The Miami Dolphins have as much top-end talent as any team in the AFC East — the Buffalo Bills included. If those division foes swapped quarterbacks — Josh Allen to the Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa to the Bills — Miami would be odds-on favorites to win the Super Bowl. But as we go through the Dolphins’ 53-man roster projection, there are some warning signs regarding their depth, with the biggest questions at cornerback and offensive tackle.
Miami Dolphins 53-man roster projection
This offseason, the Dolphins handed out nearly $300 million in contracts and surrendered a bunch of draft picks to acquire a bunch of big names — including wide receiver Tyreek Hill, left tackle Terron Armstead, and running back Chase Edmonds. But that spending spree left them thin in draft capital, with their first pick in the 2022 draft not coming until very late in the third round.
Plus, they’ve had some significant misses in the last few years, including former first-rounder Noah Igbinoghene. All of those decisions left them scrambling to fill holes and hamstrung their roster-building efforts. GM Chris Grier will likely carry players in 2022 who don’t deserve roster spots but get grandfathered through because of draft pedigree (and the embarrassment that would come with admitting a big mistake).
With all that said, however, the Dolphins have a real chance to make some noise in Mike McDaniel’s first season as a head coach. But they’ll only go as far as their stars take them.
Starters will be annotated with an asterisk.
Miami Dolphins offense (26)
Quarterback:
Tua Tagovailoa*
Teddy Bridgewater
Skylar Thompson
Running back:
Chase Edmonds*
Raheem Mostert
Myles Gaskin
Sony Michel
Fullbacks:
Alec Ingold*
Wide receiver:
Tyreek Hill*
Jaylen Waddle*
Cedrick Wilson
Trent Sherfield
Erik Ezukanma
Lynn Bowden
Tight end:
Durham Smythe*
Mike Gesicki
Cethan Carter
Hunter Long
Offensive tackle:
Terron Armstead*
Austin Jackson*
Greg Little
Offensive guard:
Liam Eichenberg*
Robert Hunt*
Robert Jones
Center:
Connor Williams*
Michael Deiter
Miami Dolphins defense (24)
Defensive end:
Christian Wilkins*
Emmanuel Ogbah*
Zach Sieler
Porter Gustin
Defensive tackle:
Raekwon Davis*
John Jenkins
Benito Jones
Inside inebacker:
Elandon Roberts*
Jerome Baker*
Channing Tindall
Outside inebacker:
Jaelan Phillips*
Melvin Ingram*
Andrew Van Ginkel
Cornerback:
Xavien Howard*
Byron Jones*
Nik Needham
Keion Crossen
Noah Igbinoghene
Kader Kohou
Safety:
Brandon Jones*
Jevon Holland*
Eric Rowe
Elijah Campbell
Clayton Fejedelem
Miami Dolphins specialists (3)
Jason Sanders (K)
Thomas Morstead (P)
Blake Ferguson (LS)
PUP/IR
TE Adam Shaheen
CB Trill Williams
CB Mackensie Alexander
FB John Lovett
90% of these 53-man roster projections were slam dunks, but there were a few moments of doubt. Will Thompson force the Dolphins to keep three QBs? Did Michel show enough to edge out Salvon Ahmed at running back? Will Sam Eguavoen or Gustin be the final front seven player to make the cut? And will Grier really carry Igbinoghene after a poor training camp and preseason? We’ll have definitive answers to all of these questions in less than a week.
