#jaylen-waddle

#jaylen-waddle

Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook could find a new home fast with the Miami Dolphins should the perennial Pro Bowler be released.If the Minnesota Vikings were to move on from Dalvin Cook, don't be shocked if his hometown Miami Dolphins quickly sign him in his NFL free agency.While the Dolphins certainly kicked the tires on possibly acquiring Cook last year from the Vikings via trade, nothing manifested.

Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott quickly started recruiting Lamar Jackson to Miami after the QB's trade request in a since-deleted tweet.So much for Tua? Head coach Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins brass have made it clear that Tua Tagovailoa is their guy at quarterback.Despite growing injury concerns and questions from the outside about his ceiling, the franchise has been fully committed to their former first-round pick.

In a recent interview, Tyreek Hill revealed how Mike McDaniel eerily predicted what Hill could accomplish this season with impeccable accuracy.Mike McDaniel has proven to be an offensive savant, his system turning around the Miami Dolphins in a matter of months.For anyone familiar with McDaniel, this is to be expected: McDaniel was praised by NFL players like George Kittle for his creative brilliance in drawing up plays and exploiting mismatches.

The Dolphins announced Friday they've signed three of their four draft picks - running back De'Von Achane, the third-round pick from Texas A&M; tight end Elijah Higgins, the sixth-round pick from Stanford, and offensive tackle Ryan Hayes, the seventh-round pick from Michigan.The only pick left to be signed is cornerback Cam Smith, the second-round pick from South Carolina.

Here's what I like most about the 2023 Dolphins to this point: they're giving themselves multiple ways to win games.Adding a player as good as All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey backs that statement.As I've said before, these are exciting times for Dolphins fans.The organization's master plan reveals itself more and more as time passes, and the plan makes more sense each time you see another layer.

This Dolphins offense stinks.It proved that in Sunday's 23-21 loss at New England, a time when the team really needed a boost from what's supposed to be its strength, the offense.The now 8-8 Dolphins are an offensive tragedy.Stop blaming the defense.The defense, which doesn't have nearly as much talent as the offense, only allowed 23 points Sunday (actually, 17 considering the interception returned for a touchdown) and gave the Dolphins a chance to win.

With Tua Tagovailoa in concussion protocol, the Miami Dolphins are facing some major questions at quarterback heading into Week 17. Regardless of who is getting the start at the most important position on the field - Tagovailoa, Teddy Bridgewater or Skylar Thompson - they can rely on one of the best receiving corps in the NFL.

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     Karen Guregian suggests it's time for Matt Patricia to cut it loose on offense.Karen Guregian and Andrew Callahan debate: Would making the playoffs be good or bad for the franchise?Alex Barth reports there were seven players listed as non-participants on latest Patriots injury report - including four that weren't listed last week.

Patriots Adrian Phillips, Jalen Mills, Jack Jones and Marcus Jones were absent from practice on Thursday.As the Patriots prepare to face the Dolphins on Sunday in a pivotal late-season matchup with serious playoff implications, a new question has emerged alongside the existing woes on the offensive side of the ball.

Mike McDaniel sits in the seat where Don Shula lost Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Griese and still navigated The Perfect Season, where Jimmy Johnson lost Hall of Famer Dan Marino and still went 5-1 to help a playoff push.McDaniel lost a good, young quarterback, not a risen Hall of Famer like those two Dolphins coaches, when Tua Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion this week.

On paper, the Dolphins hiring longtime defensive coordinator Vic Fangio seems to be among the franchise's biggest acquisitions of the last 10 years, and perhaps it'll someday crack the top 10.But until Fangio does something tangible, his acquisition is only a good idea.The same is true for every high-profile signing, trade or draft pick.

A wild Dolphins season that began with a three-game winning streak ended Sunday with a hard-fought 34-31 wild-card round playoff loss at Buffalo.The season had many storylines, including the mysterious absence of cornerback Byron Jones (foot/ankle surgery last March), quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's concussion issues, a five-game winning streak and a five-game losing streak.

Sometimes you come into a final NFL Sunday with all the players and all the numbers lining up in a way that explains a team's record.And sometimes you get a season like the Miami Dolphins this year, where the sum is less than the parts.That's the epitaph waiting to be changed or chiseled Sunday.There's no other way to see it.

