5 dream scenarios for Dolphins in 2023 season

No. 1 Dolphins dream scenario: Win the AFC East

A tall task, no doubt. But this is what the Dolphins are built for. Why else pay Tyreek Hill $120 million? Why spend big to acquire Jalen Ramsey? Why bet so boldly on a young coach with no experience and primarily academic accolades? Because you’re trying to win, and you’re trying to win right now.

The Dolphins absolutely have the personnel to win their division. Tagovailoa at full strength is a top-10 quarterback lock, maybe verging on top-five. Hill and Waddle can stretch defenses thin and slice them to pieces with their speed and versatility on the outside. The running back corps isn’t great, but it’s reasonably deep and varied in terms of skill set.

On the defensive end, Bradley Chubb anchors a considerable pass rush that was bolstered through free agency. Ramsey will immediately salvage one of the sorriest defensive backfields in the country and potentially transform the Dolphins from sieves to stoppers. It’s a little too bold to say the Dolphins will have the best defense in the division, but all it takes for this to become an achievable reality is a good defense, not a great defense.

The primary hurdle for Miami is their competition. The Buffalo Bills went 13-3 last season and everybody will pick the Bills to repeat as division champs. Josh Allen is maybe the second-best QB working today, the Bills have an overflowing pool of offensive talent as well, and the defense is on much more stable ground than Miami’s defense.

That said, it’s hard to overstate how dynamic the Dolphins’ offense can be at full strength. Tua doesn’t quite possess Allen’s capacity for scrambling and improvisation, but he can match Allen in a throwing contest any day. The Dolphins’ offense poses the most explosive vertical threat in the NFL. All it takes is health, continuity, and a little luck for the Dolphins to shock the world here. It’s improbable, but far from impossible.

And hey, we’re dreaming here. Why not dream big?