Will the Miami Dolphins take a step back in 2025? Could they wind up trading wide receiver Tyreek Hill within the division?

Both things will happen, at least based on an ESPN story from Jeremy Fowler asking NFL executives, scouts and personnel executives for some fearless predictions for next season.

“This one is wild,” Fowler wrote, “but Hill’s displeasure in Miami is out there after his Week 18 comments, and the Patriots hope to be on the brink of contention soon enough under new coach Mike Vrabel.

“In-division trades are not as rare as they were a decade ago. It’s largely about which team offers the best value.”

— Trading Tyreek? Be Careful What You Wish For

Trading a wide receiver to the Patriots actually wouldn’t be a first for the Dolphins because they did it three years ago when they moved DeVante Parker and a fifth-round pick for a third-round selection. And Dolphins fans also probably remember the 2007 trade that sent recently fired wide receivers coach Wes Welker to the Patriots for second- and seventh-round picks, a move that helped New England produce a 16-0 regular season that very year.

Hill had an off year in 2024 as the Dolphins missed the playoffs for the first time in the three-year Mike McDaniel tenure. Hill caught 81 passes, as oppposed to 119 in 2023. He also finished with 959 yards receiving and six touchdowns. It is a far cry from the 1,799 yards he amassed the year before, to go with his 13 touchdowns. It was the first time Hill finished a season with less than 1,000 yards since 2019.

Many of Hill’s problems in Miami last season could be attributed to the fact Tua Tagovailoa missed 6 1/2 games due to a concussion and a hip injury. He did not find much success with Tyler Huntley, Skylar Thompson or Tim Boyle.

Hill said after the season finale at the New York Jets he wanted out of Miami. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has since backed off of that statement slightly, but Hill has not come out with any statements to the contrary.

Fowler said this might be the move for the Patriots to make if they cannot sign Tee Higgins in free agency. They obviously want to get quarterback Drake Maye some flashy toys. Fowler thinks the Patriots might dangle a package including a day-two pick to the Dolphins in exchange for Hill.

The NFL personnel that Fowler contacted also projected the Dolphins would join the Minnesota Vikings in taking a step back in 2025.

“Another team on the radar here is Miami, which has shown promise and narrowly missed the playoffs, but is largely stuck in the middle,” Fowler wrote.

The Miami Dolphins were shut out on the AFC Pro Bowl roster, the AP All-Pro teams, and most recently the All-AFC team selected by the Professional Football Writers of America.

That’s what can happen for team that misses the playoffs for the first time in three seasons and became somewhat forgotten after a miserable 2-6 start.

But the Dolphins were in playoff contention until the final Sunday of the regular season and they did go 6-3 in their final nine games, so it’s not like they didn’t do anything.

And now it’s time to recognize the players most responsible for getting to eight wins, as we offer our list of the top 10 Dolphins players for the 2024 season.

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We clearly have to go with Sieler as the top choice considering he was voted team MVP by the South Florida and got my vote there. From this vantage point, Sieler was the most consistent performer on the team all season and it may not be a coincidence that the two games where the defense failed the offense down the stretch — against the Arizona Cardinals and the Buffalo Bills — were the two games that Sieler missed because of his freaky eye injury.

Yep, we’re going to defensive lineman and defensive lineman for our top two. Campbell didn’t have Sieler’s sack numbers but he was almost as effective in the pass rush in terms of pressures and also was a force against the run.

We don’t usually put kickers that high on this kind of list, but Sanders was nothing short of brilliant this season, particularly in the second half of the season. He also came through in the clutch and from long distance, and only Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell having an even more remarkable year kept him from earning Pro Bowl and/or All-Pro honors.

Achane became the absolute focal point of the offense in 2024 and delivered pretty consistently in the passing game, with some moments in the run game even if he wasn’t able to come close to his absurd per-carry average of his rookie year.

The Dolphins got their best linebacker play in several years thanks to Brooks, who was a smash in his first season after arriving as a free agent signing. He’s another one who played his best football in the second half of the season.

The Dolphins finally got major production out of the tight end position thanks to Smith, who became a force for the passing game after a slow start. In the end, he gave the Dolphins exactly what everyone hoped he would.

This might not have been a season quite up to the very high standards Ramsey has set in terms of coverage, but it’s his overall contributions for the defense that must be evaluated here. Ramsey made an impact in run support and with his blitzing.

Tagovailoa produced a passer rating over 100 for a third consecutive season and led the NFL in completion percentage, though the offense became a dink-and-dunk attack with very shots down the field. It still worked for most of the second half of the season because of how efficient Tagovailoa, particularly on third down, before a late-season slide and then the hip injury. Tua missing six games couldn’t get him much higher than this on the list.

It was another season battling injuries for Armstead, but he wound up with his highest game total in his three seasons in Miami. And, as always, he usually was pretty good when he was in the lineup.

The last spot was a tough choice, but we’re going here with Kohou, who also easily would get the nod for most improved player. After a very unimpressive 2023 season, Kohou was very good this season either in the slot or outside when Kendall Fuller was out with injuries. His passer rating when targeted was an impressive 79.3, per Pro Football Reference, after it was an unsightly 131.0 last season. Let’s also remember that Kohou, with help from Campbell, helped clinch the Week 16 victory against the 49ers with an interception.