The implosion arrived with a sickening suddenness — first the traumatic trouncing in Tennessee, then the Las Vegas field goal in Indianapolis that pushed Miami closer to the cusp of elimination, and then the Justin Herbert touchdown party in Los Angeles that definitively sealed the Dolphins’ fate.
For the fifth consecutive season, the Dolphins won’t be qualifying for the NFL playoffs. For the 21st consecutive season, they won’t win a playoff game.
And now, only a fairly meaningless 4:25 p.m. home game against the New England Patriots next Sunday separates the Dolphins from one of the most critical offseasons in team history.
The Dolphins will enter the 2022 offseason next week with a treasure trove of cap space and a decision that will shape the team’s future at quarterback for the next decade: whether to once again pursue a trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, as the Dolphins did in October before backing off. Another pursuit of Watson is expected.
A quick offseason primer on where the Dolphins stand:
▪ Cap space: The Dolphins will enter the offseason with $74.3 million in room, the most in the league.
But that space would be reduced to $39.3 million if the Dolphins take on Watson’s $35 million cap hit in a trade. The Dolphins could restructure Watson’s contract to lessen that hit.
Pro Football Talk said that before October’s trade deadline, Watson reached tentative agreements with 18 of the 22 massage therapists who have filed civil lawsuits against him, and that the Dolphins were prepared to trade for Watson if the remaining four lawsuits had been settled. The Dolphins never commented on that report or explained why the deal wasn’t consummated.
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross asked to speak with Watson before the trade deadline. The Dolphins confirmed they had discussions with the Texans and didn’t publicly rule out another Watson pursuit in the spring.
▪ Free agents: The Dolphins must make decisions on two big ones: defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah and tight end Mike Gesicki.
The Dolphins are expected to try to keep Ogbah. A decision on Gesicki is less certain.
Placing the franchise tag on Ogbah would cost about $20.2 million, according to overthecap.com. The Dolphins are believed to prefer reaching a new deal with Ogbah without using the tag.
Tagging Gesicki would cost $10.9 million, but the Dolphins might find that too costly, particularly if they acquire Watson’s cap-eating contract. The Dolphins also must make a decision on tight end Durham Smythe, who set career highs in receptions and receiving yards.
The Dolphins’ other looming unrestricted free agents: running backs Duke Johnson, Phillip Lindsay and Malcolm Brown; receivers Will Fuller, Mack Hollins, Isaiah Ford and Albert Wilson; linebackers Elandon Roberts, Brennan Scarlett, Duke Riley and Vince Biegel; backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett; safety Jason McCourty; cornerback Justin Coleman; offensive lineman Greg Mancz; defensive tackle John Jenkins and punter Michael Palardy.
The Dolphins have four restricted free agents, headlined by cornerback Nik Needham, who could command something as high as a second-round tender.
The other restricted free agents: defensive back Jamal Perry, running back Patrick Laird, receiver Preston Williams, linebacker Sam Eguavoen and safety Sheldrick Redwine.
The Dolphins, if they choose, can retain two exclusive-rights free agents: running back Salvon Ahmed and safety Elijah Campbell.
▪ Draft picks: The Dolphins’ 2022 first-round pick is owed to Philadelphia as part of the trade that allowed Miami to go from third to 12th to sixth in this past April’s draft. That pick currently stands 14th.
The Dolphins own the 49ers’ first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 — and the 49ers’ third round pick in 2022 — as part of that aforementioned transaction. That San Francisco pick due Miami stands 22nd, but could change based on whether the 49ers make the playoffs.
San Francisco would qualify for the playoffs with a win at the Rams or a Saints loss to Atlanta. Otherwise, the 49ers would miss the playoffs.
The Dolphins own one pick in the second round (their own), one pick in the third (the 49ers’), their own pick and Pittsburgh’s pick in the fourth round and their own in the fifth. Two late-round picks must be sorted out.
▪ Schedule: Besides the usual home and road games against the New York Jets, New England and Buffalo, the Dolphins also have home games against Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Minnesota and Houston.
Besides the AFC East opponents, Miami’s road games in 2022 include dates at Baltimore, at Chicago, at Cincinnati, at Detroit, at San Francisco and the third-place finisher in the AFC West (which will be the loser of Sunday night’s Raiders-Chargers game).
PLAYER REACTION
Several Dolphins were melancholy on Monday about the team being eliminated from postseason contention.
“It’s not a great feeling because we all wanted to go to the playoffs,” guard Robert Hunt said.
Safety Eric Rowe said missing the playoffs for his third consecutive year as a Dolphin is “disappointing. It hurts because of the work we put in, even in training camp. I know we went through a rough patch and clicked a game or two too late where we had to win nine straight to make the playoffs. [But] we got a lot better being on the same page.”
Rookie receiver Jaylen Waddle, who played at Alabama, isn’t accustomed to team mediocrity.
“It’s disappointing,” he said. “I wanted to make it far.”