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2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...
season was the franchise's 39th season in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL), the 43rd overall and the first under new head coach
Tony Sparano Anthony Joseph Sparano III (October 7, 1961 – July 22, 2018) was an American football coach. He served as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) and is the only NFL head coach to have l ...
. During the regular season the Dolphins completed the greatest single-season turnaround in NFL history, going from a 1–15 regular season record in 2007 to an 11–5 record in 2008. The previous record for most improved team one year after a 1–15 season belonged to the 1997 New York Jets, who went 9–7. The 1999 Indianapolis Colts were the only other team to accomplish a 10-game turnaround, winning 13 games after winning 3 in
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
, which was also the first year of the
Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the In ...
era. Additionally, Miami won the
AFC East The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in th ...
, becoming the first team in NFL history to win their division after only having one win the previous season. The division title also snapped the Patriots' 5-year streak of winning the AFC East. The Dolphins' season came to an end in the Wild Card round when they were defeated by the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
which, coincidentally, was also the only team that the Dolphins had beaten the prior season, saving the Dolphins from suffering a
winless season A winless season is a regular season in which a sports team fails to win any of its games. The antithesis of a perfect season, winless seasons have been suffered twelve times in professional American football, six times in arena football, three tim ...
. With their rebound 11–5 record and division title, the Dolphins had hopes of achieving their first playoff victory since
2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
, or to possibly become the first team ever to make the Super Bowl after winning only one game the previous season, similar to how the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
went 1–15 in
2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
and made
Super Bowl XXXVIII Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2003 Carolina Panthers season, Carolina Panthers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2003 New England Patriots season, New E ...
just two seasons later. The 2008 season was the first with
Bill Parcells Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells ( ; born August 22, 1941) is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He came to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 19 ...
as executive vice president of football operations,
Jeff Ireland Jeff Ireland (born March 11, 1970) is an American professional football executive who is the assistant general manager and college scouting director for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the ...
as general manager, and
Tony Sparano Anthony Joseph Sparano III (October 7, 1961 – July 22, 2018) was an American football coach. He served as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) and is the only NFL head coach to have l ...
as
head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
. With a league-worst 1–15 record in 2007, the Dolphins held the first pick in the
2008 NFL draft The 2008 NFL draft was the 73rd NFL draft, annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York (state), New York ...
and selected
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...
Jake Long Jake Edward Long (born May 9, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, twice earning consensus All-Ameri ...
. The offseason also saw the departure of two
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...
ers and long-time Dolphins with the release of
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...
Zach Thomas Zachary Michael Thomas (born September 1, 1973), nicknamed "Baby Elephant", is an American former professional American football, football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He played college foo ...
and trade of
defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...
Jason Taylor. The 2008 season was the last season in which the Miami Dolphins had a winning record and qualified for the playoffs before the
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
team accomplished the feat. This season was also notable for the Dolphins wide-spread use of the
Wildcat offense Wildcat formation is a formation (American football), formation for the offense in gridiron football, football in which the ball is snapped not to the quarterback but directly to a player of another position lined up at the quarterback position. ( ...
. Though previously used by other teams in several other seasons, this package was fully installed by the Dolphins by week 3, and led to an upset win over the defending AFC Champion
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
. Until
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
, this was the Dolphins' last road win over the Patriots. Additionally, this was the last season that the AFC East was won by a team other than the Patriots until the 2020 Buffalo Bills snapped the Patriots' streak of 11 straight AFC East championships.


Offseason personnel moves


Front office

On December 27, 2007, Dolphins owner
Wayne Huizenga Harry Wayne Huizenga Sr. (; December 29, 1937 – March 22, 2018) was an American businessman. He founded AutoNation and Waste Management Inc., and was the owner or co-owner of Blockbuster Video, the Miami Dolphins of the National Football ...
hired former NFL head coach and
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
analyst
Bill Parcells Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells ( ; born August 22, 1941) is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He came to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 19 ...
as executive vice president of football operations. Parcells signed a four-year deal with the Dolphins less than a day after turning down a similar offer from the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...
. Just a few days after Parcells' hiring, three men were dismissed from the Dolphins' front office. The most notable of the three was general manager
Randy Mueller Randy Mueller (born June 3, 1961) is an American professional football executive who is a senior personnel advisor for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the general manager for the NFL's Miami ...
, who had been hired by the team in 2005. Also dismissed were assistant director of player personnel Mike Baugh and college scouting coordinator Rick Thompson. Three days after Mueller's dismissal, Parcells hired
Jeff Ireland Jeff Ireland (born March 11, 1970) is an American professional football executive who is the assistant general manager and college scouting director for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the ...
as the team's new general manager. Ireland had worked for the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
the past seven years, including the last three as vice president of college and pro scouting. Ireland had worked with Parcells previously, when the latter was head coach of the Cowboys from 2003 to 2006. Although Ireland was officially given final say on personnel decisions, it was speculated that Parcells was actually in control, and did not hold the title of general manager so that the team could hire a front office executive from another team. On January 15, the Dolphins reeled in another former Cowboys executive when they hired
Brian Gaine Brian Gaine is an American football executive who works as the assistant general manager for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He served as the general manager of the Houston Texans from 2018 to 2019. Gaine began his execu ...
as assistant director of player personnel. Gaine had previously spent the past three seasons as the Cowboys' assistant director of pro scouting, working with both Parcells and Ireland during that time. Following the
2008 NFL draft The 2008 NFL draft was the 73rd NFL draft, annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York (state), New York ...
, it was reported on May 1 that the Dolphins had fired scouts
Ellis Rainsberger Ellis Dwight Rainsberger Sr. (October 20, 1932 – July 17, 2021) was an American gridiron football player, coach, and scout. He served as the head football coach at Washburn University (1962–1964), Southern Illinois University Carbondale (1966 ...
, Jack Glowik and Roger Pollard. The team's vice president of media relations, Harvey Greene, said Rainsberger had retired, and did not comment on the other two reported firings.


