The Dolphins struggled with penalties in 2022

The Dolphins turned a corner in many ways under first-year coach Mike McDaniel — avoiding penalties was not one of them.

Miami, flagged 111 times throughout the year, was the fourth-most penalized team. The Arizona Cardinals led the league in penalties (118), followed by the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders, who were tied for second place (113). Miami matched the Tenessee Titans with 111 penalties, but the Dolphins lost 75-less yards in the process.

The Dolphins were called for 18 false starts, and former second-round pick Robert Hunt led the team with 10 total penalties — five coming before the snap. Robert Jones, who signed as an undrafted free agent after the 2021 draft, was called for four false starts. Right tackle Brandle Shell was called for three false starts.

Miami struggled with 59 pre-snap penalties, eight delay-of-game calls, eight illegal shifts, and four illegal formations. The Dolphins started the season with less than seven penalties in three of four games but closed the year with at least eight penalties in four of the team’s final eight games.

Limiting penalties, especially those before the snap, will be atop Miami’s to-do list after an average of 6.6 penalties per game in McDaniel’s first season. The team averaged 5.6 penalties at home and 7.3 penalties on the road.

That said, the Dolphins struggled with penalties before last season. Under Brian Flores, the Dolphins were flagged 6.2 times per game in 2021 after being called for the third-fewest penalties in 2020.

For a deeper playoff run in 2023, Miami desperately needs to flip the script after sacrificing 881 yards due to penalties a season ago.