In what was another slow start form the Patriots offense, it was again New England's defense that stole the show on Sunday.Trailing 14-10 in the third quarter, Kyle Dugger stepped in front of a Teddy Bridgewater pass and returned it for a score.With a two-point lead, New England's offense then put together the one drive they needed.

The New England Patriots (8-8) got back in the win column and kept their playoff hopes alive on Sunday with a 23-21 victory over the Miami Dolphins.Here's who caught the eye for better, and for worse.Winner: Christian Barmore and the defensive line.It was a strong showing from the Patriots front against Miami.

Week 16 was the second week of the fantasy football playoffs and it saw several players deliver big-time performances.On the flip side, some big names struggled in their respective matchups and may have gotten your squad eliminated.Let's take a look at who boomed in Week 16 and who was a bust in standard scoring PPR (point per reception) leagues:
Boomed

TE T.J. Hockenson (35.9),

Bah-humbug.Turnovers.Penalties.A blown lead.And now four consecutive losses.Mike McDaniel wanted his Miami Dolphins (8-7)to understand what it's like to play in big games in December?Here are 10 thoughts on the Miami Dolphins' 26-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
1. Stat of the game: Dolphins' four turnovers, Packers' one.

It's the same cold storyline Saturday of the Miami Dolphins and ambition in a Buffalo winter.Dan Marino stood by the end zone in 1993 on a frozen December day just like Saturday - aren't they all the somber same in a Buffalo winter?- and surveyed the field hours before kickoff.He hadn't changed into his uniform, so he was in jeans and jacket with a pinch of tobacco he'd spit into the snow.

Week 14 of the fantasy football season featured some unexpected players have massive games.On the flip side, some big names struggled in their respective matchups.Let's take a look at who boomed in Week 14 and who was a bust in standard scoring PPR (point per reception) leagues:
Boomed

TE Evan Engram (39.2),

Kickoff: 1 p.m., Sunday, Hard Rock Stadium
TV: CBS (Chs. 4 in Miami-Dade, Broward; 12 in Palm Beach); RADIO: WQAM (560 AM), KISS (99.9 FM), WQBA (1140 AM, Spanish)
Coaches: The Dolphins' Mike McDaniel is 7-3 in his first season as a head coach; Lovie Smith is 93-98-1, including playoffs, in his 12th head coaching season overall and 1-8-1 in his first season as Texans coach.

The first-place Miami Dolphins will rest well during this week's bye.And they should.Everything's coming together for the team that started 3-0, endured a three-game losing streak, and is now riding a season-best four-game winning streak after Sunday's 39-17 rout of Cleveland.Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is playing the best football of his two-plus season career, newcomers Bradley Chubb and Jeff Wilson Jr., made noteworthy contributions in the Browns victory, the defense signaled it still has playmaking ability, rookie coach Mike McDaniel is making all the right moves, and dreams of making a playoff run are looking as though they might become reality.

MIAMI GARDENS - You wanted an all-around dominant performance?You got an all-around dominant performance.After the Miami Dolphins needed either the offense to pick up the defense or vice-versa in their first six wins of the season, they finally put a complete game together from both sides of the ball.

Quick thoughts from South Florida Sun Sentinel staffers on the Miami Dolphins' win over the Cleveland Browns at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday:
Dave Hyde, Sports Columnist The Dolphins defense matched muscle against Cleveland's running game.Their offense kept putting up big points.It was as complementary a win as you can get.

At roughly the midway point of the 17-game season the Miami Dolphins are facing the possibility of being in first place in the AFC East after this week's games, something few would have expected at this stage.If the Dolphins (6-3) defeat Cleveland (3-5), and Buffalo (6-2) loses to Minnesota (7-1), the division lead belongs to the Dolphins because the New York Jets (6-3) have a bye and New England (5-4) is a game behind.

Tua Tagovailoa has had two of the best games of his career the past two weeks against Detroit and Chicago.And his best could be yet to come."It can always get better," said Tagovailoa, Dolphins' third-year quarterback who leads the NFL in passer rating (115.9)."It can always be better."

For Mark Duper, those first two, turbo-charged steps of Tyreek Hill are captivating."The acceleration in those steps, getting into the defensive back as quick as you can, that shows you his game," the former Dolphins receiver whose acceleration once was the stuff of magic.For Mark Clayton, it's the manner this offense is built on the top-tier talent of Hill and Jaylen Waddle.