quarterback, a potential Pro Bowl running back and more help on defense and the interior offensive line. Miami can address receiver and offensive tackle in the later rounds, while still celebrating this incredible haul.
The Dolphins can take monumental strides in 2020 with a strong offseason. An offense that looked incapable of scoring for much of the season and a defense that couldn’t stop anyone, is suddenly turned around with huge additions at nearly every position.
If Tagovailoa isn’t immediately ready to start, Ryan Fitzpatrick will have a far better cast of talent to help him. Once Tagovailoa is healthy, he can step in and immediately uplift this offense and make it a difficult team every week.
The defense would also be in far better shape. Putting more pressure on opposing quarterbacks will make things easier on Miami’s secondary, which will also see reinforcements to make the unit stronger. Now with more talent at his disposal, Flores can start unleashing even more of his ideas on defense and help this team reach new heights.
Just a year after being a laughing stock, this offseason would change everything for the Dolphins. Miami would be rocking with excitement and the fans will be ready to support a team that will compete and entertain for the first time in years.