If Tua Tagovailoa can stay healthy, the Miami Dolphins could be contenders to win Super Bowl 58 this NFL season. Alas, Tua staying healthy is far from a sure thing with his concussion history. Let’s break down the 2023 Miami Dolphins.

A Closer Look at the Miami Dolphins 2023 NFL Season

First up in our 2023 positional previews: the QBs

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) June 28, 2023

• NFL Week 1: at Los Angeles Chargers — 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 2: at New England Patriots — 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)
• NFL Week 3: vs. Denver Broncos — 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 4: at Buffalo Bills — 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 5: vs. New York Giants — 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 6: vs. Carolina Panthers — 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS))
• NFL Week 7: at Philadelphia Eagles — 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)
• NFL Week 8: vs. New England Patriots — 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 9: at Kansas City Chiefs — 9:30 a.m. ET (NFLN)
• NFL Week 10: BYE
• NFL Week 11: vs. Las Vegas Raiders — 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 12: at New York Jets — 3:00 p.m. ET (Prime Video)
• NFL Week 13: at Washington Commanders — 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 14: vs. Tennessee Titans — 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• NFL Week 15: vs. New York Jets — 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 16: vs. Dallas Cowboys — 4:25p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 17: at Baltimore Ravens — 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 18: vs. Buffalo Bills — TBD (TBD)

A Pretty Good Season

Miami finished 9-8 last year under first-year coach Mike McDaniel and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Alas, the Fins were without injured starting QB Tua Tagovailoa for that playoff game in Buffalo as well as injured backup Teddy Bridgewater. Then-rookie seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson got the start and actually played pretty well in a 34-31 loss. The game wasn’t decided until Buffalo’s defense, which forced six punts and two turnovers, stopped Miami as it turned the ball over on downs on its final possession. Thompson’s pass on fourth-and-6 went just off the fingertips of tight end Mike Gesicki with 2:22 remaining. Gesicki has since left in free agency for New England.

Tagovailoa played at an MVP level last year and was No. 1 in the NFL in passer rating but suffered multiple concussions, causing him to miss five games, including the playoffs. This offseason, Tagovailoa is doing jiu-jitsu training to help him learn how to fall carefully. He will be 100 percent ready for training camp. Without Tagovailoa, the Dolphins struggled, posting a 1-4 record in games he didn’t start while averaging more than 10 fewer points per game than they scored with the quarterback in the lineup.

Tua improved in basically every important metric last season. At just 24 years old, he became the youngest player to lead the league in passer rating since Dan Marino did so in 1984. He also logged the league’s top marks in red zone passer rating (112.2), and third-down passer rating (130.1). Tagovailoa took full advantage of having an offensive coach in McDaniel and one of the NFL’s best receivers in Tyreek Hill.

Roster Power

Hill broke the Dolphins’ single-season receiving yards record in his first season in Miami with 1,710 and his 119 catches were also a team record. Hill’s goal this year is 2,000 yards, which would set the NFL record. He would have to average 117.6 in 17 games to reach 2,000 yards. He averaged a career-best 100.6 last season.

With Hill and Jaylen Waddle, Tua has the best 1-2 receiving punch in the league. Last year, Waddle had 75 receptions, 1,356 receiving yards and 8 receiving touchdowns. This year, Waddle really only has one area left to improve — his hands. He was tied for seventh in the NFL in drops.

The running back room added third-round rookie Devon Achane, a true home-run hitter from Texas A&M with 4.34 speed in the 40. He won’t likely start with veterans Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson splitting the majority of the carries, but he should be able to fill a role as a receiver out of the backfield or even out of the slot. The Fins also may still sign four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook, a south Florida native who was released by the Vikings not long ago.

Defensively, the Dolphins traded a draft pick and tight end Hunter Long for former All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and they also signed potential key contributors like linebacker David Long and safety DeShon Elliott. Ramsey is a three-time first-team All-Pro selection (2017, 2020-21) and has been named to six consecutive Pro Bowls (2017-22). Ramsey will now be teamed up with fellow Pro Bowler Xavien Howard in Miami, where the Dolphins will be looking to rebound defensively under new coordinator Vic Fangio.

Fangio replaces Josh Boyer, whom the Dolphins fired after three seasons as defensive coordinator. The 64-year-old Fangio was the Broncos’ head coach from 2019 until he was fired in 2021. In his last stint as a defensive coordinator, Fangio was named the NFL Assistant Coach of the Year. He spent the 2022 season as a defensive consultant for the Eagles. If the defense is just decent, this could be an excellent team as the offense should be sensational.

Can They Improve from 2022?

Miami is a 2.5-point underdog for its season opener at the LA Chargers. The Dolphins lost at the Chargers Week 14 last year, 23-17. Hill scored two touchdowns in the loss, one of them on an improbable recovery of Wilson’s fumble that Hill took 57 yards to the end zone. But Tagovailoa had his worst game as an NFL starter, completing 10 of 28 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown.

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READ MORE: Miami Dolphins 2023 NFL Season Betting Guide