7-9, 8-8 and 8-8; three seasons of mediocrity under head coach Joe Philbin isn’t going to cut it much longer. This upcoming season will be the defining moment of truth for his career as Philbin needs to lead this morbid franchise to the playoffs or prepare his resume for his job hunt next off-season. The Miami Dolphins are a team on the cusp of boom or bust, this off-season will play a major role in the next step of the franchise. With plenty of holes to fill and limited cap space, Miami has their work cut out for them, here’s a look at where they stand walking into such a pivotal off-season.

What Went Right

New offensive coordinator Bill Lazor brought over a new offensive system that improved the Miami Dolphins overall scoring per game and had the potential to be much better. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill made the next leap in his development setting career highs in passer rating, passing yards, completion percentage, passing touchdowns, rushing yards and throwing his least amount of interceptions in a season. This progression leaves no doubts as to who will be under center for the ‘Fins next season

Running back Lamar Miller ran for over 1000 yards for the first time in his career, also setting career highs in touchdowns and receiving; giving the Dolphins comfort in knowing they have a capable back. Outside linebacker Jelani Jenkins was a pleasant surprise making huge strides for the defense while pressed into duty due to injury. Rookie offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James and wide receiver Jarvis Landry were everything the Dolphins could’ve hoped for and offer solid building blocks for the future.

What Went Wrong

The Dolphins made it to the red-zone more than any other team in the NFL, showing they were more than capable of moving the football but were below average in scoring percentage, illustrating how much improvement they still need on offense. Miami’s offensive line once left tackle Branden Albert went down with injury, proved to be one of the worst in the league again for the second year in a row. Injuries really hurt the team overall in the long haul as their lack of depth really began to show.

The defense totally collapsed in the last six games of the year, going from one of the top defenses in the league to one that, with apologies to Bart Scott, “couldn’t stop a nose bleed.” Wide receiver Mike Wallace continued to grow as a distraction and while he had some great catches, his effort in helping out his quarterback is inconsistent. Wide receiver Brain Hartline didn’t fit Lazor’s new offensive system and disappeared after consecutive 1000 yard seasons, as his finesse game had him all but phased out. Head coach Joe Philbin again made troubling decisions, such as creating a QB controversy for no reason and calling timeouts for opposing teams; inherently responsible for the team squandering it’s destiny when it was theirs for them control for the second year in a row.

Impending Free Agents

Unrestricted
Charles Clay, tight end
Jared Odrick, defensive tackle
Matt Moore, quarterback
Knowshon Moreno, running back
Daniel Thomas, running back
Daryn Colledge, guard
Samson Satele, center
Jason Fox, offensive tackle
Jason Trusnik, linebacker
Kelvin Sheppard, linebacker
Jimmy Wilson, safety
Louis Delmas, safety

Restricted
Derrick Shelby, defensive end
LaMichael James, running back
Jonathan Freeny, linebacker
RJ Stanford, cornerback

The Dolphins can’t stand to lose good players and need to find a way to retain both defensive tackle Jared Odrick (who played more snaps on their defensive line than anyone) and tight end Charles Clay (who makes their offense significantly tougher to defend when healthy). Center Samson Satele and offensive tackle Jason Fox should be retained on one-year deals based on the weakness of the offensive line’s depth. Linebacker Jason Trusnik is a valued member and leader of the special teams and should be brought back in the same capacity while restricted free agent defensive end Derrick Shelby has been a quality back up and deserves an extension regarless of his one night drunken stupor. Everyone else can be replaced, although the Dolphins will be hard pressed to find as quality a back-up quarterback as Matt Moore.

Potential Salary Cap Casualties

Randy Starks, defensive tackle

Mike Wallace, wide receiver

Brian Hartline, wide receiver

Brandon Gibson, wide receiver

Dannell Ellerbe, outside linebacker

Phillip Wheeler, outside linebacker

All given bloated contracts by former general manager Jeff Ireland, their contracts account for a significant cap number and are holding the Dolphins back from being players in the free agency market this year. Wallace has become a distraction to the team that may help the offense more by playing elsewhere, Hartline didn’t fit into the new scheme brought in by Bill Lazor, and Gibson’s cap number is too high for a player who is at best the fourth receiver on the team. Ellerbe and Wheeler have been significant busts on the Dolphins defense and with the emergence of Jelani Jenkins and a likely position switch for defensive end Dion Jordan to linebacker, the Dolphins aren’t going to need the veterans riding the pine while collecting millions. The cap hits for some of these players are significant and the Dolphins will need to navigate them with caution and not impulsively at a detriment to the team’s cap situation.

Overview

All in all the Dolphins have their work cut out for them but continue to make life hard on themselves with questionable moves like the hiring of Mike Tannenbaum as VP of Football Operations and confusing everyone with the hierarchy on the team. Apparently GM Dennis Hickey will report to Tannenbaum, according to the Dolphins, but according to the NFL, Hickey is reporting to owner Stephen Ross. How this effects the draft and free agency is to be determined, although Hickey supposedly has retained final say on all personnel decisions. Joe Philbin, without a contract extension is a lame duck coach and something has to give there with a one year extension likely to be announced soon. The Dolphins need to find the root of the problem as to why the defense regressed as much as it did during the season, whether that means the team needs to replace defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle or not, a decision needs to be made with conviction with a resolution to the unit’s regression. So in large part, the Dolphins three years later, are still trying to figure out their leadership structure and that doesn’t bode well for a team with enough talent to win but is missing something that’ll help them get over the hump, leadership from the top down.