The Miami Dolphins showed some pretty strong resolve during Brian Flores' first year as head coach, winning five games with a roster where the talent level doesn't exactly mirror that type of success. While that might have flexed Flores' muscles as a coach, it might have also set Miami back in its efforts to quickly become a contender in the AFC.
At the very least, it put the Dolphins behind the eight ball of getting the potential franchise quarterback they reportedly desire.
According to a report from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross covets LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. Florio notes that it's unclear whether Flores and GM Chris Grier are aligned in that pursuit of Burrow, but, if we're being honest, they would be crazy to not want the reining national champion and Heisman Trophy winner, who just turned in a magical season where he threw for a record 60 touchdowns to go along with 5,671 yards.
Because of all that, Burrow is the presumptive No. 1 overall pick at the 2020 NFL Draft. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, they're currently slated at No. 5 overall, so if they're serious about moving up and trading with the Cincinnati Bengals for that top selection and the opportunity to bring Burrow to South Florida, they'll need to make a lucrative offer. Miami does have the capital to do so. On top of that first-rounder at No. 5, the Dolphins also own the Steelers' (No. 18 overall) and Texans' (No. 26 overall) top picks to go along with two second-rounders. They also have two firsts in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Of course, all of this is a moot point if the Bengals don't want to trade the pick and, so far, that appears to be the case. Cincinnati has already begun doing homework on the LSU quarterback and to this point it appears it likes what it sees.
"He definitely checks off a lot of boxes early on in the evaluation process," Bengals quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt said, via the official team website. "He obviously looks like a very intriguing guy."
If the Bengals view Burrow as a franchise-altering quarterback and don't feel the same way about someone who they could get at No. 5, like Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa, it would be idiotic for them to even entertain moving that No. 1 pick.
As it relates to Miami, its play toward the end of the season was undoubtedly inspiring, but would it have been wiser to simply embrace the 0-7 start and take a step backward in 2019, to take two giant leaps forward in 2020 and beyond? Time will tell.
