To say that the 2017 NFL season for the Miami Dolphins was a disappointment would be nothing short of an understatement. Coming off a season in which the Dolphins made their first playoff appearance in eight years, expectations were high in South Beach. Second-year head coach Adam Gase was establishing a culture in a Dolphins locker room that desperately needed an overhaul, and things were looking up for the first time in years.
But those hopes were summarily dashed early in the offseason when starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill suffered a set-back in camp and was lost for the season. The year only went downhill from there. Former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was brought in to lead the offense in Tannehill’s stead, to less-than-stellar results.
The Dolphins’ offense never really clicked with Cutler at the helm. The team struggled to put points on the board and struggled with injuries and inconsistency throughout the year. But there were a few bright spots on the team, namely the emergence of running back Kenyan Drake. Drake burst onto the scene after Gase jettisoned former starter Jay Ajayi to Philadelphia as part of his efforts to remake the locker room. Drake shined in his new role, and worked out pretty well for Ajayi, too, to the tune of a Super Bowl ring.
Now, Cutler has once again joined the land of the retired to join his wife as a reality TV star. Tannehill is back to pick up where he left off in 2016. Joining Tannehill are some key additions — rookies and veterans alike — on both sides of the football. The team has arguably gotten better at nearly every position in the offseason.
Yet the 2017 season has left a sour taste in most prognosticators mouths, as the team has been routinely projected to have a top-five pick in next year’s NFL Draft. I’m here to tell you that those projections are way off. The Miami Dolphins are going to surprise people in 2018, and here’s why.
Next: Reason No. 3
