How the Dolphins tanked the 2019 season for the 5th pick in the NFL Draft

The Miami Dolphins weren’t very good in 2019.

That’s no surprise. They were expected to be awful after they mostly spent their offseason getting rid of talent rather than acquiring it. But it was still staggering to see just how bad the Dolphins were when they kicked off the 2019 season by getting destroyed by the Ravens, 59-10.

While head coach Brian Flores insisted the team’s not tanking, there was no way around it by the time September rolled around. The Dolphins tried bottoming out in a way that’s usually only seen in the NBA.

The one-sided loss to Baltimore was the first of many butt kickings Miami endured in 2019 before finding some footing in the latter half of the season. That was even apparent to Dolphins players, some of whom asked their agents to get them traded out of South Beach, according to Pro Football Talk.

“The players believe that the coaching staff, despite claiming that they intend to try to win, aren’t serious about competing and winning,” the report said.

Those players were correct. The Dolphins organization is not trying to be a contender in 2019. Its goal all year has been to load up on cap space and draft picks in lieu of wins. That’s a textbook tank job.

Dolphins players weren’t trying to lose, though. Roster spots are too hard to come by and careers are too short in the NFL. They’ll all give 100 percent on the field. Miami is just too far behind other teams in terms of skill to truly be a contender.

So how did the Dolphins get to this point? They followed a simple three-step process

Dec. 31, 2018: The best place to start is the day Adam Gase was fired as head coach of the Dolphins after a 7-9 season.

Miami finished the year 31st in total offense and 29th in total defense. The Dolphins were bad at everything, but by still managing seven wins, they didn’t even have a top-12 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Being stuck in that 6-to-8-win middle ground — somewhere the team was for most of a decade — prompted coaching and executive changes.

Along with Gase’s firing, football operations were removed from executive vice president Mike Tannenbaum’s control and given to general manager Chris Grier. Former Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie was later hired as a senior personnel executive and Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores, a first-time head coach, replaced Gase.

March 7, 2019: The first signs of tanking didn’t come until March. It started with the Dolphins releasing veteran defensive end Andre Branch and starting offensive guard Ted Larsen. Still, neither move was too surprising considering they saved the Dolphins about $9 million in combined cap space. Branch signed with the Cardinals, but didn’t make the final roster. Larsen is now a backup for the Bears.

March 13, 2019: The Dolphins made another move on the offensive line by releasing Josh Sitton. He played just one game for the team in 2018 before a rotator cuff tear landed him on injured reserve. It saved the team $5 million in cap space and Sitton retired in April.

That was also the same day free agency began in the NFL. The Dolphins allowed offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James, defensive end Cameron Wake, wide receiver Danny Amendola, and running back Frank Gore, among others, to walk and sign elsewhere.

March 15, 2019: Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was traded to the Titans after seven years and 88 starts with the Dolphins. The two teams swapped late-round selections in 2019 and the Dolphins received a 2020 fourth-round pick.

Tannehill was due to count $26.6 million against Miam’s cap in 2019, a pricy number for a player who struggled to stay healthy or ascend into a top-tier passer. Following the trade — and an agreement to pay $5 million of his signing bonus on the Titans’ behalf — the Dolphins saved a little over $8 million and ate about $18.4 million in dead money. Tannehill will be off the books entirely in 2020.

March 18, 2019: Career journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick was signed to a two-year contract to be the team’s new starting quarterback. The deal provided the Dolphins with a cheap stopgap solution under center. The two-year, $11 million contract given to Fitzpatrick constituted the most expensive acquisition the Dolphins made in free agency. Only the Cowboys and Rams — two Super Bowl contenders — spent less.

March 28, 2019: Pass rusher Robert Quinn, who came over in a trade from the Rams in March 2018, was sent to the Cowboys for a 2020 sixth-round pick. He led Miami in sacks during the 2018 season with 6.5. The trade saved the Dolphins close to $12 million in cap space and stuck them with only around $1.1 million in dead money.

April 25-26, 2019: Miami selected Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft and traded its second-round pick for quarterback Josh Rosen. Rosen, a top-10 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, started one season for the Cardinals.

May 13, 2019: The most significant investment made by the Dolphins in the offseason was a five-year, $76.5 million extension given to cornerback Xavien Howard. He was their only Pro Bowler in 2018 and is now tied to the team through the 2024 season. DeVante Parker, Jakeem Grant, and Jesse Davis received more moderately sized extensions at other points in the offseason.

Aug. 31, 2019: A week prior to their regular season opener, the Dolphins traded starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills to the Texans. The package of picks sent back to Miami was quite the haul:

Following the trade, Julién Davenport was slotted in as the Dolphins’ new starting right tackle. No offensive lineman in the NFL allowed more quarterback hits (14) in 2018 or drew more penalties (16) than Davenport.

He lasted just one game for the Dolphins before landing on injured reserve.

Sept. 15, 2019: Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported the Dolphins have been calling around the league in an attempt to trade running back Kenyan Drake. He led the team in rushing in 2017 and yards from scrimmage in 2018.

