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The Miami Dolphins are not a good professional football team. They won't be for all of 2019 either. But that's not a particularly bad thing, especially if their intention is to tank all along.
By trading away most of their talent — LT Laremy Tunsil, WR Kenny Stills, DB Minkah Fitzpatrick, QB Ryan Tannehill, DE Robert Quinn, and LB Kiko Alonso — the Dolphins are not a roster built to win games. That shows in the winless record, but that's the plan. By trading away an abundance of talent, Miami's future is bright.
In the 2020 NFL Draft, the Dolphins own their first-round pick, the Pittsburgh Steelers', and the Houston Texans'. Their pick can easily turn into a top-two pick. At the rate at which the Steelers are playing (1-4), that could be another top-five selection. Though the Texans have playoff aspirations, theirs could fall in the teens or low twenties.
What could those picks be used for? The Dolphins could draft Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with their pick, or Georgia's Jake Fromm, Utah State's Jordan Love, or Oregon's Justin Herbert, or they could get a generational pass-rusher in Ohio State's Chase Young. The decision of quarterback or best player available will come down to Josh Rosen. Then they could draft a high-end left tackle prospect in Georgia's Andrew Thomas, or perhaps one of the best wide receiver prospects — on film — ever, in Alabama's Jerry Jeudy.
The decisions with their pick and the Steelers' could land them two of Young, Tagovailoa, Thomas, Jeudy, or another prospect that ascends up draft boards to look the part of a top-three selection. If all goes right — as in Pittsburgh failing to win — they may walk away with two star prospects before spending their third first-round selection.
Potentially having two top-five picks is enough to make a great draft class. The Dolphins have room for more, with the Texans pick, two second-rounders, a third, a fifth, two sixths, and a seventh. That's all before considering compensatory picks.
If Miami doesn't get a quarterback, that means one of two things: Rosen becomes their future or their eyes are on Trevor Lawrence. Say they go for the latter by tanking in 2020 to nab the highly praised Clemson prospect. They will do so with three first-round talents and more. To help whoever quarterbacks them, the Dolphins have another Texans pick in 2021, as well as their second.
The Dolphins are clearly rebuilding through the draft. Them doing so well is contingent on hitting picks, of course. However, they have another option to get better after 2019: free agency. By purging their roster, Miami has $117 million in cap space available for 2020 free agency. They could spend that on stars such as CB Byron Jones, DL Chris Jones, OLB Jadeveon Clowney, WR A.J. Green, DE Yannick Ngakeou, OG Brandon Scherff, RB Melvin Gordon, or whoever floats their boat.
In all, the Dolphins' future is bright due to the draft picks and money available starting in 2020. However, that's not the only reason. Despite trading away their fair share of talent, Miami has youngsters oozing potential. DE Christian Wilkins, LB Raekwon McMillian, and CB Xavien Howard are young defensive building blocks. On the offensive side, Rosen still has the potential to be something. If he is, he will grow with TE Mike Gesicki, WR Preston Williams, and RB Kenyan Drake, if resigned.
The Dolphins' present is bleak. But their future isn't.
