NFL experts predict the Dolphins' 2025 record

A streak of four consecutive winning seasons for the Miami Dolphins ended last season with an 8-9 finish to the year.

The offseason that followed has most national pundits convinced the Dolphins will sink lower in 2025. With players like Jonnu Smith, Calais Campbell, Jalen Ramsey, Jevón Holland, and Terron Armstead all no longer on the roster, Miami is hoping a youth movement will largely fill in those gaps and push the team back into the playoff mix.

Experts aren't convinced.

With the Dolphins' regular season opener against the Indianapolis Colts less than a week away, most experts believe Miami is likelier to contend for last place in the AFC East rather than first:

USA Today (Nate Davis): 5-12

Will HC Mike McDaniel, who enters the season under some pressure from ownership, even make it to the stretch drive? If he does, the Fins’ final five games are either in outdoor northern cities and/or against teams that had winning records in 2024 … and, historically, his team hasn’t played well in either of those circumstances.

CBS Sports (John Breech): 7-10

NFL.com (Ali Bhanpuri): 5-12

NFL.com (Adam Rank): 6-11

Hard to believe they are at this point, especially when you consider how well the Mike McDaniel era started. But there is a dark cloud over this team following a lackluster 8-9 Year 3 under the coach, with ominous feelings increasing after a pair of apparently disastrous joint practices with the Bears and Lions. Jalen Ramsey was traded and seemingly threw shade at McDaniel on a recent podcast appearance, and Tyreek Hill could be on his way out of town, as well. It's a rough scene in Miami right now.

The Athletic: 8-9

The top-end talent is here, as always, but it seems like all of their starters have significant injury concerns. QB Tua Tagovailoa tops the list, of course, but WR Tyreek Hill, RB De’Von Achane, OLB Bradley Chubb and OLB Jaelan Phillips, among others, have struggled to stay on the field to varying degrees. Between those concerns and the depth questions — offensive line, defensive line, secondary — there are just too many ways for thing to go sideways for the Dolphins in 2025. - Jim Ayello

Sports Illustrated (Conor Orr): 6-11

This was an exercise in ripping off the Band-Aid. Miami’s youth movement could hit early, but I just found myself tired of trying to buck narratives with this Dolphins team. I agree with the team’s fan base that the front seven is getting massively faded by the national media, though I have for years been saying that Bradley Chubb is highly underrated in terms of his ability to impact a game. All that said, I had a choice to make between growth and attrition. We have Tyreek Hill being an outward distraction and the man responsible for getting him the ball trying to clean up the mess and set the emotional thermostat for the locker room. While it may seem blasphemous, I had to pick a side. Also, three of Miami’s final five games come in cold weather, while another two come against the Buccaneers and Bengals.  

ESPN: 8-9

Miami's success hinges on Tua Tagovailoa's health, as the Dolphins were markedly better with their franchise quarterback on the field last season. Over the past three seasons (including the playoffs), Miami is 25-17 with Tagovailoa starting and 3-8 with all other quarterbacks.

Bleacher Report (Moe Moton): 7-10

Once again, Miami will fool many into believing this team is ready to win critical games late in the season. Watch out for the Dolphins' late-season collapse after their Week 12 bye, when they face the Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers on the road, the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home, and the Patriots in a likely cold-weather January game.

This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins 2025 season preview: Experts predict Miami's final record