#100 dead 643 injured

[winterswake]

[GLASS SHATTERING] [CAR CRASH] VROOM [PEOPLE SCREAMING] [EXPLOSION] “MY LEG…MY LEG” [BABY CRYING] “WE’RE REPORTING LIVE FROM-” [HELICOPTER NOISES] [SIRENS] WEE WOO WEE WOO [GUNSHOTS] [SCREAMING NOISES] [SOBBING] [YELLING]

[junker-town]

How the Dolphins are tanking, in 3 steps

Dolphins quarterback Josh Rosen sacked by Ravens pass rusher Matthew Judon.

The Dolphins gutted their roster and now they are — surprise, surprise — a very bad football team.

The Miami Dolphins are awful.

That’s no surprise. They were expected to be after they mostly spent their offseason getting rid of talent rather than acquiring it. But it was still staggering to see just how bad the Dolphins were when they kicked off the 2019 season by getting destroyed by the Ravens, 59-10.

While head coach Brian Flores continues to insist the team’s not tanking, there’s no way around it at this point. The Dolphins are bottoming out in a way that’s usually only seen in the NBA.

The one-sided loss to Baltimore was, in all likelihood, the first of many butt kickings Miami will endure in 2019. That’s even apparent to Dolphins players, some of whom asked their agents to get them traded out of South Beach, according to Pro Football Talk.

“The players believe that the coaching staff, despite claiming that they intend to try to win, aren’t serious about competing and winning,” the report said.

Those players are correct. The Dolphins organization is not trying to be a contender in 2019. Its goal all year has been to load up on cap space and draft picks in lieu of wins. That’s a textbook tank job.

Dolphins players aren’t trying to lose, though. Roster spots are too hard to come by and careers are too short in the NFL. They’ll all give 100 percent on the field. Miami is just too far behind other teams in terms of skill to truly keep up and compete.

So how did the Dolphins get to this point? They followed a simple three-step process

Step 1: Gut the roster

Dec. 31, 2018: The best place to start is the day Adam Gase was fired as head coach of the Dolphins after a 7-9 season.

Miami finished the year 31st in total offense and 29th in total defense. The Dolphins were bad at everything, but by still managing seven wins, they didn’t even have a top-12 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Being stuck in that 6-to-8-win middle ground — somewhere the team was for most of a decade — prompted coaching and executive changes.

Along with Gase’s firing, football operations were removed from executive vice president Mike Tannenbaum’s control and given to general manager Chris Grier. Former Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie was later hired as a senior personnel executive and Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores, a first-time head coach, replaced Gase.

March 7, 2019: The first signs of tanking didn’t come until March. It started with the Dolphins releasing veteran defensive end Andre Branch and starting offensive guard Ted Larsen. Still, neither move was too surprising considering they saved the Dolphins about $9 million in combined cap space. Branch signed with the Cardinals, but didn’t make the final roster. Larsen is now a backup for the Bears.

March 13, 2019: The Dolphins made another move on the offensive line by releasing Josh Sitton. He played just one game for the team in 2018 before a rotator cuff tear landed him on injured reserve. It saved the team $5 million in cap space and Sitton retired in April.

That was also the same day free agency began in the NFL. The Dolphins allowed offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James, defensive end Cameron Wake, wide receiver Danny Amendola, and running back Frank Gore, among others, to walk and sign elsewhere.

March 15, 2019: Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was traded to the Titans after seven years and 88 starts with the Dolphins. The two teams swapped late-round selections in 2019 and the Dolphins received a 2020 fourth-round pick.

Tannehill was due to count $26.6 million against Miam’s cap in 2019, a pricy number for a player who struggled to stay healthy or ascend into a top-tier passer. Following the trade — and an agreement to pay $5 million of his signing bonus on the Titans’ behalf — the Dolphins saved a little over $8 million and ate about $18.4 million in dead money. Tannehill will be off the books entirely in 2020.

March 18, 2019: Career journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick was signed to a two-year contract to be the team’s new starting quarterback. The deal provided the Dolphins with a cheap stopgap solution under center. The two-year, $11 million contract given to Fitzpatrick constituted the most expensive acquisition the Dolphins made in free agency. Only the Cowboys and Rams — two Super Bowl contenders — spent less.

March 28, 2019: Pass rusher Robert Quinn, who came over in a trade from the Rams in March 2018, was sent to the Cowboys for a 2020 sixth-round pick. He led Miami in sacks during the 2018 season with 6.5. The trade saved the Dolphins close to $12 million in cap space and stuck them with only around $1.1 million in dead money.

April 25-26, 2019: Miami selected Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft and traded its second-round pick for quarterback Josh Rosen. Rosen, a top-10 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, started one season for the Cardinals.

May 13, 2019: The most significant investment made by the Dolphins in the offseason was a five-year, $76.5 million extension given to cornerback Xavien Howard. He was their only Pro Bowler in 2018 and is now tied to the team through the 2024 season. DeVante Parker, Jakeem Grant, and Jesse Davis received more moderately sized extensions at other points in the offseason.