Coaches


Head coach

One day after hiring of
Jeff Ireland Jeff Ireland (born March 11, 1970) is an American professional football executive who is the assistant general manager and college scouting director for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the ...
as general manager, the Dolphins fired head coach
Cam Cameron Malcolm "Cam" Cameron (born February 6, 1961) is an American football coach who was most recently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the LSU Tigers football program. Cameron attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana an ...
after just one season on the job. Cameron led the Dolphins to an NFL worst 1–15 record in 2007, which was also the worst in franchise history. Additionally, all but two members of the coaching staff were dismissed. The only coaches retained were assistant special teams coach Steve Hoffman and linebackers coach George Edwards. Both Hoffman and Edwards were coaches for the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
during Ireland's tenure with the team. A search for Cameron's replacement began almost immediately after his firing. Various candidates were rumored, many of which had some connection to Parcells and/or Ireland. Rumored candidates included
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
head coach
Romeo Crennel Romeo Ashbey Crennel (born June 18, 1947) is an American former football coach. A long-time coaching assistant to Bill Parcells, Crennel served as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2005 to 2008 and the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012, as we ...
,
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
assistant
Tony Sparano Anthony Joseph Sparano III (October 7, 1961 – July 22, 2018) was an American football coach. He served as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) and is the only NFL head coach to have l ...
, Cowboys secondary coach
Todd Bowles Todd Robert Bowles (born November 18, 1963) is an American professional American football, football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the head coach ...
,
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
running backs coach Maurice Carthon and Cardinals offensive coordinator
Todd Haley Richard Todd Haley (born February 28, 1967) is an American football coach who most recently was head coach for the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League (USFL). From 1997 to 2006, he had stints as the wide receivers coach of th ...
. Additionally,
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
defensive coordinator
Rex Ryan Rex Ashley Ryan (born December 13, 1962) is an American former football coach and analyst. Ryan was formerly the head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL), and also held various coaching positions w ...
and
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
defensive coordinator
Leslie Frazier Leslie Antonio Frazier (born April 3, 1959) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the assistant head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. He played professional football as a cornerback for the Chicago Bears in the National ...
were contacted. ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' suggested that
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
defensive coordinator
Gregg Williams Gregg Williams (born July 15, 1958) is an American football coach. His most recent National Football League (NFL) experience was as the defensive coordinator for the New York Jets, from 2019 to 2020. Previously, he was head coach of the Buffal ...
could be a candidate as well. The first interview scheduled was Sparano, who met with the Dolphins on Saturday, January 11. Sparano had previously met with the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...
and
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
regarding their head coaching vacancies. On January 6, it was reported that Sparano would be offered the Dolphins' head coaching job, and that he would accept. The Dolphins denied the report later that day, saying it was an initial interview only and that the team had interviews with others planned over the next few days. However, the addition of quarterbacks coach David Lee, a former Cowboys assistant, fueled speculation that Sparano was indeed going to the next head coach of the Miami Dolphins. The team then proceeded to interview Frazier, Ryan and
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...
defensive coordinator
Jim Schwartz James J. Schwartz (born June 2, 1966) is an American professional football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He was head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2009 to 2013. He was al ...
. After the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
lost to the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
in the divisional round of the 2007 NFL playoffs on January 13, speculation grew that Sparano's hiring was imminent. On January 16, the Dolphins ended their search by naming Sparano the eighth head coach in franchise history. He received a four-year contract believed to be worth between $2.5 and $2.7 million per season.


Assistants

Parcells and Ireland made their first coaching staff addition on January 7, luring
Ole Miss OLE, Ole or Olé may refer to: * Olé, a cheering expression used in Spain * Ole (name), a male given name, includes a list of people named Ole * Overhead lines equipment, used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains Co ...
offensive coordinator David Lee to be
quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
s coach. Lee, who briefly followed
Houston Nutt Houston Dale Nutt Jr. (born October 14, 1957) is an American former college football coach and player. He formerly worked for CBS Sports as a college football studio analyst. Previously, he served as the head football coach at Murray State Univer ...
to Ole Miss after serving as his offensive coordinator at
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
in 2007, worked with Parcells and Ireland as the Cowboys' quarterbacks coach from 2003 to 2006. The addition fueled speculation that Sparano was indeed going to the next head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Two days after hiring Sparano as their head coach, the Dolphins made their second assistant coach hiring. On January 18,
Mike Maser Mike Maser (March 2, 1947 – July 14, 2019) was an American football offensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) in 2008. He previously served in the same capacity for the Carolina Panthers from 2003 to 2006 ...
was named the team's new offensive line coach. Maser had previously served in the same capacity for the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
from 2003 to 2006, and worked with Sparano when both were assistants for the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
in 2002. Over the next week, the Dolphins filled various positions on Sparano's staff. On January 22, former
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
running backs coach James Saxon was hired in the same capacity for the Dolphins. Also hired that day was former
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...
strength and conditioning coach
Evan Marcus Evan is a Welsh masculine given name, derived from ''Iefan'', a Welsh form of the name John. Similar names that share this origin include Euan, Ivan, Ian, and Juan. "John" itself is derived from the ancient Hebrew name (romanised: Yəhôḥānā ...
, who took the same job with Miami. On January 23, the Dolphins added four more assistant coaches to their staff when they named
Paul Pasqualoni Paul Lucian Pasqualoni (; born August 16, 1949) is an American football coach who recently served as the linebackers coach for the Memphis Showboats of the United Football League (UFL). He most recently was the defensive line coach for the Caro ...
as their defensive coordinator,
Todd Bowles Todd Robert Bowles (born November 18, 1963) is an American professional American football, football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the head coach ...
as assistant head coach/secondary, Kacy Rodgers as defensive line coach and David Corrao as defensive quality control coach. Pasqualoni, Bowles and Rodgers all came from the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
' staff, while Corrao was most recently linebackers coach at the
University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...
. A day later, former
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
head coach
Karl Dorrell Karl James Dorrell (born December 18, 1963) is an American football coach. He has been the head coach for the UCLA Bruins football, UCLA Bruins and Colorado Buffaloes football, Colorado Buffaloes, being named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year for b ...
was named the team's new wide receivers coach. Five more coaches were added to the staff on January 28 when the Dolphins named
John Bonamego John Frank Bonamego (born August 14, 1963) is an American football coach who serves as a special teams assistant for the Tennessee Volunteers. He recently served as a senior coaching assistant for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football Le ...
as their special teams coordinator,
George DeLeone George DeLeone (May 9, 1948 – March 1, 2022) was an American football coach. Prior to rejoining Temple's staff, where he was once the offensive coordinator from 2006 through 2007, DeLeone was an offensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns. ...
as their tight ends coach, David Puloka as assistant strength and conditioning coach,
Jim Reid James McLeish Reid (born 29 December 1961) is a Scottish singer/songwriter and the lead singer for the alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain, which he formed with his elder brother and guitarist William Reid (musician), William Reid ...
as outside linebackers coach and
Steve Bush Steven Jack Bush (born July 4, 1974) is a former tight end and fullback in the NFL. He went to Arizona State University. Bush was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1997. After several years with the team playing m ...
as offensive quality control coach. The Dolphins made their final addition to the staff on February 4, hiring
Dan Henning Daniel Ernest Henning, (born June 21, 1942) is an American former professional football player and coach. A quarterback, he played college football for the William & Mary Tribe before playing professionally for the San Diego Chargers of the Am ...
as offensive coordinator. Henning, who had most recently served as offensive coordinator for the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
from 2002 to 2006, had previous worked for the Dolphins under
Don Shula Donald Francis Shula ( ; January 4, 1930 – May 4, 2020) was an American professional American football, football player, coach and executive who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1963 to 1995. He played seven s ...
as quarterbacks and wide receivers coach in 1979–1980.


