Dolphins to win AFC East? Peter King sees it happening

The Miami Dolphins in 2019 were torn down to the foundation to reset the salary cap and the roster with the ultimate goal of rebuilding the team into perennial contenders. The 2020 offseason was the start of that rebuild, with the team adding key free agents as well as using 11 draft picks to put a young core on the roster, set to grow together. The Dolphins are setting themselves up to be a longterm contender in the league, but could they start contending as early as this year?

According to NBC Sports/Pro Football Talk’s Peter King, that is exactly what may happen. King projects the Dolphins to turn their five win 2019 season into a possible double-digit wins in 2020.

“The Tua Tagovailoa watch is on in Miami,” King wrote on Monday. “But if the Dolphins win 10 games as I think they can, the more important additions will come on defense, in corner Byron Jones and versatile linebacker Kyle Van Noy.”

A ten win season for Miami? But, King was not done there. In his prediction of the playoff seeding, Miami again pops up:

1. Baltimore
2. Kansas City
3. Tennessee
4. Miami
5. Indianapolis
6. Buffalo
7. Las Vegas

Not only are the Dolphins in the playoffs in his prediction, as the four seed, they would be the AFC East champions. In a season where the Buffalo Bills are the trendy pick to unseat the New England Patriots as the divisional winner, King has Miami starting their perennial contending already.

King also predicts Miami head coach Brian Flores to finish second in the Coach of the Year race, coming in behind Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy. On the executive side, he has Chris Grier third behind Jason Licht from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Eric DeCosta from the Baltimore Ravens.

Could Miami make a run to the top of the AFC East? Are ten wins realistic for this year’s team? The season starts this week, with Miami facing the Patriots. What better way to start unseating the Patriots than beating them to open the season?