Through 10 games of the season, the Dolphins sit at 4-6. If this were to continue, it would be the first losing season during Coach Slip's tenure in Miami. It isn't difficult to find at least a few reasons for the disappointing start. One has been a disappointing start to the season for the defense, a unit which is typically dominant and carries the team to victories. Instead, this season the defense ranks middle of the pack in most categories. While it may be tempting to attribute this to the loss of Xavien Howard, his replacement James Bradberry actually leads the team in INTs by a significant margin with 6 (the next closest is 2). Offensively, the team has actually performed similarly to the last 2 seasons with a few notable exceptions. For one, they are not running the ball as well (although this has never been a strength of the team under Coach Slip). Additionally, they have been plagued by turnovers, with Tua throwing more INTs than he did last season (along with already being sacked more than twice as many times as he was last season) and receivers having fumbling issues. There are reasons for optimism, however as the young WR duo of Mecole Hardman and Jaylen Waddle have emerged as dynamic threats. Defensively, Andrew Van Ginkel has enjoyed a resurgent season, leading the team in sacks with 10. The team will look to keep their wild card hopes alive as they take on the surging Arizona Cardinals next.

The Eagles continued their strong regular season play under Coach Slip, finishing with a 12-5 record and winning the NFC East. This was accomplished primarily on the backs of the #1 scoring defense in the league. Offensively, the team finished as the league's 5th best rushing offense led by HBs Miles Sanders and Kenneth Gainwell. QB Jalen Hurts continued to play solid football, with WR Devonta Smith leading the team in receiving with 1,091 yards and 7 tds. Defensively, free agent acquisitions Keanu Neal and Jabril Peppers led the team in tackles and interceptions, respectively while rookie DE Joey Nava tied for the team lead in sacks with 7.5. The team carried their strong regular season into the playoffs, taking down the Rams, Packers, and Saints on their way to a Super Bowl appearance. In the Super Bowl, the team took down the Denver Broncos in a very entertaining game, 41-34. The Eagles are heading into an interesting off-season as they attempt to defend their Super Bowl win with a roster that is aging at key positions including offensive line and cornerback.

In this article, we take a look back at an eventful Dolphins off-season. It began with a blockbuster and shocking move to many, sending all-world CB and lifetime Dolphin Xavien Howard to the Chiefs for WR Mecole Hardman and a 2nd round pick. While the move will certainly hurt the defense in the short-term, the team expects Hardman to take an improving young offense to the next level, while the 2nd round pick will help the team add youth to a team with multiple key starters on the wrong side of 30. The team immediately made a trade to help replace Xavien's on-field production, sending a 1st round pick to the Rams for CB James Bradberry and OL Austin Corbett, who is expected to start at LG in the upcoming season. The team's 3rd trade sent veteran WR Will Fuller V to the Falcons for a 3rd, 6th, and 7th round pick in this year's draft. The Dolphins were relatively quiet in free agency, spending most of their remaining cap on DT Dalvin Tomlinson, who is expected to provide a boost to the team's rushing defense and serve as a mentor to the young DL on the team's roster. Come draft time, the team used their 2nd round picks on DE Clayton McGee and TE Channing Campbell. McGee is expected to fight for a spot in the DL rotation from day 1, while TE Channing Campbell is the son of an NFL legend and will step right into a role as TE3 on the team. The teams next two picks were LBs Hugh Boothe and LB Jalen Battle, both of whom the team expects to fight for LB snaps right away. The team picked a QB for the 3rd straight draft, adding QB Max Rayford in the 6th followed by LE Chris Sanders. The team wrapped up the draft with OL Terrelle Rudd and HB Charlie Holland (who has already been cut). The team was quick to sign FB Deshaun Edwards, who surprisingly may replace incumbent starter pro-bowl FB Damarious Lewis. The Dolphins open up their regular season against the Jaguars.