Staff

When the Dolphins' coaching staff was completed with the hiring of offensive coordinator
Dan Henning Daniel Ernest Henning, (born June 21, 1942) is an American former professional football player and coach. A quarterback, he played college football for the William & Mary Tribe before playing professionally for the San Diego Chargers of the Am ...
on February 14, only two of the 17 assistant coaches under Sparano (Edwards and Hoffman) were holdovers from the previous season's staff. Three of the new coaches (Bowles, Pasqualoni and Rodgers) had experience with Parcells, Ireland and Sparano in Dallas. The completed staff was as follows:


Roster Moves


Departures

* February 11 – Terminated the contracts of quarterback
Trent Green Trent Jason Green (born July 9, 1970) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Indiana Hoosiers. He was selected by the San ...
, wide receiver
Marty Booker Marty Montez Booker (born July 31, 1976) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks ...
, offensive tackle
L. J. Shelton L. J. Shelton (born March 21, 1976) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals 21st overall in the 1999 NFL draft ...
and defensive tackle
Keith Traylor Byron Keith Traylor (born September 3, 1969)"98 - Keith Traylor, DT."
...
. * February 11 – Waived offensive tackle
Anthony Alabi Anthony Abayoni Alabi (; born February 16, 1981) is an American actor and former professional football offensive tackle. He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL draft. He played college football at TCU. Alabi wa ...
, offensive tackle Marion Dukes, guard Marquay Love, offensive lineman
Joe Toledo Joseph Christopher Toledo (born October 20, 1982) is an American former professional football offensive tackle. He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He played college football at Washington. Toledo was ...
and defensive tackle Anthony Bryant. * February 14 – Released linebacker
Zach Thomas Zachary Michael Thomas (born September 1, 1973), nicknamed "Baby Elephant", is an American former professional American football, football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He played college foo ...
. * April 24 – Released the following seven players: quarterback
Casey Bramlet Casey Bramlet (born April 2, 1981) is an American former professional football quarterback. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL draft. He played college football at Wyoming. He was also a member of the ...
, linebacker Marcello Church, safety Tuff Harris, cornerback Jereme Perry, wide receiver Kerry Reed, linebacker Mark Washington and wide receiver
Chandler Williams Chandler Williams III (August 9, 1985 – January 5, 2013) was an American professional Gridiron football, football wide receiver. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL draft. He played college footbal ...
. The team also waived safety Cameron Worrell, who tore his ACL in 2007, after he failed a physical. * April 29 – Released quarterback
Matt Baker Matthew James Baker (born 23 December 1977) is a British television presenter. He co-presented the children's television show ''Blue Peter'' from 1999 until 2006, BBC One's '' Countryfile'' since 2009 and ''The One Show'' from 2011 to 2020, wi ...
and defensive tackle
Steve Fifita Steve Fifita (born May 16, 1982) is an American former professional football defensive tackle. He was originally signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Utah. Early life Fifita was twice an ...
. * May 5 – Waived wide receiver
Marcel Reece Marcel Antoine Wayne Reece (born June 23, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football as a wide receiver for the Washington Huskies and was sign ...
, defensive end Derreck Robinson, linebacker
Abraham Wright Abraham Winston Wright (born October 15, 1984) is an American former professional football defensive end. He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL draft. He played college football at Colorado. Early life W ...
and cornerback Aaron Lane. Reece and Lane were signed as
undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
s the previous week, while Robinson and Wright were with the Dolphins in 2007. * May 16 – Waived offensive lineman Drew Mormino after he failed a physical. Mormino spent the 2007 season on
injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...
with a shoulder injury. * June 6 – Released placekicker
Dave Rayner Dave Rayner (born October 26, 1982) is an American former professional football placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL draft. He played college football at ...
.


Re-signings

* January 7 – Re-signed
wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
s Kerry Reed and
Chandler Williams Chandler Williams III (August 9, 1985 – January 5, 2013) was an American professional Gridiron football, football wide receiver. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL draft. He played college footbal ...
, guard Marquay Love and linebacker Marcello Church. All finished the 2007 season on the Dolphins' practice squad. * March 3 – Re-signed
safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...
Yeremiah Bell to a one-year, $1.4 million contract. * March 5 – Re-signed
cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
Michael Lehan to a three-year, $4.95 million contract.


Signings

* January 30 – Signed quarterback
Matt Baker Matthew James Baker (born 23 December 1977) is a British television presenter. He co-presented the children's television show ''Blue Peter'' from 1999 until 2006, BBC One's '' Countryfile'' since 2009 and ''The One Show'' from 2011 to 2020, wi ...
, offensive lineman Trey Darilek and linebacker
Junior Glymph Clarence Glymph Jr. (born September 2, 1980) is an American former professional football linebacker and defensive end. He played for the Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, and Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (N ...
. Baker was with the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
in 2006, while Darilek and Glymph were both in training camp with Dallas in 2007. * February 8 – Signed cornerback Joey Thomas. He was originally drafted by the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
in the third round of the
2004 NFL draft The 2004 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held from April 24–25, 2004, at the Theate ...
and had most recently spent training camp with the Cowboys in 2007. * February 28 – Signed
wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
David Kircus, formerly of the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
and
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
. * February 29 – Signed
tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...
Sean Ryan ( Jets) to a one-year deal. * February 29 – Signed
wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
Ernest Wilford Ernest Lee Wilford Jr. (born January 14, 1979) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL draft. He played college football at Virginia Tech. He is c ...
(
Jaguars The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat species in the Americas an ...
) to a four-year, $13 million contract with $6 million guaranteed. * March 1 – Signed
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...
Charlie Anderson Charlie Alexander Anderson (born December 8, 1981) is an American former professional football linebacker. He was selected by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL draft. He played college football at Mississippi. Early life And ...
( Texans) to a three-year contract. * March 1 – Signed
quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
Josh McCown Joshua Treadwell McCown (born July 4, 1979) is an American professional American football, football coach and former quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college foo ...
( Raiders) to a two-year, $6.25 million contract. * March 1 – Signed
guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...
Justin Smiley Justin Smiley (born November 11, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers ...
( 49ers) to a five-year, $25 million contract with $9 million guaranteed. * March 1 – Signed
defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...
Randy Starks Randolph Starks Jr. (born December 14, 1983) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for Eureka College, a position he has held since 2024. Starks played professionally as a defensive end for 12 sea ...
(
Titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( ; ) were the pre-Twelve Olympians, Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Sky) and Gaia (Earth). The six male ...
) to a five-year, $21 million contract with $7 million guaranteed. * March 1 – Signed
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...
Reggie Torbor (
Giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) * Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'g ...
) to a four-contract. * March 5 – Signed fullback Boomer Grigsby ( Chiefs) to a one-year contract. * March 11 – Signed
safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...
Keith Davis (
Cowboys A cowboy is a professional pastoralist or mounted livestock herder, usually from the Americas or Australia. Cowboy(s) or The Cowboy(s) may also refer to: Film and television * ''Cowboy'' (1958 film), starring Glenn Ford * ''Cowboy'' (1966 film), ...
) to a two-year contract. * March 12 – Signed
placekicker In gridiron football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring Field goal (football), field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist ...
Dave Rayner Dave Rayner (born October 26, 1982) is an American former professional football placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL draft. He played college football at ...
(
Chargers Charger or Chargers may refer to: * Charger (table setting), decorative plates used to enhance a place setting * Battery charger, a device used to put energy into a cell or battery * Capacitor charger, typically a high voltage DC power supply des ...
) to a one-year contract. * March 14 – Signed
cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
Nathan Jones (
Cowboys A cowboy is a professional pastoralist or mounted livestock herder, usually from the Americas or Australia. Cowboy(s) or The Cowboy(s) may also refer to: Film and television * ''Cowboy'' (1958 film), starring Glenn Ford * ''Cowboy'' (1966 film), ...
) to a two-year contract. * March 16 – Signed
wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
Tab Perry Tab Wilson Perry (born January 20, 1982) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL draft. He played college football at UCLA. Perry was also a member ...
( Bengals) to a one-year contract. * March 28 – Signed
safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...
Chris Crocker (
Falcons Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distribu ...
) to a one-year, $1.15 million contract with a $300,000 signing bonus. * April 14 – Signed
safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...
Will Billingsley ( North Carolina A&T) as a
street free agent A street is a public thoroughfare in a city, town or village, typically lined with buildings on one or both sides. Streets often include pavements (sidewalks), pedestrian crossings, and sometimes amenities like streetlights or benches. A stree ...
. Billingsley was eligible for the
2007 NFL draft The 2007 NFL draft was the 72nd annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draf ...
but was not drafted and remained unsigned throughout the year. * May 19 – Signed
offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...
Steve McKinney Stephen Michael McKinney (born October 15, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 1998 NFL ...
( Texans) to a one-year contract.


