The Miami Dolphins are in a bit of a precarious spot.
Through three years of Mike McDaniel’s tenure as head coach, they still seem to be stuck in the middle of the pack—not quite a perennial playoff contender but not bad enough to blow the whole thing up.
Miami has had a really good 11-6 season sandwiched between 9-8 and 8-9 years, and while McDaniel has a 28-23 record and a career win percentage of 55, many believe the fourth-year head coach’s job is on the line next season.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton is one of them, and in his recent column where he predicted the last-place finisher of each division, he has the Dolphins bringing up the rear in the AFC East.
“Miami finishes with seven or eight wins, and head coach Mike McDaniel’s job security will come into question at the end of the campaign,” Moton wrote.
Moton’s 2025 prediction also included an interesting aside about the Dolphins’ QBs.
It’s no secret that starter Tua Tagovailoa has had his share of injury issues throughout his career, particularly with concussions.
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The 27-year-old signal-caller missed six games last season with a brutal concussion suffered early in the year, and he’s missed 16 games in his five seasons with the Dolphins.
The 2023 season was the only one Tagovailoa escaped unscathed, and with that kind of track record, few were surprised when Miami signed former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson and drafted former Texas Longhorns star Quinn Ewers in case Tagovailoa misses any more time.
Like some, Moton believes that Wilson will actually get some significant playing time in 2025 because Tagovailoa’s durability is so hit-and-miss.
“[Tagovailoa’s] availability could be the difference between a 10-win season and a team that finishes with a sub-.500 record in back-to-back years,” Moton added. “Based on Tagovailoa’s injury history, backup Zach Wilson could start in multiple games, and his poor accuracy (57% career completion rate) would hinder the Dolphins’ aerial attack.
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Few would argue that if the Dolphins are turning to Wilson, their season is likely already in danger.
During his stints with the New York Jets and Denver Broncos (he didn’t attempt a pass with the latter), Wilson has thrown for 6,293 yards, 23 touchdowns and 25 interceptions, and rushed for 498 yards and five scores.
The Jets moved on from Wilson after just three years, and he’s already on his third team in five years.
However, when healthy Tagovailoa is among the NFL‘s best. During his career year in 2023, Tagovailoa led the league in passing yards (4,624), and he ranked fifth in touchdowns (29), completion percentage (69.3), and passer rating (101.2).
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