The Dolphins continued their recent run of postseason success under coach Slip, making it to the AFC Conference Championship for a 2nd straight season. In the wildcard round the Dolphins completed a rare 3-0 season over the division rival Patriots, 38-14. Notable performances from the Dolphins in the game included: QB Tua Tagovailoa (283 yards, 3 TDs), WR John Ross (114 yards, 2 TDs), EDGE Jaelan Phillips (2 sacks), and FS Jevon Holland (2 INTs). The Dolphins continued their strong defensive play in the divisional round, taking down the Baltimore Ravens, 23-7. Tua had yet another strong outing, throwing for 286 yards (although 0 TDs) with a surprising leading receiver in TE Cam Kramer (4 receptions, 74 yards), who was filling in for the injured Mike Gesicki. Defensively, the Van Ginkel forced 2 sacks while LB Dion Leonard had the lone INT in the game. The team's run unfortunately came to an end in a very close loss to the Chargers, 26-27. Tua continued to accumulate yardage but threw 2 INTs including a game ending interception on a potential game-winning drive. WR Jaylen Waddle racked up 152 yards and 2 TDs on 7 catches, while CB Byron Jones was responsible for the lone Dolphins' forced turnover. An interesting offseason lies ahead for Miami as they attempt to figure out how to get over the hump while key contributors find themselves on the wrong side of 30.

The Dolphins had another strong regular season performance under coach Slip, finishing 13-4, winning the AFC East and securing the #2 seed in the AFC. This regular season was arguably the strongest performance on both sides of the ball seen during coach Slip's tenure. The offense, led by 1st time Pro Bowl QB Tua Tagovailoa, took a leap forward to finish 9th in the league in points per game. Tua threw for 4,789 yards, a 38-15 TD-INT ratio, with a 77.8% completion percentage, 137.5 QBR, while taking only 5 sacks the entire season. His favorite target continued to be WR Jaylen Waddle, who turned in his best season yet with 67 receptions for 1,475 yards and 17 TDs (good for the team lead in each category). On the ground, HB Ronald Jones barely eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark for the 2nd straight season, finishing with 1,001 rushing yards and 15 TDs on 182 carries. Defensively, the team finished with the #1 scoring defense while finishing in the top 10 in every other defensive category. Offseason acquisition Jamal Adams led the defense in tackles and turnovers forced (5 INTs, 5 FFs) while DBs Xavien Howard and Jevon Holland tied for the team lead in INTs with 8 apiece. Despite missing 3 games early in the season, EDGE Jaelan Phillips led the team in sacks with 9. The Dolphins take on the division rival Patriots in the wild card round.

The Dolphins have continued their strong play under coach Slip, getting out to a 7-3 start. The team is right in the thick of the surprisingly competitive AFC playoff race as well as fighting for the lead in the AFC with the Patriots. While the team's defense has not played as well as they have in previous seasons, this Dolphins squad appears to be the most well balanced of coach Slip's Dolphins squads. Offensively, the team is currently 12th in points scored and near (or in) the top 10 in both passing and rushing yards behind the continued strong play of QB Tua Tagovailoa, who has a 18-8 TD-INT ratio, 130 QBR, 80% completion percentage, and has only taken 4 sacks. By far his favorite target has been his college teammate Jaylen Waddle, who leads the team in all receiving categories including accounting for 921 receiving yards and 11 TDs. On the defensive side of the ball, it is difficult to pick out a single standout player. Instead, the #2 scoring defense can primarily attribute this season's success to strong play from multiple players at all levels of the field, including Jaelan Phillips, Roquan Smith, Jamal Adams, and Xavien Howard. Next up for the Dolphins is a primetime matchup against another familiar AFC contender, the Los Angeles Chargers.

Through 7 games of the season, the Dolphins currently possess a 5-2 record and are tied for the division lead in the resurgent AFC East. Despite a noticable increase in overall success in their division, the Dolphins have gotten out to a 4-0 record against their division rivals, including a sweep of the New York Jets. The team's defense has taken a notable step back so far in the season, particularly in yardage allowed, but remain in the top 10 in least points allowed per game. To help compensate for this, the offense has taken a step forward this season, improving their rankings across the board and ranking 16th in points scored per game. Much of this improvement has been due to the play of QB Tua Tagovailoa. Tua received a major 5-year extension at the beginning of the season which many questioned (and rightfully so); however, he is currently playing the best football of his young NFL career. Tua has thrown for 12 TDs and only 6 interceptions while averaging 13.3 YPA and maintaining an impressive 80% completion percentage. Additionally, the young QB has gotten the ball out of his hands much quicker, having only been sacked 3 times which has helped to keep the offense ahead of the chains. Former Alabama teammate Jaylen Waddle has benefitted the most from this improvement and is off to a hot start as well, racking up 641 receiving yards and 8 TDs in only 7 games. Defensively, the passrush suffered without Jaelan Phillips for half of the season. LB Roquan Smith has gotten off to an impressive start, leading the team in tackles, sacks, and forced fumbles. Major offseason acquisitio Jamal Adams has yet to make many of the splashy plays hoped for so far, however is currently 2nd on the team in tackles and has made many important stops. Next up for the Dolphins is a matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

