Kelly: Things you should know about the 2024 Dolphins before kickoff | Opinion

New Miami Dolphins season, who’s this?

While there’s plenty of Super Bowl talk in the backdrop of the lead-up to this season, my hope is that expectations remain reasonable because this is a good Dolphins team, but a flawed one.

Here are some basic instructions to help fans understand this year’s model.

Hopefully we can prevent hearts from being broken by not placing unrealistic expectation on a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game in 24 years.

1. Fragile. Handle with care

The Dolphins have the NFL’s sixth-oldest roster, with a team that averages 27 years, four months and 23 days in age according to Bookies.com. Only the Buffalo Bills (27 years, five months and 29 days), Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings are older, and by a smidgen of days. The biggest concern about aged players is it takes them longer to recover from games and injuries. That’s why nearly half a dozen Dolphins players in their 30s consistently get veteran rest days each week because head coach Mike McDaniel is a big believer in sports science.

“I’m the load management king,” McDaniel said, referring to his veteran rest program.

2. Dawgs will bite

The Dolphins intentionally added veterans this offseason who have a nasty, aggressive, in-your-face temperament, and it has created an alpha environment in the locker room where players such as Calais Campbell, Jalen Ramsey, Raheem Mostert, Jordan Poyer and Tyreek Hill have been empowered to lead the way. This team has attitude, which means they might possess more of the dawg mentality, which might give the Dolphins more fight when diversity hits.

3. Extensions should keep title window open

Owner Steve Ross was handing out extensions this offseason as if they were candy on Halloween. The Dolphins owner paid handsomely to Tua Tagovailoa, Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Mostert, and Ramsey, who got an extension Friday that made him one of the NFL’s highest-paid cornerbacks. Even coach McDaniel got a new deal this week. The goal is keep the Dolphins’ championship window open for at least the next three seasons. While another cap crisis is on the horizon because the Dolphins’ are $26 million over the projected salary cap with only 39 players under contract in 2025, expect Ross to write a few more massive checks to help balance the books yet again.

4. Tua’s blossoming as a QB

This is a different Tagovailoa. He’s like the caterpillar who has turned into a butterfly. He’s confident. He’s communicative. He’s demanding. He’s the alpha of all the alphas on this team. People saw it’s the new contract, which alleviated a lot of stress and empowered him, but I’d say it’s age, maturity, and wisdom. Tagovailoa knows who he is, and has settled into that, and is comfortable with his role and ability.

5. Dolphins must feed the troll

Hill calls himself the biggest troll on social media, and that’s how he routinely acts on and off social media, when he’s not on the football field. Hill likes attention, and craves it, so treat him like he’s the most popular person in the room or you’ll likely have problems. That means the offense should revolve around him yet again, but considering he’s rated by his peers as the No. 1 player in the NFL, only an idiot would steer away from Hill, who is working to ensure he’s a first ballot Hall of Famer when his playing days are over.

6. A lot of faith being placed in Butch Barry

Barry, Miami’s O-line coach, worked miracles with what he was given last year, and the Dolphins are clearly banking on a repeat performance. Whether we agree with it or not (and I don’t), there’s a conviction that what Miami had in house last season was good enough, which is why the Dolphins are banking on Liam Eichenberg and Robert Jones becoming reliable starting guards. The hope is that center Aaron Brewer is a competent replacement for Connor Williams, who signed with Seattle in free agency, and that Isaiah Wynn, who began the year on the physically unable to perform list, is healthy enough to compete for a starting spot in a month or two. But until then, it’s Eichenberg’s and Jones’ time to hold the line.

7. Dolphins thin in trenches

The old saying is that football games are won and lost in the trenches. Well, the Dolphins are relatively light when it comes to offensive and defensive linemen heading into Sunday’s game. Miami has two proven D-linemen in Campbell, a 38-year-old who was a member of the 2010 All-Decade team, and Zach Sieler, who delivered 10 sacks in 2024. But after them there’s slim pickings. And on the offensive line, Miami is strong at offensive tackle because there are four NFL starters on the roster. But the interior was ignored all offseason. That means both groups could be one injury away from a disaster.

8. Third and short remains an issue

Miami might have possessed the NFL’s top-ranked offense last season and the second-best rushing attack in the league, but the Dolphins were a disaster on third-and-short, and fourth-and-short opportunities. Problem is, there’s little evidence that the offense has improved in that department based on what we have seen this offseason. At this point McDaniel might need to consider an out-the-box approach to this riddle, which has been a perplexing issue for two seasons.

9. H-back package presents new offensive wrinkles

The biggest addition to Miami’s arsenal of weapons is tight end Jonnu Smith, who has a unique skill set that might juice up the Dolphins’ already potent offense. Smith led the NFL in yards after catch for tight ends last season, and has the unique ability to handle carries. Don’t be surprised if he’s on the field for 400 or so offensive snaps if healthy for 17 games and becomes a major focal point because of his knack for beating 1-on-1 coverage. Expect McDaniel to dust off plenty of the plays he used in San Francisco with All-Pro tight end George Kittle.

10. Expect growing pains on defense

Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s Mr. Popular among his players right now, but so was his predecessor, Vic Fangio, at this point in the year, before his rigid approach made him a ton of enemies. Weaver is inheriting an inferior unit to the one that finished 2023 ranked 10th and set a franchise record for sacks in a season. He will need to make sure his play-calling keeps the Dolphins in games. It doesn’t help that this will be his second year as a defensive play-caller, and he struggled in his first with the Houston Texans, so expect growing pains.