Then, Laremy Tunsil won a division title before the Miami Dolphins. He played a home playoff game before the Dolphins. And he won a playoff game against his former club.
Let's let that sink in for a moment.
The man the Dolphins used as a signature trade piece in a major rebuild that began in 2019 and was supposed to make Miami a consistent Super Bowl contender is now looking at the Dolphins in the rearview mirror.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa warms up before the wild card playoff game against the Chiefs, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Dolphins remain mediocre despite rebuild
Because for all the enticing draft picks the Dolphins landed for Tunsil and turned into other brilliant pieces of talent, Tunsil remains in this postseason. And the Dolphins are basically in the same place they were in 2019 when the rebuild began.
They are still looking for their first playoff win since December 2000 and their first division championship since 2008, which was before Stephen Ross took over full ownership.
So the reconstruction has not fulfilled what was promised.
FROM OUTKICK: HERE ARE THE TOP 5 COOLEST MOMENTS FROM SATURDAY'S FRIGID GAME OF BOSSES AND DOLPHINS
That should be painfully evident to Dolphins ownership, management, fans and everyone with eyes after Saturday night's 26-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL wild card round.
The Dolphins, so entertaining and explosive against sub-.500 teams this year, ran into another team with a winning record and lost. Again.
The dolphins 'did not achieve' their goals
The Dolphins finish their season with a 1-6 record in games against teams with a winning record. They were 10-1 against teams with a losing record.
That means the rebuild has so far led to the construction of the NFL's most powerful cream pie.
The most beautiful mirage in the league.
The highest basement in football.
Tyreek Hill of the Dolphins during the national anthem before the Buffalo Bills game at Hard Rock Stadium on January 7, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
“We came here to win, and that didn't happen. So we didn't reach our goals,” coach Mike McDaniel said after the loss to the Chiefs. “We had very strong expectations of ourselves. One of the reasons why many people don't put themselves out there and maintain those expectations is because when you don't meet them, it's emotional and heartbreaking.
“We lost a game. We were 100% fearless, feeling like we would win. But I take my hat off to the Kansas City Chiefs. They beat us, they outplayed us, they outcoached us, all that stuff… but tonight it was It's about tonight and it hurts.”
Dolphins without winning in the Playoffs since 2000
So the franchise that has been breaking people's hearts for 23 winless postseasons now hurts. Well, boo-hoo, guys. Join the club.
CHIEFS PASS OVER DOLPHINS IN FRIGID PLAYOFF GAME
What matters to people who don't get a check from owner Ross is whether next January will be different. That's all that matters.
The conga dances amid 70-point outbursts against sub-.500 teams were nice in September. But I guess the Miami fan base prefers an ugly, bloody, gut-wrenching victory over a contender in mid-January 2025.
The alarming thing, however, is that there is no obvious path to get there in 12 months. It is not based on a reconstruction that began when today's kindergarteners were born.
The Dolphins, you see, are an enigma of a team.
Tagovailoa, a hard-working quarterback on a team built for speed
They have incredible talent, but much of that talent comes with a significant injury history. It's the reason some of them were available. So many stars who can help the Dolphins reach the playoffs don't play late in the season or in the playoffs.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa passes against the Chiefs during the wild card playoff game, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
The Dolphins are also a team built on wonderful speed. Players like Tyreek Hill, Jalen Waddle, De'Von Achane and Raheem Mostert could make it onto a relief team. But the club that can fly often found itself punished against good teams because it lost at the line of scrimmage.
And, by the way, the trigger that activates all that offensive speed, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, is carrying more weight now than when he entered the NFL. That helps him survive hits that cause injuries, but the downside is that he seems slow and generally incapable of creating plays with his feet.
Tagovailoa shows great skill in making quick decisions and delivering the ball with very good precision. But his weakness is exposed when quick decisions and readings cannot be made and he has to improvise with some regularity.
The Dolphins have a decision to make in Tagovailoa
That, most likely, is the gap between being a good quarterback and a great quarterback.
And this is where it gets awkward, because waiting to find out if Tagovailoa will ever close the gap was easy while he's on his rookie contract. But that has already run its course.
Head coach Mike McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Deutsche Bank Park on November 5, 2023, in Frankfurt, Germany. (Mario Hommes/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Tagovailoa signed with the fifth-year option for 2024. It will pay him $23.1 million guaranteed.
So after three straight late-season games in which the Dolphins lost and Tagovailoa underperformed against Baltimore, Buffalo and Kansas City, the seemingly easy path to take is to do nothing. The Dolphins can simply have Tagovailoa play on what is effectively a one-year deal.
If Tagovailoa performs next year, he will be paid at the end of the season.
The issue of Tagovailoa's contract comes with questions
Except that's the story the Dolphins already used about Tagovailoa and his representation this season. So the quarterback and his agents, arguing that the quarterback was healthy all season, are probably hoping for that extension. And failure to comply could create a situation that no one is willing to manage.
Fans may not care, but how can McDaniel, on the one hand, still tell Tagovailoa that he's committed to him and give him “you're my boy” love and, on the other hand, be part of a management team? who does not commit to Tagovailoa with a long-term contract?
Perhaps Tagovailoa simply agrees that he has more to prove and accepts the approach. But that would set Tagovailoa and his agents apart from 99.99% of other NFL players and representatives.
Raheem Mostert of the Dolphins carries the ball against the Carolina Panthers at Hard Rock Stadium on October 15, 2023 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images))
Tagovailoa said his upcoming contract issue was not something he was concerned about “at this time.” But the time is approaching when it is a central issue.
So maybe the Dolphins feel obligated to pay Tagovailoa without, you know, overpaying him. Maybe they'll try to repeat what they did with Ryan Tannehill, paying him more modestly while they wait to see if he continues to improve.
Dolphins face salary cap challenge
No, that didn't work because Tannehill never developed into an elite quarterback in seven seasons with the team. And, unsurprisingly, following Tannehill's model could put the Dolphins in a similar scenario at the same position.
Adding to Miami's other litany of problems is the salary cap. The Dolphins will face one of the most dire salary cap situations in the league, starting approximately $55 million over the salary cap.
So a team that may have to pay its quarterback and retain homegrown talent like Christian Wilkins has to figure out how to get under the salary cap before it can even begin to compete in free agency.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel on the sideline during the Tennessee Titans game at Hard Rock Stadium on December 11, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“What I do know is that we will be in a situation where we will try to get better,” McDaniel said. “And I think we were a better team, and if we talk specifically about offense, than we were last year.
“And that's the point. There are a lot of things that we will look at and have concrete, real, solid information about what we can do to improve.”
Thus the five-year reconstruction process continues.