Trades

* February 29 – Acquired
defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...
Jason Ferguson from the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
for a sixth-round pick in the
2009 NFL draft The 2009 NFL draft was the 74th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft c ...
. The teams also swapped sixth-round picks in the
2008 NFL draft The 2008 NFL draft was the 73rd NFL draft, annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York (state), New York ...
. * April 26 – Acquired linebacker
Akin Ayodele Akinola James Ayodele (; born September 17, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills. He ...
and tight end
Anthony Fasano Anthony Joseph Fasano (born April 20, 1984) is an American former professional football tight end. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft. He played college football at Notre Dame. Fasano also played for ...
from the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
in exchange for the team's fourth-round pick (100th overall) in the
2008 NFL draft The 2008 NFL draft was the 73rd NFL draft, annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York (state), New York ...
. The pick was later traded to the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
and used to select cornerback
Tyvon Branch Tyvon A. Branch (born December 11, 1986) is an American former professional football safety. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL draft, and also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals. He p ...
. * July 21 – Traded
defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...
Jason Taylor to the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
in exchange for a second-round pick in
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
and a sixth-round pick in
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
.


Free agency

The Dolphins entered free agency $44 million under that year's $116 million salary cap – the highest in the league at the time. The team cleared between $13–15 million by cutting players leading up to free agency.


Free agents

''UFA'':
Unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
, ''RFA'':
Restricted free agent A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in some sports leagues, such as the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), and National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the term ...
, ''ERFA'': Exclusive-rights free agent


2008 NFL draft

Due to their league-worst 1–15 record in 2007, the Dolphins secured the first overall pick in the
2008 NFL draft The 2008 NFL draft was the 73rd NFL draft, annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York (state), New York ...
on April 26. The Dolphins used it to draft
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...
Jake Long Jake Edward Long (born May 9, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, twice earning consensus All-Ameri ...
. Including Long, the Dolphins selected the following nine players in the 2008 NFL Draft: Notes * The Dolphins own second-round pick, the first of the round, was the 32nd overall in the draft rather than the 33rd because the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
forfeited their first-round pick (31st overall) after the Spygate incident. * The Dolphins acquired a second-round pick from the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
in a trade that sent
wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
Chris Chambers Christopher J. Chambers (born August 12, 1978) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Ba ...
to San Diego on October 16, 2007. * The Dolphins sent their fifth-round pick to the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
in exchange for
quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
Trent Green Trent Jason Green (born July 9, 1970) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Indiana Hoosiers. He was selected by the San ...
on June 5, 2007. * The Dolphins and
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
swapped sixth-round draft picks in trade that brought
defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...
Jason Ferguson to Miami. * The last of the Dolphins' picks in the sixth and seventh rounds were awarded by NFL due to free agents lost the previous offseason.


Draft day trades

On the first day of the draft, the Dolphins traded second-year running back
Lorenzo Booker Lorenzo Adarryll Booker (born June 14, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft. He play ...
to the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
in exchange for a fourth-round pick (115th overall) in the
2008 NFL draft The 2008 NFL draft was the 73rd NFL draft, annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York (state), New York ...
. On the second day of the draft, the Dolphins acquired the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
' third-round pick (66th overall) as well as their sixth-round pick (176th overall) in exchange for the Dolphins' third-round pick (64th overall). The Lions used the pick to select running back
Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...
, while the Dolphins took defensive end Kendall Langford with the third-round pick and running back Jalen Parmele with the sixth-rounder. Later on Day 2, the Dolphins traded the fourth-round pick acquired from the Eagles, along with a seventh-round pick (208th overall), to the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
in exchange for the 110th overall selection. The Dolphins used this pick to select guard Shawn Murphy. The 115th overall pick was eventually dealt by the Bears the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
, who used it to select defensive tackle
Dre Moore Marchondray James "Dre" Moore (born June 9, 1985) is an American former professional football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) and Arena Football League (AFL). He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round ...
. The Bears used the seventh-round pick to select defensive end Ervin Baldwin.


Draft pick signings

In the weeks leading up to the draft, the Dolphins began contract negotiations with Jake Long. On April 14, Peter King of ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' reported that the Dolphins had given Long a deadline to accept their contract offer (believed to be worth less than
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
No. 1 pick
JaMarcus Russell JaMarcus Trenell Russell (born August 9, 1985) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons with the Oakland Raiders. He played college football f ...
received from the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
); otherwise, they would move on to another prospect. On April 22, the Dolphins officially signed Long to a five-year, $57.75 million contract with $30 million guaranteed, assuring they would take him first overall. On May 19, the Dolphins signed sixth-rounders Jalen Parmele and
Lex Hilliard Lex Douglas Hilliard (born July 30, 1984) is a former American football running back and fullback. He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL draft. He played college football at Montana. Early life Hilliard attend ...
and seventh-rounder Lionel Dotson to contacts. On May 23, sixth-round pick Donald Thomas was signed to a multi-year deal. On July 11, the Dolphins signed third-round pick Kendall Langford to a multi-year deal.


Undrafted free agents

Following the
2008 NFL draft The 2008 NFL draft was the 73rd NFL draft, annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York (state), New York ...
, the Dolphins signed 18
undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
s. They were: Two failed to survive a week with the team, as the Dolphins released Lane and Reece on May 5. Less than a month after being signed, Robertson decided to retire. On June 9, the Dolphins signed wide receiver John Dunlap (
NC State North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina sy ...
) after he attended a minicamp on a tryout basis.


