Miami Dolphins 2025 Season Preview
By: Michael Higgins
(Image courtesy of Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
The Miami Dolphins have seemingly hit a plateau in their progression under head coach Mike McDaniel. Their best season was one in which they were AFC East runners up and got bounced in the wild card. With an aging roster around an underwhelming Tua Tagovailoa, has their competitive window closed?
Departures: Miami was really up against the cap this offseason. Who they could add was relatively limited. Due to these restrictions, they even had to let some key pieces walk in free agency. SAF Jevon Holland, DL Calais Campbell, EDGEs Da’Shawn Hand and Emmanuel Ogbah, LB Anthony Walker Jr., and RB Raheem Mostert were the key players to find new homes in the offseason.
Additions: The team signed IOL James Daniels and WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to multi-year deals. They also brought in CB Ifeatu Melifonwu, SAF Ashtyn Davis, and RB Alexander Mattison to one-year deals.
Trades: The Dolphins also managed to pull off a trade that seems like a fleece of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Miami acquired SAF Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 5th round pick in exchange for CB Jalen Ramsey, TE Jonnu Smith, and a 2027 7th round pick.
Even after the trade, the additions do not outweigh the departures for the Dolphins and they could be looking at the start of this era’s decline.
We can take a look at the Dolphins’ 2025 schedule and make an educated guess on how their season will go.
Season Predictions: The Dolphins start their season in Indianapolis taking on the Colts before making their home debut against the Patriots. The Dolphins travel to Buffalo for Thursday Night to take on the Bills and end the month in South Beach against the Jets on Monday Night Football. The Dolphins will go 2-2 to start the season.
Miami travels to Carolina, hosts the Chargers, back-to-back road games against the Browns and Falcons before ending October at home on Thursday Night Football against the Ravens. The Dolphins go 3-2 in this stretch.
The Dolphins do not travel at all in the month of November as they play the Bills at home and then travel to Spain to face the Commanders before a Week 12 bye and then play the Saints. The Dolphins will go 1-2 in November.
Conclusion: The final stretch of the season sees the Dolphins go on the road twice against the Jets and then the Steelers on Monday Night Football. They then host the Bengals and Buccaneers before traveling to take on the Patriots to end the year. The Dolphins will go 3-2 in this final stretch of games to end the season with a 9-8 record. Would a 9-8 record while potentially missing the playoffs be enough to blow up the current nucleus they have?
