Kelly: Miami Dolphins Midseason Awards for 2023

Dolphins need more from key players like Terron Armstead, Jalen Ramsey, Xavien Howard in order to reach the desired destination

The first half of the 2023 season truly was an impressive one for the Miami Dolphins, who rode the wave of being the NFL’s hottest, most entertaining team for the past two months.

That was cute, but now it’s time to get down to business, building on that 6-3 start and jockeying for playoff spots and to determine who hosts who in the AFC playoffs.

That’s if the Dolphins don’t get the target taken out of their sails like last season, when the franchise lost five straight games in December before backing into the playoffs.

We’ll worry about tomorrow tomorrow, but for now let us honor the best performers of the first nine games of 2023, and address some areas of concern.

Team MVP: QB Tua Tagovailoa

He’s the trigger man behind the NFL’s most dangerous offense — at least when Miami is at home — and is on pace to become the third quarterback to lead the league in passer rating in consecutive years if he finishes No. 1, which is the spot he’s been at most of this season. The only quarterbacks to do that in back-to-back seasons have been Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers, which means he’s in elite company. For the second half of the season, Tagovailoa needs to learn how to finish out close games with clutch performances.

Offensive MVP: Tyreek Hill

Hill is one of the most dangerous weapons on a football field, which explains why he’s on pace to become the first NFL player with 2,000 receiving yards in a regular season, eclipsing a record first-ballot Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson set. At Hill’s present 119.5 receiving yards per game pace he’ll produce 2,031 receiving yards if he can stay healthy, and remain this productive for the remaining nine games. Hill’s speed, quickness and knack for playmaking keeps defenders and their coordinators up at night, and opens up the rest of the field for the other offensive players.

Special Teams MVP: K Jason Sanders

Even though he’s missed two of the nine field goals he’s attempted this season, Sanders remains relatively reliable, especially when the field goal is within 50 yards. However, he needs to improve on his kickoffs considering 36 of the 45 he’s had were at a distance where it opened the kickoff up for a return. Sanders has also missed one extra point kick.

Best Rookie: RB De'Von Achane

Achane, the Dolphins’ 2023 third-round pick, was one pace to be one of the NFL’s leading rusher if he hadn’t suffered a knee injury that got him shelved for four games. Achane’s 12.1 yards per carry average is jaw-dropping, but don’t expect it to hold up once he comes back from the knee injury. Just hope the Texas A&M standout has the speed to consistently produce big plays.

Most Improved Player: RT Austin Jackson

Jackson was labeled a first-round bust this time last year, even though he wasn’t healthy enough to be out on the field with the starting unit but for a handful of snaps. This season he’s leaner, longer, and has a scrappy nature to him. Most importantly, he’s the only offensive lineman who has played every snap this season, which is a massive step in the right direction for this impending free agent.

Comeback Player of the Year: CB Jalen Ramsey

After Ramsey suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee, the prevailing thought was that he would be sidelined till at least December. But the Pro Bowl cornerback put his rehab into overdrive and made it back onto the field three months after having the knee repaired, and delivered an interception in his first game back. It’ll be interesting to see if defensive coordinator Vic Fangio can turn up the volume on Miami’s defense with Ramsey and a healthy Xavien Howard on the boundary in the second half of the year.

Newcomer of the Year: ILB David Long Jr.

Long spent most of the offseason program sidelined by an undisclosed injury, and then when he began practicing he resided in Fangio’s doghouse because of his tendency to quickly shoot gaps, which at times left the defense vulnerable. It seems as if Long and Fangio have moved past their tensions because Long’s improvement the past four games has helped him become one of the catalysts for the defense’s turnaround. He leads Miami with 63 tackles and has produced one sack and forced one fumble. If this level of productivity continues, we could be looking at something special for years to come.

Most Disappointing: Silence the Super Bowl Talk

While it’s fair to point out that we’re only at the midseason point, the Dolphins have lost every game they’ve played against a team considered a Super Bowl contender — Buffalo, Philadelphia and Kansas City — this season. In fairness to Mike McDaniel’s team, all of those games were played on the road, and maybe the outcome would have been different at home, or if Miami hadn’t short-circuited in those contests. But this isn’t a time to make excuses. It’s a time to lick the wounds, lock in and focus on doing what’s necessary to improve so that the Dolphins can win the AFC East division crown, and earn home field advantage in the playoffs.

Needs the Most Improvement: C/OG Liam Eichenberg

At this point Eichenberg, a 2021 second-round pick the Dolphins traded away draft picks to acquire, has been average to mediocre at every position he’s started at in the NFL. And he’s worked at every single spot on the offensive line. Center seems like the spot where he can do the least damage, but what happens when injuries require him to return to guard? Eichenberg needs to figure out a way to do a better job of holding his ground against 300-pound defensive tackles or he’ll become the next Michael Deiter, a disappointing early selection the franchise needs to move on from.

Top Backup: OT Kendall Lamm

Lamm, whom the Dolphins signed late last season when he was unemployed, has been a gift from the football gods. Not only did he fill in admirably for Terron Armstead while Miami’s Pro Bowl left tackle was sidelined by two separate knee injuries, the eight-year veteran proved he’s more than capable of being a starting offensive tackle in the NFL. The way Lamm performed, and his no-nonsense, no-frills, no-ego approach comes across makes him the perfect fit for this franchise. That’s why the Dolphins should be trying to lock him up to a contract extension before the season concludes and some team tries to scoop him up as a starter.

Need More From: OT Terron Armstead

The Dolphins knew exactly what they signed when they gave the oft-injured but elite left tackle a five-year, $75 million deal. They rolled the dice hoping he’d stay healthy, and he hasn’t. Last year Armstead played through numerous injures that should have shut down his season. He wasn’t 100 percent, but he was good enough to qualify for the Pro Bowl. This year he’s played 2.5 games because of various injuries. Armstead needs to make sure he’s giving the Dolphins and his teammates his best, being the bulldozing offensive lineman he showcased at times, otherwise the Dolphins need to figure out a plan B and work towards that.

Goal for the Second Half

The Dolphins need to place all of the franchise’s focus on winning the AFC East for the first time since 2008. The best strategy to do that is to go undefeated at home by beating the Raiders, Titans, Jets and Cowboys and Bills at Hard Rock Stadium. A sweep of the Jets would also be beneficial, but the odds of the division title and  home-field advantage coming down to the season finale against the Buffalo Bills are high.