Reserve lists

* May 27 – Placed
defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...
Kory Robertson on the reserve/retired list. * May 29 – Placed
wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
Tab Perry Tab Wilson Perry (born January 20, 1982) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL draft. He played college football at UCLA. Perry was also a member ...
on
injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...
with a torn
Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...
.


Roster


Opening camp roster


Final preseason roster


Roster moves


July

* 25 – Signed second-round pick defensive end
Phillip Merling Phillip Blaine Merling (born April 19, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers and was selected by the Miami Dolphi ...
. * 25 – Waived wide receiver Justin Wynn. * 25 – Signed wide receiver Anthony Armstrong (
Desperados Desperado or desperados may refer to: * Outlaw, particularly in the American Old West Books * ''Desperadoes'' (comics), a comic book series * ''Desperadoes'' (novel), a 1979 novel by Ron Hansen * Desperado Publishing, an American independent co ...
). * 26 – Placed linebacker
Joey Porter Joseph Eugene Porter Sr. (born March 22, 1977) is an American professional football coach and former player. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorado State Rams and was selec ...
on the Active/non-football injury list and cornerback Michael Lehan on the Active/PUP list. * 26 – Waived offensive tackles Dan Gore and Julius Wilson. * 28 – Activated linebacker
Joey Porter Joseph Eugene Porter Sr. (born March 22, 1977) is an American professional football coach and former player. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorado State Rams and was selec ...
(NFI). * 28 – Signed second-round pick quarterback
Chad Henne Chad Steven Henne (; born July 2, 1985) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines foo ...
. * 28 – Signed guard Rueben Riley ( Panthers). * 30 – Waived cornerback Scorpio Babers. * 30 – Signed cornerback Chris Roberson (
Jaguars The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat species in the Americas an ...
).


August

* 2 – Waived/injured tight end Aaron Halterman and waived guard Rueben Riley. * 4 – Placed tight end Aaron Halterman on
injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...
. * 11 – Waived/injured
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...
Kelvin Smith. * 11 – Signed quarterback
Chad Pennington James Chadwick Pennington (born June 26, 1976) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He is currently the head football coach of the Sayre School in Lexington, Ke ...
( Jets) and linebacker Maurice Fountain ( Blaze) * August 12 – Released placekicker
Jay Feely Thomas James Feely (born May 23, 1976) is a former professional football player. He started his playing career as a placekicker with the Florida Bobcats in the Arena Football League (AFL) as a free agent in 1999 before playing for several Na ...
. * August 12 – Placed linebacker Kelvin Smith on
injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...
. * August 15 – Waived linebacker Keith Saunders and wide receivers John Dunlap and
Selwyn Lymon Selwyn Jalil Lymon (born September 21, 1986) is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Purdue. High school career As a high school athlete, ...
. * August 18 – Released offensive lineman
Steve McKinney Stephen Michael McKinney (born October 15, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 1998 NFL ...
. * August 18 – Activated cornerback Michael Lehan (PUP). * August 20 – Traded cornerback Travis Daniels to the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick in the
2009 NFL draft The 2009 NFL draft was the 74th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft c ...
. * August 22 – Waived wide receiver David Kircus and cornerback Chris Roberson. * August 25 – Signed
undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
offensive tackle Pedro Sosa (
Rutgers Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College and was aff ...
). * August 27 – Released safety Keith Davis. * August 30 – Traded quarterback
Josh McCown Joshua Treadwell McCown (born July 4, 1979) is an American professional American football, football coach and former quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college foo ...
to the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the
2009 NFL draft The 2009 NFL draft was the 74th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft c ...
.


Final cuts

On August 30, the Dolphins made 17 roster moves to reach the NFL's 53-player limit. The players released were:


Preseason schedule

The Dolphins' 2008 preseason schedule was announced on April 3.


Preseason recap

After losing their preseason opener to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
, the Dolphins won their final three contests to finish the preseason 3–1.
Quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
Chad Pennington James Chadwick Pennington (born June 26, 1976) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He is currently the head football coach of the Sayre School in Lexington, Ke ...
was the Dolphins' most efficient passer of the preseason, leading the team in completion percentage (72.0) and passer rating (104.8). Rookie quarterback
Chad Henne Chad Steven Henne (; born July 2, 1985) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines foo ...
led the team in passing yards (351) but also in interceptions (2) while matching Pennington in passing touchdowns (1).
Running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...
s
Ricky Williams Errick Miron (born Errick Lynne Williams Jr.; May 21, 1977), known professionally as Ricky Williams, is an American former professional football running back who played for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and one season in the ...
and Jalen Parmele tied for the team lead in rushing yards at 123. Williams, Parmele and
Ronnie Brown Ronnie G. Brown Jr. (born December 12, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). After graduating from Cartersville High School in Georgia, Brown attended Auburn Uni ...
were the only Dolphins to rush for a touchdown during the preseason, scoring one each.
Lex Hilliard Lex Douglas Hilliard (born July 30, 1984) is a former American football running back and fullback. He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL draft. He played college football at Montana. Early life Hilliard attend ...
and
Patrick Cobbs Stanley Patrick Cobbs (born January 31, 1983) is an American football coach and former player who currently serves as the run game coordinator and running backs coach at the University of North Texas. He played as a running back in the Nationa ...
finished fourth and fifth, respectively, on the team in rushing yards. No Dolphins player surpassed 100 receiving yards during the preseason, though
wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
Ted Ginn Jr. Theodore Ginn Jr. (born April 12, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers, Arizona Car ...
came closest at 97. He also tied rookie
Davone Bess Davone Atrayo Bess (born September 13, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played col ...
for the team lead in receptions with eight.
Tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...
s
Anthony Fasano Anthony Joseph Fasano (born April 20, 1984) is an American former professional football tight end. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft. He played college football at Notre Dame. Fasano also played for ...
and Sean Ryan were the only Dolphins to catch a touchdown pass. On special teams, rookie
placekicker In gridiron football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring Field goal (football), field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist ...
Dan Carpenter Daniel Roy Carpenter (born November 25, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008 after playing c ...
converted 7-of-8 field-goal attempts and all six extra-point attempts. Punter
Brandon Fields Brandon David Fields (born May 21, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a punter for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans, earning consensus ...
punted 21 times for a 44.1-yard average and two touchbacks. Meanwhile, Davone Bess led the team in punt returns (6) but Ted Ginn Jr. was the only Dolphins player to return a kick or punt for a touchdown. Patrick Cobbs led the team in kick return yards with 106. On defense,
Linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...
s
Akin Ayodele Akinola James Ayodele (; born September 17, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills. He ...
and Reggie Torbor tied for the team lead with 17 tackles, while Ayodele led the team in solo stops with 12. Five others – Yeremiah Bell,
Channing Crowder Randolph Channing Crowder Jr. (born December 2, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for six seasons with the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Flo ...
,
Renaldo Hill Renaldo Hill (born November 12, 1978) is an American former professional football safety who currently serves as a defensive backs coach for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He served as the defensive backs coach fo ...
, Nathan Jones, Edmond Miles – also reached double-digits in tackles. Four players – Jason Allen, Renaldo Hill, Michael Lehan, Joey Thomas – recorded an interception during the preseason. The Dolphins also totaled 14 quarterbacks sacks during the preseason.
Linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...
Rob Ninkovich and
defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...
Randy Starks Randolph Starks Jr. (born December 14, 1983) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for Eureka College, a position he has held since 2024. Starks played professionally as a defensive end for 12 sea ...
each record a team-high two sacks, while ten other players each recorded a sack apiece. Channing Crowder,
Junior Glymph Clarence Glymph Jr. (born September 2, 1980) is an American former professional football linebacker and defensive end. He played for the Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, and Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (N ...
and Paul Soliai each forced a fumble during the preseason.


