Henry McKenna
AFC East Reporter
Which NFL teams have the best young cores? FOX Sports took a deep look at every team’s core of players drafted between 2019 and 2023 to ascertain which franchises have the most promising base of young talent. Our writers ranked all 32 individually, and the final result is an aggregate of all those lists. We’ll count them down for you before the start of the 2023 NFL season, starting with the worst (No. 32) all the way up to No. 1.
The Miami Dolphins boast one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, and their young core is a large part of what makes them special.
It’s not just that the team has traded for receiver Tyreek Hill, edge Bradley Chubb and cornerback Jalen Ramsey while signing tackle Terron Armstead. It’s also that general manager Chris Grier has drafted a robust group of talented players in recent years. Now, there has been one exception: the offensive line. Miami sorely lacks talent at tackle despite drafting Liam Eichenberg and Austin Jackson in the first round.
But let’s take a look at what the Dolphins are working with in 2023. Hint: It’s impressive.
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Young core:
QB Tua Tagovailoa
WR Jaylen Waddle
DT Christian Wilkins
OLB Jaelan Phillips
OT Robert Hunt
Safety Jevon Holland
Standout: WR Jaylen Waddle, Edge Jaelan Phillips
It’s impossible to pick one. So I didn’t.
Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins is already one of the best players at his position and is due a massive contract extension. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was, briefly, a top contender for the MVP award at the start of last year. Jaylen Waddle finished seventh in receiving yards (1,356) in the NFL last year. Even if Jaelan Phillips had just seven sacks, he finished with the highest PFF grade on the defense (88.8).
In Waddle and Tyreek Hill, the Dolphins have a pair of receivers who remind me of Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, a rare moment when two of the league’s best receivers were on the same roster with Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. (Though, to be clear, I’m not comparing Tua to Peyton.)
“Man to me, Jaylen is an All-Pro, Pro Bowler, but I feel he doesn’t get the validation that he needs,” Hill told Click2Houston.com. “Obviously because you can’t have two fast guys on a team doing the same thing. Jaylen is a dope player. He’s an even doper person. The way I connect with Jaylen is off the field. I look at him like a younger brother ‚a guy who obviously wants to compete every day. He reminds me of myself. He’s very competitive. He’s very feisty. He doesn’t back down from no challenges.”
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If Waddle is underappreciated, then Phillips is completely under the radar. We tend to measure edge rushers by sacks. And as I mentioned, Phillips’ totals haven’t wowed. But he finished tied for sixth in the NFL in pressures with 77, per Pro Football Focus. Phillips needs to get home and generate more sacks if he wants to be a star. But make no mistake: he’s already an elite edge player, one of the best in the NFL.
It’s likely that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who joined the team this offseason, and edge Bradley Chubb, who joined the team at the trade deadline last offseason, are going to boost Phillips’ totals.
“You know, potential — we’ve got to see it,” Fangio told reporters at his introductory press conference this offseason. “Talking about it is easy. Projecting it is easy, but we’ve got to see it. And I’m confident knowing those two guys’ work ethic that they’ll do everything they can to put a good product out there on the field from both of them.
“But they both have the tools, both have the makeup of being really good players on the edges for us.”
[McKenna: Dolphins 53-man roster projection: Does Miami boast NFL’s best WR, CB units?]
Potential breakout: Jevon Holland
He’s a very good player and an elite athlete who hasn’t quite emerged as the defense’s leader, nor has he put up huge statistical numbers. But he can do it all. He’s a good tackler and he’s even better in deep coverage. He’s a center fielder for the Dolphins. And it’s likely that he’ll be even better in the Fangio defense.
“[Fangio is] an individual with a big well of knowledge. I’m trying to learn as much as possible, honestly,” Holland said Aug. 9. “How he sees the game, what things to improve – he’s very level-headed, whether it’s a good day, bad day or whatnot. He’s always level-headed. As a leader, I’m trying to really learn from him because a lot of guys follow him easily. It’s not hard to buy into his program, into his thought process because he is a hell of a coach, and he has a hell of a mindset. It’s a great experience for me.”
He stands to benefit substantially, especially if the cornerbacks in front of him can stay healthy, unlike last season.
Contract to consider: Wilkins, Tagovailoa — and basically every one of these guys
The tricky thing about all these players emerging over the last few years is the financials. Eventually, the Dolphins might have to break up the band.
Right now, Wilkins is staging a hold-in. He’s at training camp but he’s not practicing in hopes of landing a lucrative contract extension similar to what Giants’ Dexter Lawrence, Jets’ Quinnen Williams and Titans’ Jeffery Simmons got. It’s a particularly tough call when the Dolphins have their quarterback to worry about.
Miami has kept Tua around through 2024 on his rookie contract and fifth-year option. If Miami had taken the risk on extending him this offseason, the Dolphins might have gotten a discount. But they get to see how his health and his quality of play progress in the 2023 season. If all goes well, Tua will likely be due a massive contract in 2024. If Tua cannot stay healthy or he struggles, then the Dolphins and their quarterback will be headed for an awkward stalemate. It comes down to a franchise’s most important question: Do we have The Guy?
There are a few other players you can bet they want to keep in Waddle and Phillips. They’ll have to put some money aside to retain those two. Waddle and Phillips are both around for at least two more years and their fifth-year option. Holland, who was in the same draft class, has two years — so a breakout year for the safety, as I’m predicting, could also prove costly.
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Key stats
- Tua Tagovailoa has made 34 starts in three seasons with the Dolphins. His 112.0 passer rating in the red zone led the NFL last season. His 96.3 passer rating on third down is currently the eighth-highest in the NFL since 2013.
- Jaylen Waddle broke the NFL record for most receptions in a rookie season with 104 in 2021. His 2,371 receiving yards over the last two seasons ranks ninth among all players in that span.
- Jaelen Phillips’ 8.5 sacks in his rookie season are the most ever by a Dolphins rookie. His 90.1 pass-rush grade last season was the fifth-best among all edge rushers (per PFF).
Inside info
Tua Tagovailoa
“[He] benefits from the system, needs the up-tempo and limited options, but is dangerous if you can’t make him hold the ball and read defenses. Has deep threats around him, but not really worried about him beating you with the deep ball. Fragile. Keep pressure mixed on him.” —NFL coordinator
“Like a lot of shorter quarterbacks, he gets himself in trouble when his primary reads are taken away and he needs to adjust on the fly. When this occurs, he loses sight of defenders (especially over the middle) creeping down.
“Expect the Dolphins to continue to operate almost exclusively from the shotgun, giving him time and space.” —NFL evaluator
Jaelan Phillips
“The 15.5 combined sacks over his first two seasons are encouraging, but I think Phillips is on the verge of many more in Year Three. He’s a creative rusher who really marries his upper and lower halves nicely, slicing through gaps and overpowering would-be blockers with. That versatility allows the Dolphins to move him inside and out, right side or left. You also like the motor on him. He’s going to be the beneficiary of some coverage sacks just because he doesn’t quit on the play.” —NFL evaluator
Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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