The Miami Dolphins schedule for the 2017 NFL season has arrived.
The Miami Dolphins entered the 2016 season with high expectations under new head coach Adam Gase. Fans were excited to see what quarterback Ryan Tannehill would be able to do under the "quarterback whisperer". After a 1-4 start, things weren't looking promising for anybody in South Florida especially for Tannehill.
It wasn't until week six, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, that the Dolphins finally figured out how to win games. Their weapon? Second year man out of Boise State, Jay Ajayi. Ajayi went off against a Steelers defense that never suspected him to run for over 200 yards on them. And to be fair, Ajayi's best output on the ground came in week 10 his rookie season against the Philadelphia Eagles.
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Ajayi's performance, as well as consistency from Tannehill, jumpstarted a run that'd push the Dolphins into the AFC Wild Card spot, ending the 2016 season on a 9-2 with two of those wins coming from Matt Moore under center. That'd be the end of Gase's rookie season at the helm, though, as Miami flopped in the wild card round against the Steelers.
The 2017 offseason began with a lot of hope from Dolphins fans. The biggest storyline coming in was the question surrounding Tannehill's knee as well as which veterans would be sticking around.
Kenny Stills, for example, looked to be on his way out until general manager Chris Grier as well as executive vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum were able to keep him under contract for a few more years. Other key pieces that were resigned include Alan Branch and Kiko Alonso. Dion Sims, however, took off for Chicago for a bigger payday.
The biggest piece Miami signed in free agency? Lawrence Timmons. Miami needed a sense of security in the middle of their defense and they'll get that from Timmons this season.
Now that they have all these additions, what lies ahead? Here's a look at the Miami Dolphins schedule for 2017:
Opening up the 2017 season at @HardRockStadium.
Single Game Ticket Presale: https://t.co/Tv1JliZv4x pic.twitter.com/mvVQvdFkHi
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) April 21, 2017
The whole Dolphins camp will have a tall order in 2017; after having one of the 10 easiest schedules in 2016 they'll have the sixth hardest this season. It's safe to assume that number could go higher once we find out how game in the Northern states they're forced to go to in December. It'll be tough regardless for Jarvis Landry, Gase and the rest of the team in Miami to supplant the defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots in the AFC East in 2017.