Regular season


Schedule

The Dolphins' 2008 regular season schedule was released on April 15, 2008. Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.


Standings


Opening day roster


Final roster


Game summaries


Week 1: vs. New York Jets

With the loss, the Dolphins began their season 0–1.


Week 2: at Arizona Cardinals

With the loss, the Dolphins fell to 0–2 and lost their 5th straight game to NFC Opponents.


Week 3: at New England Patriots

The Dolphins headed to Foxboro to face the Division rival New England Patriots. Little did New England know that they would be a test for an offensive formation concocted as the Dolphins coaching staff wanted to put running backs
Ricky Williams Errick Miron (born Errick Lynne Williams Jr.; May 21, 1977), known professionally as Ricky Williams, is an American former professional football running back who played for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and one season in the ...
and
Ronnie Brown Ronnie G. Brown Jr. (born December 12, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). After graduating from Cartersville High School in Georgia, Brown attended Auburn Uni ...
onto the field at the same time. David Lee thus revealed the ''
Wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...
'' to the NFL.
Ronnie Brown Ronnie G. Brown Jr. (born December 12, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). After graduating from Cartersville High School in Georgia, Brown attended Auburn Uni ...
would take direct snaps and keep it himself or hand it of to another back. The Patriots came in with a 21 game regular season winning streak, and had the home field advantage against a Dolphins team which sported a 1-17 record since the start of the previous season. As such, the Pats were 12.5 point favorites.https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nwe/2008_lines.htm In an absolute shocker, the Dolphins decimated the Patriots all day with the Wildcat offense for a 38–13 victory as they put a dent in the Patriots' 21-game regular season winning streak and went on their bye week at 1–2. This was the last time the Dolphins beat the Patriots on the road until
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
.


Week 5: vs. San Diego Chargers

With the win, the Dolphins improved to 2–2.


Week 6: at Houston Texans

With the loss, the Dolphins fell to 2–3.


Week 7: vs. Baltimore Ravens

With the loss, the Dolphins fell to 2–4.


Week 8: vs. Buffalo Bills

With the win, the Dolphins improved to 3–4.


Week 9: at Denver Broncos

With the win, the Dolphins improved to 4–4.


Week 10: vs. Seattle Seahawks

With the win, the Dolphins improved to 5–4 and snapped their 5-game losing streak to NFC Opponents.


Week 11: vs. Oakland Raiders

With the win, the Dolphins improved to 6–4.


Week 12: vs. New England Patriots

A week after a 400-yard passing game against the Jets,
Matt Cassel Matthew Brennan Cassel (born May 17, 1982) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He was a member of seven NFL teams, most notably the New England Patriots and Ka ...
threw for 415 yards and three touchdowns for New England, while
Chad Pennington James Chadwick Pennington (born June 26, 1976) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He is currently the head football coach of the Sayre School in Lexington, Ke ...
threw for 345 yards and two scores; both quarterbacks also ran in a touchdown. The Dolphins ''Wildcat'' offense was limited to 27 yards as the Patriots broke open a tight game in the fourth quarter, winning 48–28. With the loss, the Dolphins dropped to 6–5.


Week 13: at St. Louis Rams

With the win, the Dolphins improved to 7–5.


Week 14: at Buffalo Bills

With the win, the Dolphins sweep the Bills for the season and improve their record to 8–5.


Week 15: vs. San Francisco 49ers

With the win, the Dolphins improved to 9–5 and finished 3–1 against the NFC West.


Week 16: at Kansas City Chiefs

With the win, the Dolphins improved to 10–5. File:081221Dolphins-Chiefs03.jpg File:081221Dolphins-Chiefs04.jpg File:081221Dolphins-Chiefs05.jpg File:081221Dolphins-Chiefs06.jpg File:081221Dolphins-Chiefs07.jpg File:081221Dolphins-Chiefs08.jpg File:081221Dolphins-Chiefs09.jpg File:081221Dolphins-Chiefs10.JPG File:081221Dolphins-Chiefs11.jpg File:081221Dolphins-Chiefs12.jpg


Week 17: at New York Jets

The Dolphins clinched the
AFC East The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in th ...
title as they intercepted Jets quarterback
Brett Favre Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 cons ...
three times ( Philip Merling ran in a 25-yard touchdown on a Favre pick) while
Charlie Anderson Charlie Alexander Anderson (born December 8, 1981) is an American former professional football linebacker. He was selected by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL draft. He played college football at Mississippi. Early life And ...
and
Patrick Cobbs Stanley Patrick Cobbs (born January 31, 1983) is an American football coach and former player who currently serves as the run game coordinator and running backs coach at the University of North Texas. He played as a running back in the Nationa ...
blocked a Jets punt. The win put the Dolphins into the playoffs for the first time since 2001 as they finished the season with an 11–5 record and locked up the AFC's No. 3 seed.


Transactions


August

* 31 – Signed running back
Ricky Williams Errick Miron (born Errick Lynne Williams Jr.; May 21, 1977), known professionally as Ricky Williams, is an American former professional football running back who played for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and one season in the ...
to a one-year contract extension through the 2009 season. * 31 – Waived wide receiver Anthony Armstrong, offensive lineman Trey Darilek and linebacker Rob Ninkovich. * 31 – Claimed offensive lineman
Andy Alleman Andrew Alleman (born November 20, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft. He played colle ...
(
Saints In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Orth ...
), offensive tackle
Nate Garner Nathaniel W. Garner (born January 18, 1985) is an American college football coach and former professional football offensive lineman who mostly played tackle. He is the head football coach for North Greenville University, a position he has held ...
( Jets) and wide receiver Brandon London (
Giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) * Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'g ...
) off waivers.


