Miami Dolphins: Winning Changes Nothing

When it comes to the 2019 NFL season Miami Dolphins fans are split. There’s a side that wants the team to tank for the best possible picks. The other side wants the team to win at all costs. By losing out, the Dolphins will be one of the more embarrassing part of this NFL season and their franchise history, despite a 1-15 season. By moving so much talent in the offseason and before the deadline, the clear narrative was always tanking for the number one pick.

Now in week 10 the team has amassed two wins leaving some fans upset to go against the plan. Unfortunately for those fans, the plan never was to “tank” despite what most media have portrayed. This year has been all about evaluating talent to find the positions of most need going forward. Whether it meant winning or losing, 2019 was about developing young talent so when they brought in the playmakers in this draft, there’d be depth to back them up. 2019 is the perfect season for the Miami Dolphins to evaluate their talent.

Coach Flores has the opportunity with no expectations to find exactly what he inherited when he took over the team. Who will be here next year? Who will be his starters? And who on the back half of his roster will be hungry enough to play here next season? All of these questions are better answered without the 8-8 seasons that give the illusion that the team is a few key free agents away from being a playoff team.

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But if they win, doesn’t it ruin their chances of getting the best franchise quarterback in the draft?

Call it what you will, but Miami will end up with their franchise quarterback this offseason. They’ll either take a veteran quarterback who stalls the position while they develop a mid-tier one from the draft or they’ll use their extra picks to make something happen. Yes, that does mean giving up draft stock that they traded away talent for. However, there’s no illusion that the Dolphins still don’t need key positions. What they’ll find going forward are the players who have the heart to face adversity and put the team on their backs. Flores has always wanted his “team-first” guys and this season with all the ups and downs will show just what kind of players he’ll go into next year with.

With well over $100 million to spend on free agents and double-digit draft picks, the Miami Dolphins can still do whatever they want come this offseason. The only difference is now they’ll have a better idea of the holes on the team. Yes, Miami does need a franchise quarterback to carry them out of the dark ages, but without an adequate amount of talent around him they’ll continue the failures of previous regimes.

Of course losing talent always hurts and there was enough to build around to get there, eventually. The fact of the matter remains they’d have to spend a lot of money this offseason to keep those guys around. Paying those players to keep around as stars in a build to go forward is a great plan. The problem is trying to build a team around the talent you have and by doing so they might not be able to draft the best player for the team going forward. Trying to fit the future into the present holds the bottom feeding NFL back.

Starting with a clean slate, cap space, and draft picks was always the plan. “Tanking” wasn’t going to help them get any better. By putting a winning team on the field they know what players will be gone, who could potential be a playmaker in the future, and who will be next year’s depth. No matter the cost, winning helps them cut a complete roster overhaul down to maybe 75%, give or take. Despite the doom-and-gloom, these few wins give fans hope for the future.