The Phinsider
Who has been the best addition to the Miami Dolphins this season?
The big news story concerning the Miami Dolphins this week outside of quarterback Tua Taogvialoa’s injury status is the fact that the Dolphins do not have one current Pro Bowler on their roster.
There are players worthy of a selection, and you can make convincing cases for them, but I can’t think of anyone where it felt egregious they were snubbed.
Their stats don’t stick out amongst the league leaders besides specific categories like Jason Sanders’ field goals made and percentage over fifty yards, along with Zach Sieler’s sack total amongst interior defensive linemen.
The numbers aren’t sexy for the Dolphins, and with Pro Bowls, the numbers sell to fans who make up a significant percentage of the voting base. Yes, coaches and players contribute to the vote, but the fans are the bread and butter of the process, and numbers sway.
Having no Pro Bowlers on the roster is an indictment against general manager Chris Grier, and it will be held against him amongst the fanbase, but there are Pro Bowl-level players all over the roster, and he imported some of those players just this year.
As bad as Grier has been historically, a few diamonds in the rough might make you rethink the job he’s done recently.
- This is one of the easier players to highlight because Campbell has been a high-level player, backed by his PFF overall grading of 82.7 (8th of 218 DLs) and his dominant run defense grading of 88.4 (1st of 218 DLs.)
Another reason this was such a great signing is his performance versus his contract. Campbell signed a 1-year, $2 million deal, making him the 86th highest-paid defensive tackle in terms of average salary.
For comparison purposes, the player he replaced, Christian Wilkins, makes almost fourteen times more than Campbell does, has only played five games compared to Campbell’s sixteen, and has a PFF overall grade of 74.8.
We could argue that Campbell found the Dolphins rather than the other way around, but it’s still a hell of a deal.
- When Brooks signed with the Dolphins in the offseason, most saw him as an early down run stopper alongside former captain David Long Jr, and likely be substituted out by Anthony Walker Jr., who signed around the same time.
What we didn’t know was that Brooks would turn into a high-level three-down linebacker and an absolute tackling machine. He is the heart of the Dolphins defense and brings leadership and toughness to the position that requires it the most.
Brooks is the Dolphins leading tackler with 137, and it’s “the most by a Dolphins defender has had since Thomas had 165 in the 16 games of the 2006 season.” - Omar Kelly
- Dodson might be the best candidate from worst to first on this list. When the Dolphins grabbed him off of waivers in...
