The Miami Dolphins are coming into 2014 with high expectations after missing the playoffs last year and with Ryan Tannehill coming in for his third season in the NFL, he needs to show growth at quarterback and having a healthy Brandon Gibson along with rookie Jarvis Landry and starter Brian Hartline could be the key if the team opts to trade Mike Wallace, which has been reported on earlier in the year, but likely will not go down this late in the offseason.
The Dolphins are hoping to bounce back from going 8-8 last season and while that wasn't a losing record, the team had the chance to make the playoffs and missed out and now they have to find a way to get things back on track. The offense sputtered towards the end of the season and the team did not score more than 35 points in any game on the schedule and they need Tannehill to step up and develop into a top 15 starter in the league. Last season the team scored just seven points over their final two games and they cannot get shutout by the Bills like they did in the season finale.
The Dolphins made a number of moves this offseason to help the offense and that included signing Branden Albert, who should be able to help and offensive line that was horrible last season. The team allowed 56 sacks for the most in the NFL and on top of the Jonathan Martin saga, the rushing attack was not productive and part of that was due to the o-line. The team ranked 26th in the league in rushing with just 90 yards per game and that was one reason why the team signed Knowshon Moreno in the offseason. Moreno is going to have to be a difference maker for the team and he comes in after rushing for 1,000 yards for the first time and setting career marks in receptions and yards last season.
Mike Wallace had a down year last season and he came up in trade rumors this offseason and while the Dolphins did not pull the trigger, they could look at making a move down the line in the future. Wallace is making a ton of money and he has not lived up to that so far and on top of that, new GM Dennis Hickey was not the one to give him that deal, it was Jeff Ireland, so he will not feel the same about getting rid of him. Wallace is one of the fastest receivers in the NFL, but he was a complainer last year and that's the last thing a developing QB needs.
The Dolphins have some major improvements to make and they are hoping the offense is better with Moreno on the ground. Hartline gives the team a nice number one option and Jarvis Landry could step up as well with Brandon Gibson if he remains healthy.