We’re nearing the finish line, folks. After the Miami Dolphins were bludgeoned by the Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 45-21 this past Sunday, dropping their record to an extremely disappointing 6-9 on the season, the team finds itself with just two games left to play this year, but with a whole lot of problems facing them in the near future.
If the Dolphins move on from former starting quarterback Tua Tagoavailoa this offseason like many NFL insiders predict will happen, they will incur just over $99 million in dead cap space if he is outright cut from the squad. If the team can find a trade partner, that number will drop to $45.2 million — but at this point, it may be difficult to sell Tagovailoa to another team without Miami eating a large portion of his contract.
Owner Stephen Ross also has a big decision to make on head coach Mike McDaniel. Some insiders predict McDaniel will be retained for the 2026 season, but Adam Schefter of ESPN poured some cold water on that idea on Monday, saying that nothing has been decided and the team’s performance over the final two games could still lead to Miami parting ways with McDaniel in the very near future.
Oh, what fun times to be a fan of the Dolphins…
Fins Up
This week’s Fins Up player is running back De’Von Achane. Achane had himself a solid game against the Bengals — totaling 81 yards rushing on 15 attempts (5.4 yards per carry) and a long touchdown run. But, his inclusion on this list doesn’t come from his performance against Cincinnati.
On Tuesday morning, the 2025 Pro Bowl rosters were announced and Achane was selected to the game for the first time in his three-year NFL career.
Miami’s 24-year-old ball carrier has 220 rushing attempts for 1,267 yards and 8 rushing touchdowns. He has added an additional 64 receptions for 459 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. Achane is 5th in the entire National Football League with 1,726 yards from scrimmage this season — sitting only behind Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons, Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers, Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts and James Cook of the Buffalo Bills.
Fins Down
This week’s Fins Down personality is the Pro Bowl voters…
Dolphins inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks is having a year for the ages. His 169 combined tackles lead the National Football League, yet two players were selected ahead of him to the Pro Bowl this season.
Azeez Al-Shaair of the Houston Texans has 96 combined tackles, 0 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception. He was selected to the 2025 Pro Bowl. Roquan Smith of the Baltimore Ravens has 124 combined tackles, 0 sacks, 0 forced fumbles and 0 interceptions. He was selected to the 2025 Pro Bowl.
Jordyn Brooks has a whopping 169 combined tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 0 interceptions. He was NOT selected to the 2025 Pro Bowl — but was named as the 1st alternate for the AFC at the position.
Shame on you, voters. Shame on you.
