The Miami Dolphins had a disappointing end to their 2023 campaign, blowing a lead in the AFC East and losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
However, offensive tackle Terron Armstead has high hopes for his team heading into next season.
When discussing the divisional outlook going into 2024, Armstead said that he and the Dolphins are confident they can take on anyone.
“It’s all in-house, it’s all in-house,” Armstead said, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com. “We don’t really look at all the other moving pieces within the division, or around the league, because we feel like we have enough. We’re talented enough, we’re skilled enough, we’re tough enough, we just have to do. It’s now time to show improvements, to show we can win those big games and live those big moments. So it doesn’t matter who’s traded, we don’t look at that, we have enough to beat anybody at full strength, and that’s really our mindset, it’s our mentality. We have that confidence, but we just have to go out and do it.”
The Buffalo Bills, the four-time reigning AFC East champions, actually got weaker this offseason. The New England Patriots have replaced Bill Belichick with Jerod Mayo at head coach, but they haven’t made any major additions to a roster that went just 4-13 this past year. Meanwhile, the New York Jets have beefed up a bit on both sides of the ball, so they may represent Miami’s biggest threat.
Taking everything into consideration, the Dolphins may very well be the favorites to win the division next season, so Armstead isn’t out of line for his bravado.
That being said, Miami also lost some key pieces this offseason, particularly on the defensive end.
The Dolphins have also not won a playoff game since January 2001, representing the longest active drought in the NFL.
Perhaps 2024 will be a bit different in South Beach.
We’ll see if Armstead and Co. can back up their confidence come September.
Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here. Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network.