In this edition of Dolphins player profiles, we discuss longtime Dolphin CB Xavien Howard. Howard played his college ball at Baylor before being drafted by the Dolphins with their 2nd round pick in the 2016 NFL draft. Since being drafted, Howard quickly worked his way to the top of the team's depth chart. Despite some contract disputes and unhappiness, Howard and the team have overcome those issues to make Howard one of the longest tenured Dolphins on the team. Within coach Slip's system the last 3 seasons, Howard has consistently shadowed opposing team's number 1 WRs, typically to great success. Without a doubt, Howard has been one of the primary reasons for Miami's success on the defensive side of the ball during coach Slip's tenure. Additionally, Howard has been helping to teach the younger CBs on the team, an underrated part of his value to the team. When discussing his future in Miami, both Howard and coach Slip expressed optimism and hope that Howard would finish his career in Miami.

The Dolphins were fairly quiet this offseason in stark contrast to their activity last season. The major exception to that of course being the blockbuster trade that brought superstar DB Jamal Adams to Miami in exchange for Miami's 2 current 1st round picks as well as LB Jerome Baker. While it was a steep price, the team firmly believes the addition of a defensive playmaker like Adams can help take the defense to even greater heights. In free agency, the team did not make a single signing as they were right up against the NFL cap. The team has earned poor initial reviews for this year's draft class. While some of that may be attributed to not having picks in the first 2 rounds, the team did not seem to make use of the picks they had in the later rounds. With the 3rd round pick acquired from Denver, the team drafted local WR Nick Braman from the University of Florida, a rather confusing pick given the team has 3 solid starters entrenched at the WR position. Other noteworthy Miami draft picks included QB Sam Cutler (another headscratcher), DE Devon Traynor (expected to contribute right away), and FB Damarious Lewis (perhaps the only Day 1 starter drafted by the team).

The Dolphins had a solid showing in the playoffs this year, making it to the AFC Conference Championship game. In the wildcard round the Dolphins took down the Chargers in a wild comeback victory that came down to the final play of the game, 35-31. The team's inconsistent play in the wildcard round is best exemplified by QB Tua Tagovailoa's statline, finishing 19-21 with 349 yards, 3 TDs and his only 2 incompletions being interceptions including a pick-6. Jaylen Waddle shined, going off for 183 receiving yards. In the divisional round the Dolphins beat the Titans in a game that was closer than the final score indicated, 25-10. The Dolphins' run defense, typically a relative weakness, showed up in force in this one, holding superstar HB Derrick Henry to 20 yards on 7 carries and forcing a key turnover and downs where Henry only had to pick up 1 yard. HB Ronald Jones did his best Henry impersonation, rushing for 178 yards on 22 carries and breaking multiple tackles. The Dolphins' playoff run finally came to an end in the Conference Championship, losing in blowout fashion for the second straight year to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. If any positive could be taken away from the loss, it was that the team stayed in the game for longer than they did in last year's playoff loss. It is impossible to place the blame on any one player, as the entire team struggled in each phase of the game. The Dolphins will look to keep building on their recent success in the offseason, where they will benefit from having 2 1st round picks but have to work around limited cap room.

The Dolphins finished the regular season 13-4, good enough to win the AFC East and secure the #2 seed in the playoffs. The team's offense, while still average in most categories, was improved from last season. This was particularly true for the rushing attack, where HB Ronald Jones ran for 1,144 yards and 20 TDs behind a much improved offensive line. WR Jaylen Waddle took a step forward in his 2nd season, racking up 1,105 receiving yards and 14 TDs on 63 catches, with a kick return TD as well. Free agent acquisition was quick to carve out a role for himself with his new team, finishing 2nd on the team with 904 receiving yards with a kick return TD of his own. Defensively, both off ball linebackers, Roquan Smith and Jerome Baker, finished with over 100 total tackles. EDGE Jaelan Phillips (previously profiled) led the team, and AFC, in sacks with 13.5 on way to winning the AFC Best LB award. The team's #1 ranked passing defense had a three-way tie for interceptions, with Xavien Howard, Brandon Jones, and DJ Brown each recording 5 interceptions on the season. The Dolphins will host the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild card round, a team they previously beat in the regular season.

