National Football League

Brady to Miami rumors quashed: Can Dolphins still contend?

Published Mar. 29, 2022 4:51 p.m. ET

Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has officially kiboshed the rumors linking Tom Brady to another Sunshine State team.

The rumor mill first started churning on Thursday when longtime Boston commentator Dale Arnold tweeted a thinly veiled prediction that he expects Brady to play at Hard Rock Stadium in the upcoming season. McDaniel called these rumors "fake news" on Monday, adding that the seven-time Super Bowl champ isn't on the team's radar for 2022.

But while Brady looks set to remain in Tampa, in the eyes of Colin Cowherd, Miami remains on a precipice that should be very familiar to Florida sports fans.

"Miami's roster today feels very Tampa Bay Buccaneer [from] about two years ago," Cowherd said on "The Herd".

In 2019, the season before Brady joined Tampa, the Buccaneers won four of their last six games to finish 7-9 in an inconsistent but promising season. First-year coach Bruce Arians devised one of the NFL's most high-octane offenses, with the Bucs scoring the third-most points in the league, Chris Godwin finishing third in receiving yards with 1,333 and Mike Evans also eclipsing 1,100 yards.

Similarly, with Brian Flores out the door, Miami management has promised fans a more offensive brand of football, an approach reinforced by the team's acquisitions this offseason. Tyreek Hill made a blockbuster move to the 305 this offseason, Chase Edmonds should serve as an effective pass-catching back and Mike Gesicki, who caught 73 passes for 780 yards as a tight end last season, will return on a franchise tag.

These weapons prime Miami for a breakout offensive season, which should certainly improve upon a bottom-half season on offense in 2021.

"[Miami has] a lot of good receivers, solid B backs, you know a tight end or two people like so," Cowherd said. "The weakness of the Tampa team when he took it over online, the weakness of this Miami team, and they've tried to help it a little bit, is the O-line. Both teams had good young defensive players."

Another glaring weakness, or at least a limitation of both teams, was the erratic quarterback of Jameis Winston and Tua Tagovailoa. Winston made dubious NFL history in 2019, becoming the first quarterback to throw 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions, including a record seven pick-sixes, while Tagovailoa finished with just 2,653 passing yards and a bottom-half quarterback rating last season.

If Cowherd's Tampa Bay analogy holds, an elite, consistent quarterback could lead Miami to contention. Cowherd emphasized how attractive the 305 vibe can be to free agents, as seen in the NBA with LeBron James, Antoine Walker, Chris Bosh and Shaquille O'Neal.

"Miami's always been attractive to athletes," Cowherd said. "It's aqua water with no state tax. Very chill, warm weather, and you can work out anywhere. You go out of your balcony and run on the beach any day of the year. It's perfect."

And while there appears to be a log jam atop of the AFC, Cowherd argues that the AFC East is a very winnable division for a revamped Miami roster.

"You start looking at this these weapons from Miami," Cowherd said. "In a division where Belichick has a BB-gun offense and the Jets are the Jets. You still have [to contend with] Josh Allen, but you'll always be able to attract a lot of free agents and guys that take a little less to play in Miami."

Cowherd still holds out some belief that Brady may come to the Dolphins, but Miami has a roster crying out for an elite QB.