Dolphins' Keys to Success in 2021 NFL Season

The Miami Dolphins have all the motivation in the world to make a run at the AFC East in 2021. 

In 2020, the team finished 10-6 despite playing musical chairs at quarterback with Ryan Fitzpatrick and  rookie Tua Tagovailoa while playing an incredibly young offensive line.

Tom Brady's departure from New England left a power vacuum in the division. For the first time in a long time, the AFC East favorite wasn't a foregone conclusion. Ultimately, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills stepped into that vacuum, but the Dolphins aren't just going to accept that to be the case again in 2021. 

The ingredients are there for the Dolphins to again be in the double-digit win range. They have a roster that's good enough to make the playoffs; head coach Brian Flores has proved he can put together elite defenses; and the Bills, while good, aren't a dynasty just yet. 

Here are some of the key areas for the Dolphins to get the most out of the season and compete for the division. 

There's good news and bad news when it comes to the Dolphins' offensive line. The bad news is that of the five projected starters, none of them graded in the top 50 at their position, per PFF. 

The good news is they were one of the youngest offensive lines in the NFL last season. The Dolphins have utilized plenty of draft capital to get food up front and took their lumps as a result. Austin Jackson, Solomon Kindley and Robert Hunt all played major roles as rookies and return this season as second-year starters. 

Assuming Liam Eichenberg can get healthy from a right leg injury he suffered recently, he should work his way into the lineup, so the youth movement is far from over. 

It's assumed there will be a massive jump in development for the trio of sophomores and Eichenberg. 

But assumptions aren't worth much. There has to be actual improvement. It's the only way the organization will know what it has in Tua Tagovailoa, which should be a main objective for the season.

Last season the Dolphins were 31st in pocket time and 17th in yards before contact in the run game. Both ranks have to be better for the offense to flourish. 

It's unfortunate for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa that the Miami Dolphins continue to be at the center of Deshaun Watson trade rumors. 

But there's only one way Tagovailoa can deal with that: By becoming a clear-cut franchise quarterback. 

The Alabama product showed promise in his rookie campaign. He tossed 11 touchdowns to five interceptions, went 6-3 as the starter and posted a passer rating of 87.1.

There were some reasons for concern as well, though. Tagovailoa had a -1.4 completion percentage over expectation, per Next Gen Stats. He didn't push the ball down field with regularity, averaging 7.7 air yards per attempt. 

If the Dolphins are going to get the most out of their offense, the 23-year-old is going to have to throw it downfield more often and have more success doing so. Miami spent the offseason giving him weapons in Will Fuller V and Jaylen Waddle to go with Mike Gesicki and DeVante Parker. 

Tagovailoa has the targets to have success throwing the ball to all areas of the field, and he has an offensive line that should continue to get better. All the resources are there for him to show he can be the starter in 2021. It's up to him. 

Brian Flores and his coaching staff showed their ability to build an elite defense last season. While the offense had some issues to work out, the Dolphins could rely on a defense that was top-10 by nearly any metric you want to look at. 

While much of the offseason has centered on the offense and figuring out if Tagovailoa is the quarterback of the future, there are still things on defense that shouldn't be taken for granted. 

One of those is the pass rush. Miami was 11th in pressure rate in 2020, which is good but not great. Much of the pass rush came from blitzes, and Jerome Baker was second on the team in sacks from his inside linebacker spot with seven. 

Kyle Van Noy was third on the team with six, and he's now gone. So the Dolphins needs better regular success from their edge defenders. The most obvious choice to pick up that slack is rookie Jaelan Phillips. The team used their second first-round pick on the Miami product, and his production could be key in the continued evolution of the defense. 

Jevon Holland was picked 18 selections later in the second round but could have an even bigger role on the defense. There were only a few major losses from last year's defense, and former captain Bobby McCain was one of them. The team cut him for salary-cap reasons, and the 21-year-old could be key in replacing him. 

Holland missed the final preseason game due to injury but played multiple spots in the secondary before getting hurt. If he can have a strong rookie campaign, the Dolphins defensive backs could again be among the best in the league.