September

* 1 – Signed cornerback Will Billingsley, wide receiver Jayson Foster, offensive tackle Daren Heerspink, running back
Lex Hilliard Lex Douglas Hilliard (born July 30, 1984) is a former American football running back and fullback. He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL draft. He played college football at Montana. Early life Hilliard attend ...
, tight end Matthew Mulligan and linebacker Tyson Smith (
Cowboys A cowboy is a professional pastoralist or mounted livestock herder, usually from the Americas or Australia. Cowboy(s) or The Cowboy(s) may also refer to: Film and television * ''Cowboy'' (1958 film), starring Glenn Ford * ''Cowboy'' (1966 film), ...
) to the practice squad. * 2 – Released cornerback Joey Thomas. * 2 – Signed safety
Tyrone Culver Lanell Tyrone Culver (born July 6, 1983) is an American former professional football safety. Career He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He played college football at Fresno State. Early life ...
( Packer). * 2 – Released wide receiver Jayson Foster from the practice squad. * 2 – Re-signed wide receiver Anthony Armstrong, linebacker Rob Ninkovich and defensive tackle
Anthony Toribio Anthony Terrell Toribio (born March 1, 1985) is an American former professional football defensive tackle. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008 and also spent time on the practice squad for the Green Bay Packer ...
to the practice squad. * 9 – Released fullback Boomer Grigsby. * 9 – Signed fullback Casey Cramer (
Titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( ; ) were the pre-Twelve Olympians, Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Sky) and Gaia (Earth). The six male ...
). * 9 – Placed guard Donald Thomas on
injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...
. * 9 – Signed guard
Evan Mathis Evan Bradley Mathis (born November 1, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a guard for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and was selected by t ...
(
Panther Panther may refer to: Large cats *Pantherinae, the cat subfamily that contains the genera ''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis'' **''Panthera'', the cat genus that contains tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards ***Jaguar (''Panthera onca''), found in Sout ...
). * 11 – Released tight end Sean Ryan. * 11 – Claimed offensive tackle Kirk Barton (
Bears Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout most o ...
) off waivers. * 12 – Released offensive tackle Daren Heerspink from the practice squad. * 12 – Signed tight end Drew Atchison (
Cowboys A cowboy is a professional pastoralist or mounted livestock herder, usually from the Americas or Australia. Cowboy(s) or The Cowboy(s) may also refer to: Film and television * ''Cowboy'' (1958 film), starring Glenn Ford * ''Cowboy'' (1966 film), ...
) to the practice squad. * 23 – Waived running back Jalen Parmele. * 23 – Released tight end Drew Atchison from the practice squad. * 23 – Signed guard Matt McChesney ( Jets) to the practice squad. * 24 – Signed tight end Joey Haynos off the practice squad of the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
. * 25 – Released cornerback Will Billingsley from the practice squad. * 25 – Re-signed running back Jalen Parmele to the practice squad.


October

* 4 – Released defensive tackle
Anthony Toribio Anthony Terrell Toribio (born March 1, 1985) is an American former professional football defensive tackle. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008 and also spent time on the practice squad for the Green Bay Packer ...
from the practice squad. * 4 – Re-signed cornerback Will Billingsley to the practice squad. * 6 – Released linebacker Tyson Smith from the practice squad. * 6 – Signed linebacker Marc Magro (
Rams In engineering, reliability, availability, maintainability and safety (RAMS) * 8 – Released cornerback Will Billingsley from the practice squad. * 8 – Re-signed defensive tackle
Anthony Toribio Anthony Terrell Toribio (born March 1, 1985) is an American former professional football defensive tackle. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008 and also spent time on the practice squad for the Green Bay Packer ...
to the practice squad. * 11 – Released defensive tackle
Anthony Toribio Anthony Terrell Toribio (born March 1, 1985) is an American former professional football defensive tackle. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008 and also spent time on the practice squad for the Green Bay Packer ...
from the practice squad. * 11 – Re-signed cornerback Will Billingsley to the practice squad. * 14 – Released safety
Tyrone Culver Lanell Tyrone Culver (born July 6, 1983) is an American former professional football safety. Career He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He played college football at Fresno State. Early life ...
. * 14 – Released linebacker Marc Magro from the practice squad. * 14 – Signed linebacker William Kershaw (
Saints In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Orth ...
) to the practice squad. * 15 – Waived offensive tackle Kirk Barton. * 15 – Signed safety
Brannon Condren Brannon Condren (born August 19, 1983) is a former American football Safety (American football position), safety. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL draft. He played college football for Troy Trojans foo ...
(
Rams In engineering, reliability, availability, maintainability and safety (RAMS) * 15 – Signed fullback
Lousaka Polite Lousaka Romon Polite (born September 14, 1981) is an American former professional football fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and Atlanta Falcons. He played ...
(
Bears Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout most o ...
). * 18 – Suspended defensive tackle Paul Soliai for one game. * 18 – Released cornerback Will Billingsley from the practice squad. * 18 – Re-signed defensive tackle
Anthony Toribio Anthony Terrell Toribio (born March 1, 1985) is an American former professional football defensive tackle. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008 and also spent time on the practice squad for the Green Bay Packer ...
to the practice squad. * 20 – Lifted suspension of defensive tackle Paul Soliai. * 21 – Released safety Chris Crocker. * 21 – Re-signed safety
Tyrone Culver Lanell Tyrone Culver (born July 6, 1983) is an American former professional football safety. Career He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He played college football at Fresno State. Early life ...
. * 24 – Placed cornerback Michael Lehan on
injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...
. * 24 – Re-signed cornerback Joey Thomas.


November

* 4 – Waived wide receiver
Derek Hagan Derek Steven Hagan Jr. (born September 21, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 2006 NFL draft. He ...
. * 4 – Released tight end Matthew Mulligan from the practice squad. * 4 – Re-signed cornerback Will Billingsley to the practice squad. * 5 – Signed offensive tackle
Brandon Frye Brandon Lee Frye (born January 23, 1983) is an American former professional football offensive tackle. He was selected by the Houston Texans in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL draft. He played college football at Virginia Tech. Frye was also a m ...
off the practice squad of the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
. * 7 – Waived guard
Evan Mathis Evan Bradley Mathis (born November 1, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a guard for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and was selected by t ...
. * 7 – Signed guard Matt McChesney from the practice squad to the active roster. * 10 – Waived safety
Brannon Condren Brannon Condren (born August 19, 1983) is a former American football Safety (American football position), safety. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL draft. He played college football for Troy Trojans foo ...
. * 10 – Re-signed safety
Courtney Bryan Courtney Jamaal Bryan (born October 2, 1984) is a former American football safety. He was born in San Jose, California, and played college football at New Mexico State. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He ...
. * 10 – Signed wide receiver
Todd Lowber Todd Lowber (born January 26, 1982) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He most recently played for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free ag ...
(
Cowboys A cowboy is a professional pastoralist or mounted livestock herder, usually from the Americas or Australia. Cowboy(s) or The Cowboy(s) may also refer to: Film and television * ''Cowboy'' (1958 film), starring Glenn Ford * ''Cowboy'' (1966 film), ...
) to the practice squad. * 11 – Released defensive tackle
Anthony Toribio Anthony Terrell Toribio (born March 1, 1985) is an American former professional football defensive tackle. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008 and also spent time on the practice squad for the Green Bay Packer ...
from the practice squad. * 11 – Signed offensive tackle Kirk Barton ( 49ers) to the practice squad. * 15 – Placed guard Matt McChesney on
injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...
. * 15 – Signed linebacker Rob Ninkovich from the practice squad to the active roster. * 18 – Signed defensive tackle Joe Cohen ( 49ers) to the practice squad. * 19 – Waived linebacker Rob Ninkovich. * 19 – Claimed linebacker
Erik Walden Erik Lashawn Walden (born August 21, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and was selected by the ...
( Chiefs) off waivers. * 21 – Released cornerback Will Billingsley from the practice squad. * 21 – Re-signed linebacker Rob Ninkovich to the practice squad. * 24 – Placed wide receiver
Greg Camarillo Greg Camarillo ( ; born April 18, 1982) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Stanford. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2005. Camarillo also played for the Miami Dolp ...
on
injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...
. * 28 – Practice squad offensive tackle Kirk Barton signed by the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
. * 29 – Signed center Al Johnson (
Cardinals Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
). * 29 – Re-signed cornerback Will Billingsley to the practice squad.


