3 Massive Questions Facing Miami Dolphins For 2024 NFL Season

The Miami Dolphins have shown the last two seasons that they are headed in the right direction, even if they have not completely arrived yet.

The Dolphins have made back-to-back playoff appearances, marking the first time they have achieved that feat since the 2001-02 campaign. They have still yet to win a postseason game since January 2001, but baby steps, I guess.

So, how is Miami looking heading into 2024?

Well, while very few have the Dolphins pegged as Super Bowl contenders, Miami is considered a playoff-caliber ballclub and is in position to register another double-digit win season.

Still, many questions remain for the Dolphins.

Here are the three biggest questions Miami faces entering the 2024 NFL campaign.

Can the Dolphins survive all of their defensive losses?

The Dolphins lost a plethora of key defensive players this offseason, with defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, cornerback Xavien Howard, linebacker Jerome Baker, edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel and safeties DeShon Elliott and Brandon Jones all departing via free agency (Howard was actually cut).

Will Miami be able to manage in spite of losing so many critical pieces?

The Dolphins have tried to remedy the problem by signing aging veterans like Shaq Barrett and Calais Campbell, but those are pretty significant downgrades. They did add cornerback Kendall Fuller, which is a significant pickup, but otherwise, Miami’s defense looks worse than it did a year ago (and it’s not like its defense was exactly elite in 2023).

To make matters worse, star pass rusher Bradley Chubb is recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last December, so there is a chance he may not be back at all in 2024. The same goes for linebacker Jaelan Phillips, who tore his Achilles in Week 12 of last season.

We know the Dolphins have an explosive offense, but it’s not going to matter if they can’t stop the opponent.

Can De’Von Achane break through with a healthy season?

Running back De’Von Achane was primed for a monster 2023 campaign, but injuries limited him to just 11 games in his rookie season.

During his time on the field, he rushed for 800 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging an incredible 7.8 yards per carry. A big chunk of that production came between Weeks 3 and 5, when Achane racked up 455 and seven total touchdowns. Additionally, he logged an insane 12.3 yards per attempt.

Then, the injuries hit.

The Dolphins have Raheem Mostert as their No. 1 halfback on the depth chart, but with Mostert being 32 years old, it seems like only a matter of time before the electrifying Achane surpasses him.

But can Achane stay healthy? If he does, he could be in for a phenomenal 2024 season which would make Miami’s offense that much more dangerous.

Is Tua Tagovailoa the quarterback of the future?

As of this writing, the Dolphins have yet to sign Tua Tagovailoa to a contract extension. He has one year remaining on his deal, and there is a faction that does not think Tagovailoa is actually the right quarterback for the club moving forward.

Tagovailoa has posted big numbers, like this past season when he led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards. He also paced the league with a 105.5 passer rating in 2022.

However, there are some who feel that Tagovailoa is merely a product of a pair of great receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and isn’t franchise quarterback material.

Others mention Tagovailoa’s struggles against good teams and how he labors in cooler weather.

But if Tagovailoa is not the answer under center in South Beach, then who is? Say what you want about Tagovailoa, but he has done something that no other signal-caller has done for the Dolphins in over two decades: take the team to the playoffs two years in a row.

Miami is finally headed in a positive direction, so it would seem like a rather silly decision to move away from Tagovailoa now. He may not be Tom Brady, but he isn’t a scrub, either.

We’ll see if the Dolphins reach some sort of long-term agreement with Tagovailoa before the season. He almost certainly won’t get the five-year, $275 million deal the Jacksonville Jaguars gave Trevor Lawrence, but he should get paid fairly handsomely.