Miami Dolphins’ 2021 midseason grades and other recognition

After a promising 2020 season, the Miami Dolphins seemingly lost their way, and weren’t able to build on last year’s 10-6 season.

Miami followed up the season-opening victory against the New England Patriots by losing seven straight games – three of which were close defeats – but have gotten back on the right side of the ledger with wins over the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens the past two weeks.

While this season will likely fall short of expectations considering there was plenty of talk about the playoffs coming into the season, it will be interesting to see if Brian Flores’ team can finish the season strong like they have the two previous seasons, winning more games than they lose.

Here is what the midseason report card looks like for the 2021 Dolphins.

Passing Game: D

There are only five teams in the NFL that have a worse cumulative passer rating (82.1) than the Dolphins, and all of those teams either have a rookie at quarterback, or lost their starter to an injury. It can be argued that the Dolphins fit into both those categories, considering Tua Tagovailoa hasn’t made 16 NFL starts because of his various injuries, which forced him to miss one start last year and five this season. It doesn’t help that two of Miami’s top receivers (DeVante Parker and Will Fuller) have missed a large portion of the season with injuries, and the offensive line has been a disaster this season.

Running Game: F

The Dolphins possess the worst rushing attack in the NFL, and at this point it is impossible to tell if the problem’s the offensive line, the play-calling, or the tailbacks. Maybe it’s all of the above. Myles Gaskin (3.4 yards per carry) has fallen short of the expectations he created last season when he accounted for 972 total yards and scored five touchdowns. And Salvon Ahmed hasn’t come close to being the Reggie Bush-like scatback who creates mismatches. Miami needs to drastically improve the team’s 3.4 yards per carry average, which ranks the Dolphins 30th in the NFL.

Defending the pass: C

The Dolphins got a decent amount of pressure on opposing quarterbacks this season, but very few sacks (12 in the eight games before the win streak, when Miami had nine sacks in the two victories) were recorded, and that kept the secondary from finding their groove because quarterbacks had an opportunity to hold onto the ball and find open receivers regularly. Miami’s secondary also struggled with breakdowns earlier this season, but the emergence of rookie safety Jevon Holland and second-year strong safety Brandon Jones has allowed defensive coordinator Josh Boyer to alter how they play defense the past few weeks, and the pair has contributed a couple of impact plays in Miami’s win streak. If Holland and Jones can continue to play like they have we might see this defense shoot up the rankings in the final seven games.

Defending the run: D

The Dolphins has struggled defending the run all three of Flores’ seasons, and this year hasn’t been an exception. Miami is allowing opponents to gain 109.3, and 4.2 yards per attempt. That’s actually an improvement from the first month of the season, when Miami was forced to play without Raekwon Davis, who was sidelined by a knee injury. During that stretch every opponent the Dolphins faced rushed for more than 100 yards. Since Davis’ return only two of six teams have rushed for more than 100 yards on the Dolphins, which explains how Miami is now ranked 15th against the run heading into the final seven games.

Special teams: D

Special teams had been one of Miami’s strengths first two seasons of Flores’ reign, but this year’s unit lacks a bite. Jason Sanders has missed four field goals. Michael Palardy’s punts are average (39.6 net, and only 34 percent have been downed inside the 20-yard line). And Miami’s return game is non-existent for various reasons. Trading Jakeem Grant, the franchise’s leading touchdown producer on returns, didn’t help. But Jaylen Waddle hasn’t gotten comfortable with his new returner role.

Coaching: D-minus

Miami’s offense has struggled all season in all areas of the game. The unit led by George Godsey and Eric Studesville looks a little better with Tagovailoa behind center, but the second-year quarterback had been limited by rib and hand injuries most of this season. But even when Tagovailoa’s playing, Miami struggles to score (17.7 points). The Dolphins defense struggled against the run and on third downs earlier this year, but began to tighten the screws a month ago. The unit’s nowhere near where they were last season, but progress is being made to become more forceful with creating turnovers.

Top performer on offense: Receiver Jaylen Waddle

Waddle, on whom the Dolphins used the sixth pick to select in the 2021 NFL draft, is 25 receptions from breaking Jarvis Landry’s record for most receptions by a rookie in franchise history. He needs 327 yards to pass Chris Chambers for the most receiving yards by a rookie. While Waddle has been Miami’s most consistent receiver, he hasn’t produced the type of game-changing plays he became noted for at Alabama. But nobody is turning their nose up at the 557 yards and three touchdowns he’s produced on 60 receptions.

Top performer on defense: Cornerback Xavien Howard

If it weren’t for Howard the Dolphins might have two fewer wins this season. The fumble he forced and recovered late-in the fourth quarter, in the red zone kept the Patriots from winning the season opener. And the fumble he forced and returned for a touchdown last week against the Ravens in the fourth quarter was the first touchdown of the game, and provided Miami a 15-3 lead with 11:23 left. Howard hasn’t locked down his opponent each game, but the four turnovers he’s produced this season proves he remains one of the NFL’s biggest playmakers.

Biggest Surprise: Mike Gesicki’s continued development

Gesicki became a pass catching weapon in the 2019 season, but has taken his game to the next level this season, effectively attacking the middle of the field, and often coming down with dynamic catches. Gesicki, who has caught 44 passes for 529 yards and has scored two touchdowns, is an impending free agent at the end of this season. While he’s more of a slot receiver than a traditional tight end, the Dolphins organization might be forced to use the transition or franchise tag to retain Gesicki because Miami can’t allow yet another young talent this team has developed to leave the franchise without a fight.

Biggest Disappointment: Miami’s putrid offensive line

The Dolphins offensive line has been atrocious this season, and is weighing down the offense like an anchor. This unit rivals the 2018 line for the distinction as the worst in franchise history because they lead the NFL in pressures allowed, have given up 27 sacks in 10 games, and average a league-low 73.6 rushing yards per game. Robert Hunt is the only young lineman whose game hasn’t regressed, and at this point it’s evident that the entire offensive line needs to be rebuilt this offseason because very little is salvageable despite the army of resources used to build it.