The 2019 season was the Miami Dolphins' 50th in the National Football League, their 54th overall and their first under new head coachBrian Flores. Early in the season, the Dolphins were criticized for allegedly losing games on purpose in hopes of getting a better draft position. Through Week 8, the Dolphins traded key contributors including recent first round picks Laremy Tunsil and Minkah Fitzpatrick, along with Kenyan Drake, and Ryan Tannehill. It was the Dolphins' first season since 2011 without Ryan Tannehill, as he was traded to the Tennessee Titans during the offseason. After Tannehill was traded, the Dolphins would go on to sign journeyman quarterbackRyan Fitzpatrick and trade for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen in a move that sportswriter Bucky Brooks compared to the Atlanta Falcons' trade of Brett Favre to the Green Bay Packers in 1992. As he outplayed Rosen during training camp, Fitzpatrick started the majority of the season, with Rosen starting from Weeks 3 to 6. On December 22, Fitzpatrick became the first Dolphins quarterback since Dan Marino to pass for 400 yards and 4 touchdowns. Despite defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13, the Dolphins were eliminated from playoff contention for the third consecutive year after the Pittsburgh Steelers won that same day. They also failed to improve their 7–9 record from the previous season after losing to the New York Jets in Week 14. Following a Week 17 win over the defending Super Bowl championNew England Patriots, not only was it their first win in Gillette Stadium since 2008, but they also denied the New England dynasty a playoff bye week for the first time in 10 years. The team started the season 0–7, with some believing they would possibly become the 3rd 0-16 team in the NFL, but rallied to win 5 of their last 9, going 5-4 after a winless start. This was their first season with exactly 5 wins since 1968 and their first since the league expanded to 16 games in 1978. It was also their first season winning fewer than 6 games since 2007.
Offseason coaching change
The Dolphins fired head coach Adam Gase on December 31, 2018, after the team missed the playoffs for a second-straight season and finished 2018 with a 7–9 record. The Dolphins conducted multiple interviews, but were linked to New England Patriots linebackers coach and defensive play caller Brian Flores but had to wait to hire him until after the Patriots were out of the NFL playoffs due to league rules. On February 4, 2019, the day afterSuper Bowl LIII, the team announced Flores as their thirteenth head coach. The Dolphins announced the majority of Flores' coaching staff on February 8, 2019, including Chad O'Shea as offensive coordinator, Patrick Graham as defensive coordinator, Danny Crossman as special teams coordinator, and former Indianapolis Colts/Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell as assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach. On July 29, 2019, just four days into Dolphins camp, Flores sent a quick message by firing the OL Coach Pat Flaherty that he had hired in the spring and replacing him with team analyst Dave DeGuglielmo. Flores had deemed Flaherty to be ineffective in implementing the team’s new system.
Draft
Draft Trades
The Miami Dolphins traded a conditional seventh-round selection to Detroit in exchange for defensive tackle Akeem Spence.
The Dolphins gave up 49 yards on the first play from scrimmage and 643 on the game, the most yards any Dolphins team has surrendered in a single game in franchise history.
Quarterback Josh Rosen, acquired via trade prior to the season, made his first start as a Dolphin in place of Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Dolphins were also seeking their first win in Dallas since 2003.
Week 4: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
This was the first time the Dolphins had been defeated at home by the Chargers since the 1982 Epic in Miami game, when the Chargers were still based in San Diego.
Week 6: vs. Washington Redskins
Josh Rosen was benched in the third quarter after an ineffective performance, throwing for just 85 yards and 2 interceptions on 25 passing attempts. Though the Redskins took an early 17–3 lead under a strong performance from running backAdrian Peterson, the Dolphins cut the deficit once Ryan Fitzpatrick took over at quarterback as he led Miami to two fourth quarter touchdowns. However, the Dolphins decided to attempt a two-point conversion after their second touchdown and failed, sealing a 17–16 loss. Dubbed by many as the "Tank Bowl", this was the first time since 2004 that two winless teams met in week 6 or later. Miami dropped to 0–5 for the first time since 2011.
Week 7: at Buffalo Bills
Ryan Fitzpatrick returned to the starting lineup against divisional rival Buffalo, whom he played for from 2009 to 2012. He had a strong second-quarter performance, leading to Miami holding only its second lead over an opponent during the season with a 14–9 halftime lead, but the Bills rallied after CB Tre'Davious White intercepted Fitzpatrick in the third quarter, scoring 22 points in the fourth quarter. With the 31–21 loss, Miami fell to 0–6.
Week 8: at Pittsburgh Steelers
The Ryan Fitzpatrick-led Dolphins offense came out to a surprising 14–0 lead in the first quarter, but the Steelers scored 27 unanswered points and to win behind strong performances from quarterback Mason Rudolph, running back James Conner and receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Former Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who had been traded to the Steelers weeks ago, intercepted the Dolphins twice during the game. With the loss, Miami continued its winless streak to fall to 0–7.
In Jets head coach Adam Gase's first return to Miami since being fired from the Dolphins last season, the Dolphins came out and won their first game of the 2019 season with 3 passing touchdowns from Ryan Fitzpatrick and sloppy play from the Jets. However, the Dolphins lost leading receiver Preston Williams for the season as he suffered a torn ACL during the game.
The Dolphins upset the Colts, who were without starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett, to earn their second win of the season, improving to 2–7.
Week 11: vs. Buffalo Bills
Week 12: at Cleveland Browns
Week 13: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
This was Eagles running back Jay Ajayi's first return to Miami since the Dolphins traded him during the 2017 season, and it was also the first time since December 9, 2018 scoring over 30 points in a game. With the win, The Dolphins improved to 3–9.
Week 14: at New York Jets
This was Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick's first return to New York since leaving the Jets via free agency following the 2016 season. With the loss the Dolphins fell to 3–10.
The Dolphins were seeking a win over the Giants for the first time since 2003. With the loss, the Dolphins fell to 3–11 and were guaranteed to finish the season with their worst record since 2007, when they went 1–15. The Giants also snapped a 9-game losing streak, in a game that ended up being long-time quarterback Eli Manning's final start as a Giant. Manning announced his retirement from the NFL on January 22, 2020 after 16 years and winning 2 Super Bowls with the Giants.
Week 16: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Week 17: at New England Patriots
This was head coach Brian Flores' first return to Gillette Stadium since leaving the Patriots following their Super Bowl LIII victory on February 3, 2019. Flores served in multiple roles with the Patriots since their 2004 Super Bowl-winning season, winning 4 Super Bowls and most recently serving as linebackers coach from 2016 to 2018. The surprising victory, which denied the Patriots a first-round bye, was also the Dolphins' first win in Gillette Stadium since 2008. It also ended up being Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's final regular season game in a Patriots uniform, as he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on March 17, 2020, after 20 years with the Patriots. Miami finished the season at 5–11.
