By: Jake Rajala

The Miami Dolphins finished another week of OTAs yesterday. The Dolphins offense is striving to be in sync in May, so they can reap the benefits against the Josh Allen-led Bills in September. With that said, I’m going to untwine three positions that Phins nation should expect a lot of potential and excitement from.

Wide Receiver

Tyreek Hill needs to be involved early and often. It may seem like Hill’s blistering speed and Tua Tagovailoa’s arm strength is an awkward combination, but that is not true. Per NBC Sports, Hill believes that Tagovailoa has one of the “prettiest balls he’s ever seen”. Outside of Hill and the sophomore stud Jaylen Waddle, it will be fascinating to see how reliable the fourth-year WR Cedrick Wilson Jr./replacement for Devante Parker can be for the Dolphins offense.

Left Tackle

The Dolphins won’t build Rome in a day, but it’s clear that LT Terron Armstead is a monster piece of their offensive puzzle. Armstead is a key reason why CBS Sports believes that the Dolphins could turn heads in 2022. Armstead was also introduced as a Top-10 tackle, per PFF. Armstead will be pivotal against the countless stud AFC pass rushers like Von Miller, Myles Garrett, and Trey Hendrickson.

Punter

The Dolphins may have found a diamond in the rough in Thomas Morstead. The once highest-paid punter was booted from the Big Easy, but he was able to still be a very good punter for the Falcons last season. Morstead was named the NFC Special Teams Player of The Month in December. I expect the former Pro Bowl punter that actually reached out to the Dolphins to have a motivated, strong season in 2022.

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By: Jeremy Trottier

The Miami Dolphins have become one of the more impressive teams over the course of this offseason by signing back their core free agents while bringing in new pieces to supplement the roster.  With this, they have pushed themselves into definite contention for the playoffs, and into a potential shot at the AFC East title this season.  In this article, I will cover 3 reasons why the Dolphins could win the division, as well as how they each impact their chances.

Tyreek Hill

The most blatant and recent reason as to why the Dolphins could take the division is the cheetah himself, Tyreek Hill.  There is simply no receivers in the game that are like him, and there are even fewer secondaries that can stop him.  His speed is what he is most known for as we all know, but his route running capabilities and his shiftiness allow him to get open in instances where his speed cannot. 

Did the Dolphins have to spend a lot of picks to get him?  Yes.  However, over the course of the next 5 years, this move pushes the Dolphins up to a deep playoff-caliber team simply put. 

Playmakers, both returning and incoming

Ok so we have talked about Tyreek, but lets talk about the rest of this star studded offense.  The Dolphins have rookie standout receiver Jaylen Waddle alongside Hill, as well as receiving tight end Mike Gesicki, both of whom return for 2022.  On top of that, their running game is getting better as well, with the addition of Chase Edmonds, as well as Myles Gaskin still on the team.

On top of all this, the Dolphins added a premier left tackle in Terron Armstead, who if he can avoid injury will be an amazing addition to protect Tua Tagovailoa.  While many have criticized Tua in recent months, with this amount of weapons, and some true protection on the OL, odds are he will be able to produce.

Division is in question

The final reason the Dolphins could take the AFC east, is well, the division itself.  Obviously the Bills have not lost a lot of talent, and rather added it with Von Miller.  However, the New England Patriots really have not exponentially improved this offseason, and still lack true playmakers on the offense to help out Mac Jones.  Then the Jets, who while they seem to be on the upturn, still have a lot of work to do to get up to the playoffs.

That leaves Miami and Buffalo, which is somewhat up in the air depending on how the remainder of their offseasons go.  Each team has a few holes, Buffalo being CB2 and the defensive interior (due to free agents), and Miami being IOL as well as linebacker.  Both teams have exceptional firepower, so Miami should definitely be in the top of the AFC East this coming season. 

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The New Orleans Saints selected Terron Armstead out of Arkansas- Pine Bluff in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft. The buzz revolving around Armstead in the 2013 offseason was his impressive 40 yard dash time. The under the radar offensive lineman prospect recorded a 4.71 40 yard dash time, which was the fastest 40-yard dash ever for a player weighing 305+ pounds at the draft.

The Saints rookie OT wasn’t a stud in year one, as he was notably bullied by Greg Hardy in his first debut. Nonetheless, Armstead blossomed into an NFL stud and elite offensive lineman for the Saints. He made three Pro Bowls with the Saints and Sean Payton also recognized Armstead for his impressive leadership.

Terron is a gifted athlete and player, but he does have one major downside: injuries. Armstead has missed 24 games over the past five seasons. The 30-year-old OT is a shiny, yet risky target for many teams in 2022. The question is: which team will ink Armstead? Well, here are most likely suitors for the Saints OT.

Miami Dolphins

It may be sexy to note the combination of Armstead joining the AFC champions in the Cincinnati Bengals. Although, it’s far from a slam dunk that the Bengals will return to the Super Bowl with swagger. Per Sports Illustrated, over the first 50 Super Bowls, only seven teams that lost, return to the SB the next season.

The 9-8 Dolphins from last year may not be AFC favorites in 2022, but they are still an ascending team with a bright head coach in Mike McDaniel. Armstead could be fascinated by Tua, McDaniels, and the direction of the Dolphins.

The Dolphins also have the most cap space in the league, so I could see them making a bigger offer to Armstead than a team like the Bengals or Pittsburgh Steelers. Outside of money, I expect Armstead to be more intrigued by the location of the warm Miami area than any city not on the west coast or in Florida.

New Orleans Saints

I expect Armstead and the Saints to have a strong mutual interest, despite the Saints being buried in cap hell. If the Saints really want a talented QB and another quality chance of being a playoff contender, they have to prioritize stout pass protection for a QB like Jameis Winston or Russell Wilson. I also expect the Saints to sign Winston than ink a deal with a more expensive QB like Wilson (which could open more money for a profile like Armstead). I trust that Mickey Loomis could walk make the Saints squeeze out an offer to keep Armstead, but I expect it to be a noticeably less lucrative proposal that a team like Miami or Cincy makes.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals may find it hard to return to AFC stardom with the motivated Kansas City Chiefs, healthy Tennessee Titans, and the Josh Allen-led Buffalo Bills. Still, they have sky-high potential and the fourth most cap space in the NFL. They also have many former Saints like Trey Hendrickson, Von Bell, and Eli Apple. They undoubtedly hold a fine combination of culture and money to attract Armstead, but I believe the familiar, talented Saints and the ascending, wealthy, and the tropical Dolphins have a leg up on the AFC North squad to sign Armstead.

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