Dolphins Post-Super Bowl LVIII Power Rankings Roundup

The Dolphins come in the top 10 heading into 2024 according to most national outlets that produce NFL rankings

The Miami Dolphins finished outside of the top eight teams in the 2023 playoffs and they're around that spot in the post-Super Bowl LVIII national media power rankings.

In fact, the Dolphins average a perfect 10 among 10 national outlets that have produced power rankings in the aftermath of the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory against the San Francisco 49ers.

That average is down a bit from the 8.5 at the end of the 2023 regular season and before their playoff loss against those same Chiefs at frigid Arrowhead Stadium.

The Dolphins were ranked as high as sixth (by ESPN) and as low as 12th (FOX Sports, Yahoo and Pro Football Network) among those 10 national outlets, which also included CBS Sports, NFL.com, The Sporting News, The Athletic, USA Today and Bleacher Report.

Here's the breakdown of the Dolphins' 10 post-Super Bowl LVIII power rankings spots, along with the commentary associated with it:

CBS Sports

Ranking: 10 

Analysis: They were decimated by injuries last season, but they still enter 2024 with a lot of questions. The No. 1 question is what kind of contract do they give Tua Tagovailoa since he has a year left.

NFL.com

Ranking: 11 

Analysis: Whether or not they'll extend Tua Tagovailoa will be a major offseason talking point, but the Dolphins can't afford to let the likes of DT Christian Wilkins and RG Robert Hunt walk in free agency as a result. Losing Hunt and LT Terron Armstead -- currently pondering his future -- would be a huge blow to the offense. And keeping Wilkins feels just as vital after he cemented his spot as one of the centerpieces of the Dolphins' defense with another strong campaign as a homegrown talent. But how to keep all these players in place and give Tagovailoa the best chance to succeed in a critical season? Right now, this offense feels too Tyreek Hill-dependent. When he was out of the lineup, it was a vastly different group.

Pro Football Network

Ranking: 12 

Analysis: The Dolphins’ $50 million question is whether to extend Tua Tagovailoa, who is scheduled to play on his fifth-year option in 2024. Only two quarterbacks — Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota — have played on the fifth-year option since it was introduced in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement. Miami could franchise Tagovailoa in 2025 if no deal is worked out.

USA Today

Ranking: 11 

Analysis: Each year of Mike McDaniel’s rule has been proof there are levels to this game. Miami has been good each of those seasons, but even with a healthy Tua Tagovailoa in 2023, the Dolphins haven’t been great. This upcoming season may be Tagovailoa’s last chance to prove he can make the leap between the two worlds.

The Sporting News

Ranking: 10

Analysis: Tua Tagavoila and Tyreek Hill are coming off big seasons together but the Dolphins need to expand the repertoire of their explosive offense with more receiving depth. They also need much more from the defense, which they hope to get fresh from the Ravens in new coordinator Anthony Weaver.

The Athletic

Ranking: 9 

Analysis: Are you ready for a lot of Tua Tagovailoa talk? Well, you better be. The Dolphins quarterback is under contract for 2024 at a $23.2 million cap hit, but that’s the last year of his deal and “Should Miami give Tua a market-setting deal?” is going to be one of the questions of the offseason. The Dolphins aren’t exactly rolling in spending money. They are $51.9 million over the salary cap at the moment and should pay defensive tackle Christian Wilkins this offseason.

Yahoo

Ranking: 12

Analysis: The Tua Tagovailoa extension will be a topic all offseason. It's complicated by Miami's salary-cap situation. They're currently a projected $51.2 million over the cap, third-worst in the NFL, according to Spotrac. It won't be easy to retain free-agent defensive tackle Christian Wilkins or guard Robert Hunt, two key players. There's a lot of work to be done for a team that had a huge disappointment in blowing the AFC East title this past season.

Bleacher Report

Ranking: 7

Analysis: For much of the 2023 season, the Miami Dolphins appeared to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender. The Dolphins led the league in total offense and led the AFC in scoring offense. But the campaign ended on a disappointing note. Miami lost its last three games—including blowout losses to the Baltimore Ravens in the regular season and the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card Round. That skid cost the team the AFC East. However, the team doesn't appear to have any reservations about Tua Tagovailoa's long-term future at quarterback. With Tagovailoa headed into the final year of his rookie deal, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier made it clear he expects an extension to get done fairly quickly. "We've had conversations," Grier told reporters. "Like we said, we wouldn't talk throughout the season in terms of contract stuff, but we've stayed in touch with his agent and had good conversations throughout the year. We never talk about money or anything, just good conversations about where he is and the relationship with [head coach] Mike [McDaniel] and the team here and everything he's done. So the goal is to have him here long-term playing at a high level. That's always the goal and we'll continue to communicate with him through the offseason here. Like we've always said in the past, you guys know me, we don't really talk in the media through all that stuff, so we'll just keep all those talks internal and with his reps." This is when things get interesting for Grier and the Dolphins—because paying a quarterback north of $50 million a season won't make it easier to keep the likes of linebacker Jerome Baker, defensive lineman Christian Wilkins or center Connor Williams.

FOX Sports

Ranking: 12

Analysis: Credit to the Dolphins for pushing their chips in to gun for a Super Bowl, but it just hasn't panned out. This is still a very good roster, but Miami now must clear a ton of cap space, make a Tua Tagovailoa contract decision and try to bring back Christian Wilkins. And that's before accounting for the injuries that ravaged their offensive line and pass rush. It's too soon to say for sure that the Dolphins missed their window, but it's starting to feel that way.

ESPN

Ranking: 6

Analysis: Three Dolphins players could sign major extensions this offseason: DT Christian Wilkins, OT Robert Hunt and QB Tua Tagovailoa. After rewarding guard Austin Jackson with a contract extension this past season, general manager Chris Grier can continue the precedent of re-signing Miami's homegrown players -- but he'll have to find the money to do so. The Dolphins are currently projected to be $51 million over the salary cap entering 2024, although there are multiple veterans they can cut to clear significant cap space. It would feel like a step back to allow Wilkins and Hunt to leave in free agency, considering the lack of an immediate replacement on the roster. And although Tagovailoa still has one more year remaining on his rookie contract, his impending extension will only get more expensive the longer Miami waits.

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