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With the Miami Dolphins looking to capitalize on their playoff appearance last year, who will be their biggest disappointment in 2017?
The Miami Dolphins undoubtedly have high hopes coming into 2017 after a playoff berth a season ago. While that may be so, there are inevitably going to be players that are letdowns in South Beach. And there's one player who seems more likely to fit that bill than the rest.
By this point it's no secret that I'm not overly high on the Julius Thomas acquisition. I fully expect him to get injured and be lackluster when healthy. Despite his overwhelming success with head coach Adam Gase as the offensive coordinator in Denver, I'd be shocked if he comes anywhere near replicating that success in Miami this season or any other.
First, let's start with the undeniable injury risk. Thomas has been plagued by injuries throughout his career. He's coming off another injury riddled season and athletes typically don't get healthier as they inch closer to 30.
Thomas will be 29 years old in less than a month (June 27). Last season, Thomas missed seven games and has missed a grand total of 43 since being drafted in 2011. That means he's only been able to play in just 53 games. At no point has he ever played a full 16-game season, with three seasons failing to hit double-digits and twice not hitting the six-game plateau.
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Many will point to the fact that Thomas restructured his contract this offseason after being acquired and it is incentive-laden. That's fantastic financially, but it doesn't help the team win games on the field and that's what the fans are most concerned with. The fact he won't be handicapping the team financially isn't relevant when it comes to making the playoffs in 2017 based on his production.
On top of that, he may struggle to get on the field due to the fact that he's a miserable blocker. Multiple sources pointed out the fact that the Jacksonville Jaguars wanted to do away with him due to this fatal flaw. It limited his snaps last season. There were even whispers that he was so bad that opposing teams could completely discount offenses running to his side when he was on the field.
Even if he is fully healthy — and miraculously becomes a solid blocker — the odds of him even approaching his numbers with Broncos is slim to none. In 2013 and 2014, Thomas caught 24 touchdown passes, 12 each season. During those two seasons Peyton Manning through a whopping 94 touchdown passes. That's a ridiculous total.
Ryan Tannehill's career high is just 27 touchdowns in a season so there are just not enough touchdowns to go around. Especially when you consider he's not all that high on the pecking order. Jay Ajayi and the running back corps will get theirs with Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills all significantly ahead of him when it comes to expected targets.
Thomas is for the most part a touchdown or bust guy. He's never hit the 800-yard mark receiving and only once topped 46 receptions. By the year's end, Dolphins fans will be much fonder of the more valuable Anthony Fasano. His numbers won't blow you away, but he's a better football player.