Sept. 16, 2019: The Dolphins allowed 2018 first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick to pursue a trade after their Week 1 loss, and found a partner after Week 2. Fitzpatrick was sent to the Steelers for a 2020 first-round pick, a potentially great investment considering the Steelers’ many problems in 2019.

Oct. 28, 2019: One day ahead of the trade deadline, the Dolphins traded running back Kenyan Drake to the Cardinals for a sixth-round pick that has a chance to become a fifth-round pick if Drake reaches certain milestones.

Oct. 29, 2019: Instead of trading away any more players on the last day before the trade deadline, the Dolphins made a surprise move and acquired one. The deal was still absolutely a tank-oriented move, though. The Rams sent Aqib Talib and a fifth-round pick to Miami in exchange for a 2022 seventh-round pick. The Dolphins will essentially eat Talib’s salary on LA’s behalf for a little extra draft capital.

Howard summed up the state of the roster following the trade of Fitzpatrick in September:

On the bright side for Howard, the first-round pick acquired from the Fitzpatrick trade is just one of the reasons why the roster around him could be upgraded massively.

Altogether, the offseason moved the Dolphins to the top spot in salary cap space for the 2020 season. The team is due to carry only $6.9 million in dead money in 2020 and none in 2021.

It also owns the following picks in the next two drafts:

2020

2021

That draft capital and the Dolphins’ ample cap space was the point of the offseason teardown. Even after winning five games, they still landed the fifth overall pick in 2020.

It’s expected to be a good year to draft a quarterback with Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Oregon’s Justin Herbert among the top arms in the class. LSU’s Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow seems like the favorite to be the Bengals’ pick at the very top of the order.

A new quarterback would likely be an appealing route for the Dolphins.

There have only been two winless teams over the course of a 16-game schedule in NFL history: the 2008 Lions and the 2017 Browns. The Dolphins can look to both as a source of optimism.

Detroit followed its 0-16 season by drafting Matthew Stafford first overall in 2009. By 2011, the Lions were a playoff team. The Browns also tanked to acquire loads of picks, then selected Baker Mayfield at the top of the 2018 NFL Draft after their winless year. That plan seems to be paying off for Cleveland.

Anything can happen in an NFL game — like a team putting their oft-injured, lunky tight end in on defense, for instance — so it’s not a foregone conclusion that the Dolphins will finish 0-16. But whew, they’re a putrid football team. Right here, we’ll keep track of their season as it unfolds:

Week 1 — Ravens 59, Dolphins 10

There are many ways to dice up the carnage of the blowout, but here are a few stats that put in context just how absolutely terrible the Dolphins were in their opener:

That’s a good ol’ fashioned steamrolling.

Week 2 — Patriots 43, Dolphins 0

Miami hung in the game longer than expected and trailed only 13-0 at halftime. The game busted open in the second half with the Patriots recording two pick-sixes in the fourth quarter.

At the end of the game, the Dolphins had 189 yards of total offense. It made them the first team since the 2010 Bills to start a season with 200 yards or less in their first two games. That team finished 4-12 with Ryan Fitzpatrick starting at quarterback for almost the entire year.

Miami won’t have to worry about a similar fate ...at least when it comes to Fitzpatrick. The veteran was benched in favor of Josh Rosen the week following that shutout home loss to New England.

Week 3 — Cowboys 31, Dolphins 6

Like the week prior, the Dolphins kept the game close early. They trailed 10-6 at halftime before the Cowboys pulled away with three touchdowns in the second half.

Miami even threatened to take its first lead of the season at the end of the second quarter, but that was ruined by a Kenyan Drake fumble.

The Dolphins gave up 476 yards of total offense to the Cowboys and managed just 283 yards of their own.

Week 4 — Chargers 30, Dolphins 10

The Dolphins actually led a game for the first time in 2019 with an early touchdown that put them ahead of the Chargers, 7-3. It stayed close in the first half with Josh Rosen playing well early and leading the team to a 10-10 tie late in the second quarter.

Los Angeles turned on the jets in the second half, though. The Chargers scored 20 unanswered points and Rosen’s solid day of work was undermined by a baffling interception.

The Dolphins lost their first four games by a combined 137 points, the worst for any team since 1950.

Week 6 — Washington 17, Dolphins 16

The Dolphins came oh so close to getting into the win column after a Week 5 bye. Washington took a 17-3 lead into the fourth quarter, but Miami started a come back after Josh Rosen was benched and replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick led the team down the field on a nine-play, 55-yard touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter and then a nine-play, 75-yard drive in the final minutes. The latter was capped with an 11-yard touchdown pass to DeVante Parker. However, a two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful when Fitzpatrick’s screen pass to Kenyan Drake was dropped.

Drake may not have made it in even if he caught the pass. Either way, in the long run, the drop was probably a good thing for the Dolphins.

