ClutchPoints
For the first time in Mike McDaniel’s head coaching career, the Miami Dolphins failed to make the playoffs in 2024. The Dolphins have clear issues to address during the 2025 NFL offseason, beginning with internal adjustments.
Despite the disappointing result, the Dolphins will retain most of their key players. Except for Jevon Holland, Jordan Poyer, and Calais Campbell, each of the team’s other stars remains on contract through 2025. The Tyreek Hill situation will be one to monitor, but the star wideout has since recanted his initial trade request at the end of the regular season.
Even with the Dolphins not expected to trade Hill, their roster is due for an overhaul during the 2025 NFL offseason. Miami has one of the worst cap situations in the league, forcing them to remove dead weight from their roster if they wish to make any major offseason acquisitions. After two consecutive offseasons of uneventful transactions, the Dolphins are long overdue for a major roster-altering move.
It is difficult to form a compelling argument against Miami’s offense at full health. Their issue has been maintaining consistency. It is not just Tua Tagovailoa; De’Von Achane, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Terron Armstead have also consistently battled injuries during their Dolphins careers. Regardless, as talented as the team can be, “running it back” has not been a successful venture.
Should the Dolphins’ core remain the same, which it likely will, the roster still has palpable issues to address. Given their current cap situation, do not be surprised to see general manager Chris Grier let go of a few veteran names during the 2025 NFL offseason.
Nine years into his unique career, Raheem Mostert finally seemed to establish himself as a starting running back. He recorded his first 1,00-yard season while tying Christian McCaffrey for the most touchdowns in the league with 21. He was rewarded with a small pay raise signing him through the 2025 season.
While the numbers were great, Mostert’s problem was simply his age. He entered 2024 at 32, making him one of the oldest starting running backs in the league. Injuries — which have plagued Mostert throughout his career — also returned, limiting him to 13 games.
In a move many saw coming, Mostert lost his every-down role to 2023 third-round pick De’Von Achane. The 23-year-old split snaps with Mostert as a rookie in 2023 but fully took over as the starter in 2024. Achane played 62 percent of the team’s offensive snaps in 2024, compared to Mostert’s 24 percent.
Mostert, who will turn 33 in April, has an even steeper hill to meaningful playing time after the Dolphins drafted Jaylen Wright with their fourth-rounder in 2024. Wright sparingly took the field as a rookie but fits the mold of a McDaniel-led offense as a quick and versatile weapon. With a full season under his belt, Wright is primed to see his role increase in 2025.
With Achane — and now potentially Wright — ahead of him...
