Five Biggest Reasons for Concern for Dolphins Heading into 2024 Regular Season

Major changes on defense, a nasty late-season recent history and the offensive line lead the list

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay (50) moves in to recover the ball against the Miami Dolphins during the second half of the 2024 AFC wild card game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The start of the 2024 NFL regular season is a week away, and it's again filled with all kinds of potential for the Miami Dolphins.

The team is coming off back-to-back playoff appearances in Mike McDaniel's first two years as head coach, which earned him a three-year contract extension through the 2028 season, after putting itself in position to earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.

Making the playoffs in back-to-back seasons is something the Dolphins hadn't done since they went five straight times from 1997-2001, but now the team is looking to take the next step and that obviously would start with the first franchise's playoff win since 2000.

Heading into the Sept. 8 season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium, there are several reasons for optimism it's going to get done this time and we examined those.

Now it's time to look at five reasons for concern:

1. LIMPING INTO THE REGULAR SEASON

It could turn out that everything was just about being overly cautious, but it might be tough to find a team around the NFL with so many high-end players missing good chucks or all of training camp. The Dolphins list includes Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Terron Armstead, Jaelan Phillips, Jevon Holland and Jalen Ramsey, just to name six. That's an awful lot of talent here. Now, this won't matter one bit if all of them are healthy at the end of the regular season, but this isn't really the way you want to go into a regular season.

2. THE OBLIGATORY OFFENSIVE LINE QUESTIONS

Sorry, Chris Grier, but, yes, there is concern outside the building about how effective the offensive line can be. It certainly didn't help that Terron Armstead barely practiced all summer, Aaron Brewer missed the end of camp with a hand injury and projected starting left guard Isaiah Wynn will start the season on PUP. And then there are question marks on the interior of the offensive line and how good the combination of Robert Jones, Liam Eichenberg and Lester Cotton can be at guard once Brewer returns to the lineup. Yes, the offensive line could turn out just fine for the Dolphins, but it most definitely is a question mark heading into the regular season.

3. CAN THE DOLPHINS MEASURE UP?

We really don't need to point out the Dolphins' 1-6 record against playoff opponents last season or the fact they're 1-12 in their last 13 games against such teams, but that's just a fact. And it's going to hang over the Dolphins until they experience some kind of success against quality opponents. There's no reason this can't be the year this changes, but until it does, this has to rank as a clear concern.

4. AGE AMONG KEY VETERANS

We're not really fixated on the fact the Dolphins came in at the oldest average age in the entire NFL based on the initial 53-man roster, but the reality is that a lot of team's most important players are — to use a term from another sport — in the back nine of their NFL career. Tyreek Hill, Terron Armstead, Calais Campbell, Jordan Poyer and Raheem Mostert are five key players for this season and all of them are 30 or older, with Campbell the oldest after turning 38 on Sunday.

5. WHOLE NEW LOOK ON DEFENSE

While there are reasons for optimism with front-line players like Jalen Ramsey, Jevon Holland, Jaelan Phillips, Calais Campbell and Zach Sieler, among others, the truth is we just don't know what the defense is going to look like in 2024 under new coordinator Anthony Weaver. There are depth concerns here on the defensive line and to a lesser degree at cornerback, and Phillips and Bradley Chubb both coming off serious injuries last season doesn't help.

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