December

* 2 – Placed guard
Justin Smiley Justin Smiley (born November 11, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers ...
on
injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...
. * 3 – Claimed wide receiver
Chris Hannon Christopher Lee Hannon (born February 18, 1984) is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Tennessee. Hannon was also a member of the Car ...
off waivers from the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
. * 3 – Practice squad linebacker Rob Ninkovich signed by the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
. * 9 – Re-signed offensive tackle Daren Heerspink to the practice squad. * 10 – Practice Squad running back Jalen Parmele signed by the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
. * 10 – Signed fullback
Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...
to the practice squad. * 10 – Waived cornerback Michael Lehan from injured reserve. * 20 – Waived fullback Casey Cramer. * 20 – Signed linebacker William Kershaw from the practice squad to the active roster. * 22 – Waived wide receiver
Chris Hannon Christopher Lee Hannon (born February 18, 1984) is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Tennessee. Hannon was also a member of the Car ...
. * 22 – Signed linebacker Derek Smith (
Chargers Charger or Chargers may refer to: * Charger (table setting), decorative plates used to enhance a place setting * Battery charger, a device used to put energy into a cell or battery * Capacitor charger, typically a high voltage DC power supply des ...
). * 24 – Re-signed cornerback Scorpio Babers to the practice squad.


Awards and honors


Coaches

After leading the Dolphins to an 11–5 record and an
AFC East The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in th ...
title in his first year as head coach,
Tony Sparano Anthony Joseph Sparano III (October 7, 1961 – July 22, 2018) was an American football coach. He served as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) and is the only NFL head coach to have l ...
was selected as the NFL Alumni's 2008 Coach of the Year. Sparano was also one of six nominees for the 2008 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year Award.


Players

The Dolphins landed two players – running back
Ronnie Brown Ronnie G. Brown Jr. (born December 12, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). After graduating from Cartersville High School in Georgia, Brown attended Auburn Uni ...
and linebacker
Joey Porter Joseph Eugene Porter Sr. (born March 22, 1977) is an American professional football coach and former player. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorado State Rams and was selec ...
– on the AFC's
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...
team. Porter recorded 17.5 sacks during the 2008 season and was named as a starter on the AFC's squad. In his first career Pro Bowl season, Brown led the Dolphins with 214 carries, 916 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. He also ranked fourth on the team with 33 catches and sixth with 254 receiving yards. Additionally, Porter was nominated for the GMC Sierra Defensive Player of the Year Award and was a second-team AP
All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...
selection. Quarterback
Chad Pennington James Chadwick Pennington (born June 26, 1976) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He is currently the head football coach of the Sayre School in Lexington, Ke ...
, guard
Justin Smiley Justin Smiley (born November 11, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers ...
and cornerback Will Allen also received votes for the All-Pro team but were not selected. However, Pennington did earn the
NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award A number of NFL Comeback Player of the Year awards are given to National Football League (NFL) players who have demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity by overcoming illness, physical injury or other circumstances that led them to miss p ...
for the second time in his career. Pennington led the NFL with a 67.4 completion percentage and was second in the NFL with a 97.4 passer rating. He threw for a career-high 3,653 yards, 19 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. In January 2009, three Dolphins rookies were selected to the
Pro Football Writers Association The Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA), sometimes known as Pro Football Writers Association, is an organization that purports to be " heofficial voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve ...
's All-Rookie Team. Earning selections were offensive tackle
Jake Long Jake Edward Long (born May 9, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, twice earning consensus All-Ameri ...
, defensive end Kendall Langford and placekicker
Dan Carpenter Daniel Roy Carpenter (born November 25, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008 after playing c ...
. The first overall pick in the
2008 NFL draft The 2008 NFL draft was the 73rd NFL draft, annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York (state), New York ...
, Long started all 16 games for the Dolphins at left tackle. A third-round pick out of
Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia * Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria ** Hampton railway station, Melbour ...
, Langford started 14 of the 16 games in which he played as a rookie and recorded 31 tackles and two sacks. Undrafted out of
Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
, Carpenter went 21-for-25 (84 percent) on field goals and made all 40 extra-point attempts.


Playoffs


Game summaries


AFC Wild Card: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Entering the postseason as the AFC's No. 3 seed, the Dolphins began their playoff run at home in the AFC Wild Card Round, with a Week 7 rematch against the No. 6
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
. Miami would deliver the game's first points with rookie kicker
Dan Carpenter Daniel Roy Carpenter (born November 25, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008 after playing c ...
's 19-yard field goal. The Ravens would later respond with a 23-yard field goal from kicker
Matt Stover John Matthew Stover (born January 27, 1968) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker for 20 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Baltimore Ravens. After five seasons for the Clevelan ...
. Baltimore would take the lead with safety
Ed Reed Edward Earl Reed Jr. (born September 11, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL), spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college footbal ...
returning a
Chad Pennington James Chadwick Pennington (born June 26, 1976) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He is currently the head football coach of the Sayre School in Lexington, Ke ...
interception 64 yards for a touchdown. The Ravens would then close out the half with Stover's 31-yard field goal. Baltimore would increase their lead in the third quarter with running back
Le'Ron McClain Le'Ron De'Mar McClain (born December 27, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and was selected by the Baltimo ...
's 8-yard touchdown run. The Dolphins tried to come back in the fourth quarter as Pennington completed a 2-yard touchdown pass to running back
Ronnie Brown Ronnie G. Brown Jr. (born December 12, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). After graduating from Cartersville High School in Georgia, Brown attended Auburn Uni ...
(with a failed PAT), but the Ravens would pull away as quarterback
Joe Flacco Joseph Vincent Flacco (born January 16, 1985) is an American professional football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Delaware Fightin' Blue ...
got a 5-yard touchdown run. With the loss, Miami's impressive turnaround season ended with an overall record of 11–6. Despite having only 16 turnovers throughout the entire regular season, the Dolphins committed 5 turnovers (4 interceptions and a lost fumble).


References


External links


Miami Dolphins Official Website



2008 Regular Season Statistics

2008 Schedule & Results
{{DEFAULTSORT:2008 Miami Dolphins Season
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
Miami Dolphins seasons AFC East championship seasons
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...