Week 7 — Bills 27, Dolphins 17

In the middle of the third quarter, the Dolphins had a 14-9 lead and were in the red zone threatening to go up two scores over Buffalo. Then Ryan Fitzpatrick threw an interception and the Bills went on a 98-yard drive that ended with a touchdown.

That was the first of three fourth quarter touchdowns for the Bills, who won despite losing in the stat books to the Dolphins.

Miami had 381 yards while Buffalo had 301. The Dolphins also won in first downs (24 to 17) and time of possession (33:31 to 26:29). Still, they fell to 0-6 with the loss.

Week 8 — Steelers 27, Dolphins 14

A 14-0 start for Miami made the possibility of a victory look attainable. Then the Steelers roared back with 27 unanswered points to win 27-14.

Pittsburgh’s comeback got jumpstarted by a 45-yard connection between Mason Rudolph and Diontae Johnson for a touchdown just before halftime. The Dolphins’ baffling decision to blitz with eight players on the play was so bad that viewers couldn’t help but wonder if there was an ulterior motive for the decision.

The Dolphins had a lead for more than 37 minutes during the Monday Night Football loss. That was more than double the time Miami had a lead in its first six losses.

Week 9 — Dolphins 26, Jets 18

A win!

The Dolphins fell behind 7-0 after the Jets’ opening drive of the day, but scored the next 21 points to take a commanding lead that they never gave up. Ryan Fitzpatrick led the way with 288 passing yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions to get Miami in the win column for the first time in 2019.

That’s probably not a great thing in the long run, but it’s not exactly a disaster either. The win didn’t drop out of the top five of the draft order, and the No. 1 pick is still very much a possibility.

Week 10 — Dolphins 16, Colts 12

Out of absolutely nowhere, the Dolphins found themselves on a winning streak by beating the Colts.

The upset victory came with Jacoby Brissett sitting out with a knee injury, forcing Brian Hoyer into the lineup. The replacement quarterback completed just 18 of his 39 passes and three interceptions to only one touchdown.

Another win for Miami isn’t great news for the tanking project, but the Dolphins are still in line for a top five pick.

Week 11 — Bills 37, Dolphins 20

Miami got back on the losing track with a double-digit loss to the Bills. Buffalo’s Josh Allen had arguably his best day ever, throwing 256 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. His 117.7 passer rating was a career high and he ran for 56 yards and a touchdown to boot.

The Dolphins offense couldn’t come close to keeping up. It failed on three of its four attempts to convert on fourth down and allowed Ryan Fitzpatrick to be sacked seven times.

Week 12 — Browns 41, Dolphins 24

Apparently, Miami is done with that whole “winning games” thing. They tried it for a couple weeks and it’s definitely not for them. They got comfier when they lost to the Bills in Week 11, and were stomped by the Browns in Week 12.

What the Browns needed was the Dolphins defense, apparently. Baker Mayfield threw for three touchdowns and 300-plus yards, while Jarvis Landry came in at 148 yards receiving. Miami had nothing to stop the Browns, allowing 28 points in the first half. On offense, Ryan Fitzpatrick was sacked four times and threw a couple interceptions.

So it’s back to normal in Miami.

Week 13 — Dolphins 37, Eagles 31

Or maybe not. The Dolphins added another tally in the win column and severely damaged the Eagles’ shot at the playoffs in the process. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three touchdown passes and punter Matt Haack threw one.

Yes, the punter threw a touchdown ... to the kicker!

If nothing else, the Dolphins’ outrageously low expectations in 2019 have freed them up to roll the dice in hilariously entertaining ways.

Week 14 — Jets 22, Dolphins 21

Credit to the Dolphins (or not credit, I guess, since losing is the goal?) they played the Jets through to the final seconds, leading at one point and going down to the wire in the fourth quarter. The Jets wound up kicking the game-winning field goal, and Miami has another glorious loss on its record.

Unfortunately, a very winnable game against the Giants is on the horizon. They may just scoop a fourth win.

Week 15 — Giants 36, Dolphins 20

New York snapped a nine-game losing streak by pulverizing the Dolphins in what could’ve been Eli Manning’s last ever game in front of Giants faithful. The 16-point win for the Giants came despite Manning throwing three interceptions.

It was 14-13 Giants in the middle of the third quarter, but Saquon Barkley took over and put the game away with two second half touchdowns. He finished with 112 rushing yards on the day — his first 100-yard performance since Week 2.

Week 16 — Dolphins 38, Bengals 35

Miami blew a 35-12 fourth quarter lead (they were up 35-19 in the final minute of regulation!), but won in overtime. Losing the game would’ve moved the Dolphins up to second in the draft order. Instead they slid to fifth. Sigh.

Week 17 — Dolphins 27, Patriots 24

Look, the Dolphins, for some reason, felt the need to win some games. But we can hardly blame them for beating the Patriots, a hated rival, in Week 17. In doing so, they knocked the Patriots down out of the top two seeds, meaning Tom Brady and Co. won’t get a first-round bye. This win over New England locked them into the fifth overall pick, which is still a respectable bit of tanking.