The Dolphins Are Tanking Whether Or Not Brian Flores Wants To

It’s never a good sign when, a few days out from the start of the NFL season, reporters are asking a head coach questions like, “So, are you guys even going to try to win a game this year?” That’s the line of questioning Dolphins first-year head coach Brian Flores faced after his team traded Kenny Stills and Laremy Tunsil over the weekend.

Flores can put on a brave face, but good lord, the Dolphins are tanking. In addition to trading away their two best offensive players, the Dolphins also sent linebacker Kiko Alonso to the Saints and entrusted their offense to Ryan Fitzpatrick. Their depth chart, which was already pretty damn thin, now looks like a list of computer-generated Miami fans, are you ready to go crazy for Fitzpatrick throwing passes to ... DeVante Parker and Albert Wilson? Have you prepared yourself for Mike Gesicki Season? How much hooting and hollering will you do every time you see Josh Rosen yawning on the sideline?

Maybe it’s for the best that the Dolphins are finally embracing their identity as a truly miserable NFL franchise. Think about it, have you ever actually had fun watching a Dolphins game? There’s always been something inherently depressing about suffering through an afternoon Dolphins game on CBS, which mostly involves watching a bunch of players who look like they’d rather be anywhere else slog through a game in a depressingly empty stadium while wilting in the humidity. At least now we can all stop pretending that there’s any reason to stay on the couch for those games.