Miami Dolphins Notes 2/13/2023

Miami Dolphins Notes, thirsty, New League year

Miami Dolphins Notes 2/13/2023

Well, the 2022 NFL season has come to a conclusion. The Kanas City Chiefs are the NFL champions after beating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 57. This blog will cover some Miami Dolphins notes but man the Fins need to get back to being a great team competing late into the playoffs.

Notes and Thoughts on the Miami Dolphins

The 2022 NFL season marked the 50th anniversary of the perfect season for the Miami Dolphins. 2023 will mark the 50-year mark for the Fins winning their last Super Bowl. Yes, 50 years! I was four years old when that Super Bowl was played. I’m sure many of you were not even on the planet the last time a player wearing aqua and orange hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. I sure as heck do not remember those days!

Anyway, I digress. Speaking of the Chiefs and Eagles, it should be noted that the Dolphins travel to play both of those teams during the 2023 season. The road does not get any easier.

Coaching Front

Vic Fangio should soon be officially announced as the Dolphins’ newest defensive coordinator now that the big game has been played. Fangio had been serving as a “defensive consultant” to the Eagles this season. So, now he will have the time to sign his name to the contract that Miami has on the table for him.

There were lots of fans and some reporters that mentioned Ed Donatell, who was recently fired as DC of the Minnesota Vikings, as a possible staff member for Fangio. The connection made sense because Ed and Fangio had worked together on a few teams over the year (49ers, Bears, & Broncos).

Well, there is a Donatell that Miami has requested to interview for the Dolphins’ vacant secondary coaching position. Yet, it was not Ed it was Tom Donatell according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network.

The #Dolphins requested an interview with #Chargers assistant Tom Donatell for their secondary coach job, per source.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 12, 2023

Ed is currently on the staff of the Los Angeles Chargers. We will see how this progresses over the next few days. Hopefully, the Dolphins put a staff together that can help get the Fins to the next level.

NFL New League Year: March 15

The new league year for the NFL starts on March 15, 2023. So, Miami has a lot of work to do before that day arrives. They have to free cap space by cutting or restructuring player contracts. They have to determine what positions they want to target in free agency (FA) once they clear some space as well as retain some of their own pending free agents. We discuss this topic in more detail as the new league approaches. After making the FA moves, the NFL Draft needs will be more clear. The 2023 NFL Draft begins on April 27, 2023. For the Dolphins, it really begins on April 28th since they do not have a first-round pick. The NFL took away the Dolphins’ pick as part of the penalty for tampering with Sean Payton and Tom Brady.

The first-round pick they had from the San Francisco 49ers was traded as part of the Bradley Chubb trade. Tell us what are your early thoughts on the upcoming 2023 version of the Dolphins.