Will the Miami Dolphins be able to make it back to the NFL Playoffs next season?

The Dolphins ended their 2022 campaign with a record of 9-8, putting them in second place in the AFC East and seventh in the AFC. Miami faced off against the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs, but fell in a 34-31 loss at Highmark Stadium. Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson threw for 220 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, while wide receiver Tyreek Hill led the team with 69 receiving yards on seven receptions.

Miami will need to improve its defense if it is going to make another run in the NFL Playoffs. It added Tennessee Titans linebacker David Long Jr. and Detroit Lions safety DeShon Elliott to help bolster a defense that allowed 3,992 passing yards, putting them at 27th in the NFL behind the Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals. It added four players through the 2023 NFL Draft. South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith was taken in the second round.

Who are some players who could have break-out years for the Dolphins next season?

Kader Kohou

How will Kohou fair in a new scheme under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio?

Kohou, who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022, played in 15 games and started in 13 for the Dolphins last season. He earned 72 combined tackles, five tackles for loss, 10 pass deflections and one forced fumble in his first season with Miami.

The former Texas A&M-Commerce standout will have the opportunity to play in a new system under Fangio, who was named the team's new defensive coordinator in 2023. Fangio spent the last three years as the head coach of the Denver Broncos and four as the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears.

Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker said he saw a difference between the schemes from this year and last, according to Pro Football Talk Writer Josh Alper.

“There were a lot of rules: ‘This is what it has to be. This matchup has to be this matchup,' Baker said in May, via the Miami Herald. “There was no talking with the guys. This defense is players figure it out. There are no set rules on how far to drop. There's a lot more freedom. It gives me some freedom to go out there and play ball.”

The Dolphins traded for Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey in exchange for tight end Hunter Long and a 2023 third-round pick in March. Ramsey said he is familiar with the defense at the Dolphins' OTAs.

“It is a very complex defense but it's a very fun defense. I've been able to be in this defense for the past three years now just because of some of his proteges,” Ramsey said, via CBS Sports. “I'm lucky — it was very strategic and calculated on my end that I'm here and Coach Vic is here. I'm very familiar with the defense and I'm excited about it.

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“But he does have his own flavor. He is kind of the guy who innovated it.”

If Kohou can embrace the freedom a Fangio defense provides, he can have a break-out season alongside Ramsey and cornerback Xavien Howard.

Channing Tindall

The Dolphins will need break-out seasons from some of its younger options to keep pace with some of the league's more formidable offenses.

Tindall, who was selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, played in 16 games for the Dolphins last year. He combined for three tackles as he played in nine total snaps on defense and 167 on special teams, according to Pro Football Reference.

McDaniel said he expected a big jump from Tindall in his second year during his 2023 NFL scouting combine press conference, according to The Phinsider writer Josh Houtz.

“I'm expecting a big offseason and a big jump in Year 2,” McDaniel said, via The Phinsider. “Channing knows that. He has that expectation for himself. He worked very diligently. But I think it's a matter of him really being able to visualize and really carry out all assignments within the defensive structure that I know he's really mandating for himself to take another step.

“I think he did a great job with the reps that he had, and the scout team, during the year for practice. He did develop. But we're excited about this next year opportunity to really take advantage of some opportunities he will have.”

If Tindall can grow into a reliable starting linebacker for the Dolphins, he can have a break-out season as he takes on a more prominent role under Fangio's defensive system.