Through 10 games of the regular season, the Dolphins stand at 7-3 and are currently 1st place in the AFC East ahead of the 2nd place Jets. The strength of the team remains its defense, which is in the top 10 in yardage and points rankings, including #1 in passing yards and #4 in points allowed. While the rushing defense is a relative weakness coming in ranked #10 in the league, that still represents a major improvement from last season. The other notable difference on defense has been the emergence of EDGE Jaelan Phillips as a star passrusher, leading the team in sacks with 8. The offense remains in the bottom 3rd of the league similar to last season, with the notable exception of a much improved rushing attack. There is reason for optimism with the offense, as Tua finally appears to be settling in to give the offense some balance, at least enough for the defense to carry the day more often than not. The teams offseason additions have largely played up to expectations, as John Ross leads the team in receiving, Terron Armstead has led a much improved offensive line, and Ronald Jones leads the team in rushing, while top draft pick Kirk Witt has started every game at center. Next up for the Dolphins are the elite Lions.

In this edition of player profiles, we are focusing on 2nd year passrusher Jaelan Phillips. Following an unconventional college football career ending at the University of Miami, Phillips was selected by none other than the Miami Dolphins in the 1st round of the 2021 NFL draft. Phillips rewarded that decision with a strong rookie season, playing in every game and recording 45 tackles and an impressive 8 sacks. So far in his 2nd season, Phillips only seems to have grown as a passrusher, already registering 6 sacks through 9 games, good for the team lead. It hasn't been all positive in his 2nd season however, as Phillips may have taken a step back in the run game, registering only 14 tackles to this point. Regardless, the team views Phillips as a cornerstone of the defense going forward and considering how well he has played through only 1 and a half seasons, the sky would appear to be the limit for the young passrusher.

Through the first 6 games of the season, the Dolphins sit atop the AFC East with a respectable 4-2 record. To say the team has played inconsistently in those 6 games would be an understatement and can best be seen in the play of QB Tua Tagovailoa. Tua has multiple games with passer ratings in the 100s; however, also has multiple games with 4+ interceptions. The offense is improved in most leaguewide categories compared to last year with the exception of turnovers. The team is hopeful that better decision making from the QB position as the new offseason additions continue to develop chemistry will lead to fewer turnovers and an even better offense. The defense has picked up from where it left off last season, currently ranking in the top 10 in most categories and still employing one of the league's best pass defenses. Those who want to nitpick would be quick to point out that the defense has not forced many turnovers and does not generate many sacks, while supporters of the defense would note that the defense does a good job at keeping points off of the board, especially considering the positions the offense has left them in. Next up for the Dolphins is a rematch of last year' s AFC Wildcard game versus the Bengals.

The Dolphins' first offseason under the new coaching staff was an eventful one, with the team being active on all fronts. The team made multiple trades, with the first being trading away their 1st round pick and next year's 2nd to the Bears for MLB Roquan Smith, who the team expects to step right in as the top linebacker alongside Jerome Baker and fortify the team's run defense. Their other trade involved sending away HB Myles Gaskin to the Falcons for C Matt Hennessy and a 7th round pick, adding young talent to the team's weak offensive line. The move also helped clear the way for one of the team's many free agency additions, HB Ronald Jones. The team expects Ronald Jones to take over the lead role in the backfield, with previous starter Salvon Ahmed and backup Lynn Bowden playing key roles as well. Of course, the team's biggest addition was the signing of LT Terron Armstead to a 2-year, $80 deal. While Armstead had similar offers from other teams, Armstead was reportedly looking to move to a warmer climate and was attracted to losing less of his earnings to state taxes by playing in Florida. The team further fortified their offensive line by signing veteran LT Duane Brown to a 1-year deal to play LG. The team's other major signing was speedster John Ross, who drew interest from many teams but also wanted to take his talents to south beach, where he will pair with other speedsters Will Fuller and Jaylen Waddle. Come draft time, the team used their first pick (in the 2nd round) to add LG Kirk Witt, who won the award for best guard in college football during his last collegiate season. The team's 3rd round pick was a surprise to many, adding QB Percy Bennett, the nation's top passer, to develop as the backup to QB Tua Tagavailoa. The team made it clear that Tua would remain the starter; however, many fans are already calling for Bennett to take over the starting role. Other notable draft picks included WR Dorian Graham, LB Dion Leonard (who the team is really high on), as well as CBs Tyler Gatewood and Zamir Evans, who are likely slotted for special teams roles early on but may emerge as defensive starters longterm. Hopefully an eventful offseason will lead to improved results for a team that surprised many with their success last season.