Who has been the best addition to the Miami Dolphins this season?
The big news story concerning the Miami Dolphins this week outside of quarterback Tua Taogvialoa’s injury status is the fact that the Dolphins do not have one current Pro Bowler on their roster.
There are players worthy of a selection, and you can make convincing cases for them, but I can’t think of anyone where it felt egregious they were snubbed.
Their stats don’t stick out amongst the league leaders besides specific categories like Jason Sanders’ field goals made and percentage over fifty yards, along with Zach Sieler’s sack total amongst interior defensive linemen.
The numbers aren’t sexy for the Dolphins, and with Pro Bowls, the numbers sell to fans who make up a significant percentage of the voting base. Yes, coaches and players contribute to the vote, but the fans are the bread and butter of the process, and numbers sway.
Having no Pro Bowlers on the roster is an indictment against general manager Chris Grier, and it will be held against him amongst the fanbase, but there are Pro Bowl-level players all over the roster, and he imported some of those players just this year.
As bad as Grier has been historically, a few diamonds in the rough might make you rethink the job he’s done recently.
2024 Hidden Gems
- Calais Campbell
– This is one of the easier players to highlight because Campbell has been a high-level player, backed by his PFF overall grading of 82.7 (8th of 218 DLs) and his dominant run defense grading of 88.4 (1st of 218 DLs.)
Another reason this was such a great signing is his performance versus his contract. Campbell signed a 1-year, $2 million deal, making him the 86th highest-paid defensive tackle in terms of average salary.
For comparison purposes, the player he replaced, Christian Wilkins, makes almost fourteen times more than Campbell does, has only played five games compared to Campbell’s sixteen, and has a PFF overall grade of 74.8.
We could argue that Campbell found the Dolphins rather than the other way around, but it’s still a hell of a deal.
- Jordyn Brooks
– When Brooks signed with the Dolphins in the offseason, most saw him as an early down run stopper alongside former captain David Long Jr, and likely be substituted out by Anthony Walker Jr., who signed around the same time.
What we didn’t know was that Brooks would turn into a high-level three-down linebacker and an absolute tackling machine. He is the heart of the Dolphins’ defense and brings leadership and toughness to the position that requires it the most.
Brooks is the Dolphins leading tackler with 137, and it’s “the most by a Dolphins defender has had since Thomas had 165 in the 16 games of the 2006 season.” – Omar Kelly
- Tyrel Dodson
– Dodson might be the best candidate from worst to first on this list. When the Dolphins grabbed him off of waivers in week eleven, he was a true backup. Didn’t move the needle at all. Although he was a good cover linebacker, he was missing tackles left and right. There were games where it felt like he missed more tackles than he made, but that all changed.
Dodson injured his shoulder and missed a couple of weeks, but whatever they gave that man over that time needs to be bottled up and given to the defense on a weekly basis.
Last week against the Cleveland Browns, Dodson accounted for fifteen, yes, fifteen tackles and an impressive interception. He was awarded the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts and looks to have turned the corner with the Dolphins.
A Brooks and Dodson linebacker tandem is something that Dolphins fans didn’t expect at the beginning of the season, but sure it is exciting now.
- Jonnu Smith
– If there was anyone on the team who personified a “hidden gem,” it’s Jonnu Smith. Smith was a good player for the first four years of his career with the Tennessee Titans and ashed that in with the New England Patriots.
Unfortunately for him, the next three years were tied to bad quarterbacks and even worse offenses. His stock rose a bit last year, putting up career numbers, but the numbers still equaled out to a mid-level player. He signed with the Dolphins as the 25th highest-paid tight end on average.
With the Dolphins, Smith has blown his career-best numbers out of the water and is on his way to his first-ever 900+ yard season with 8 touchdowns to go along with it. As of now, he has the 4th highest reception yards among tight ends this year despite being paid like a rookie. Great deal by Chris Grier here.
- Chop Robinson
– The 2024 late first-round pick on Chop Robinson was an absolute home run. The numbers don’t blow you away if your scoreboard watching, but the amount of pressure Robinson generates is a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks.
As it stands, Robinson’s pass rushes get pressure 17.2% of the time, ranking fourth behind Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, and Nick Bosa. That’s the cream of the crop right there. The elite of the league, and Robinson is right there as a rookie.
In time, he’ll start to convert those pressures into sacks, similar to the trajectory of fellow Dolphin Jaelan Phillips. The sky’s the limit for this kid.
- Tyler “Snoop” Huntley
– I can’t finish this list without mentioning the man who might just save the season for the Dolphins, and that’s “Snoop” Huntley.
Signing with the Dolphins back in week three, Huntley was thrown into the deep end and anointed the short-term savior. He won a game but looked in over his head during all three starts because of all the eye candy that goes into the offense. It’s extremely difficult to run, especially if it’s only been a few weeks.
Fast forward a couple of months later, with time and reps under his belt, and Huntley became an extremely valuable asset showcasing what he could do in a Mike McDaniel offense now, and it’s impressive.
Huntley looks like he’s going to be the starter in the Dolphins finale against the New York Jets and possibly the starter if the Dolphins make the playoffs due to the uncertainty of Tua Tagovailoa’s injury timeline. If he can build off his latest win into another strong performance, he might have earned a big chunk of change going into next year as the Dolphins QB2.
Let us know in the comments who you think was the Miami Dolphins’ best addition of this past season.