Aug. 31, 2019: A week prior to their regular season opener, the Dolphins traded starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills to the Texans. The package of picks sent back to Miami was quite the haul:

Official terms of now completed trade: Houston receives: T Laremy Tunsil WR Kenny Stills 2020 4th round pick 2021 6th round pick Miami receives: 2020 1st round pick 2021 1st round pick 2021 2nd round pick T Julien Davenport CB Johnson Bademosi

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 31, 2019

Following the trade, Julién Davenport was slotted in as the Dolphins’ new starting right tackle. No offensive lineman in the NFL allowed more quarterback hits (14) in 2018 or drew more penalties (16) than Davenport.

He lasted just one game for the Dolphins before landing on injured reserve.

Sept. 15, 2019: Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported the Dolphins have been calling around the league in an attempt to trade running back Kenyan Drake. He led the team in rushing in 2017 and yards from scrimmage in 2018.

Sept. 16, 2019: The Dolphins allowed 2018 first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick to pursue a trade after their Week 1 loss, and found a partner after Week 2. Fitzpatrick was sent to the Steelers for a 2020 first-round pick, a potentially great investment considering the Steelers’ many problems in 2019.

Oct. 28, 2019: One day ahead of the trade deadline, the Dolphins traded running back Kenyan Drake to the Cardinals for a sixth-round pick that has a chance to become a fifth-round pick if Drake reaches certain milestones.

Oct. 29, 2019: Instead of trading away any more players on the last day before the trade deadline, the Dolphins made a surprise move and acquired one. The deal was still absolutely a tank-oriented move, though. The Rams sent Aqib Talib and a fifth-round pick to Miami in exchange for a 2022 seventh-round pick. The Dolphins will essentially eat Talib’s salary on LA’s behalf for a little extra draft capital.

Howard summed up the state of the roster following the trade of Fitzpatrick in September:

pic.twitter.com/wLbhtqqNv5

— Xavien Howard (@Iamxavienhoward) September 17, 2019

On the bright side for Howard, the first-round pick acquired from the Fitzpatrick trade is just one of the reasons why the roster around him could be upgraded massively.

Step 2: Stockpile cap space and draft picks

Altogether, the offseason moved the Dolphins to the top spot in salary cap space for the 2020 season. The team is due to carry only $6.9 million in dead money in 2020 and none in 2021.

It also owns the following picks in the next two drafts:

2020

1st round (Dolphins)

1st round (Texans)

1st round (Steelers)

2nd round (Dolphins)

2nd round (Saints)

3rd round (Dolphins)

5th round (Steelers)

5th round (Rams)

6th round (Dolphins)

6th round (Cardinals)

6th round (Cowboys)

7th round (Dolphins)

2021

1st round (Dolphins)

1st round (Texans)

2nd round (Dolphins)

2nd round (Texans)

3rd round (Dolphins)

4th round (Dolphins)

5th round (Dolphins)

6th round (Steelers)

That draft capital and the Dolphins’ ample cap space was the point of the offseason teardown. It’ll be even better if they land the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

It’s expected to be a good year to draft a quarterback with Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Oregon’s Justin Herbert among the top arms in the class. That’d likely be an appealing route for the Dolphins and — by the look of the team so far — a probable outcome.

Step 3: Lose a lot

There have only been two winless teams over the course of a 16-game schedule in NFL history: the 2008 Lions and the 2017 Browns. The Dolphins can look to both as a source of optimism.

Detroit followed its 0-16 season by drafting Matthew Stafford first overall in 2009. By 2011, the Lions were a playoff team. The Browns also tanked to acquire loads of picks, then selected Baker Mayfield at the top of the 2018 NFL Draft after their winless year. That plan seems to be paying off for Cleveland.

Anything can happen in an NFL game — like a team putting their oft-injured, lunky tight end in on defense, for instance — so it’s not a foregone conclusion that the Dolphins will finish 0-16. But whew, they’re a putrid football team. Right here, we’ll keep track of their season as it unfolds:

Week 1 — Ravens 59, Dolphins 10

There are many ways to dice up the carnage of the blowout, but here are a few stats that put in context just how absolutely terrible the Dolphins were in their opener:

Baltimore had 643 yards of total offense (the most ever allowed by Miami). The Dolphins had 200 yards. That 443-yard difference is the worst disparity in an NFL game since the Vikings trounced the Lions in 1988.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson joined Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, and Drew Brees as one of only four players who has finished a game with more than 20 adjusted yards per attempt in a game with at least 20 passes thrown.

The Dolphins had a time of possession of 19:53. It was their first time having the ball for less than 20 minutes in a game in 14 years.

That’s a good ol’ fashioned steamrolling.

Week 2 — Patriots 43, Dolphins 0

Miami hung in the game longer than expected and trailed only 13-0 at halftime. The game busted open in the second half with the Patriots recording two pick-sixes in the fourth quarter.

At the end of the game, the Dolphins had 189 yards of total offense. It made them the first team since the 2010 Bills to start a season with 200 yards or less in their first two games. That team finished 4-12 with Ryan Fitzpatrick starting at quarterback for almost the entire year.

Miami won’t have to worry about a similar fate ...at least when it comes to Fitzpatrick. The veteran was benched in favor of Josh Rosen the week following that shutout home loss to New England.

Week 3 — Cowboys 31, Dolphins 6

Like the week prior, the Dolphins kept the game close early. They trailed 10-6 at halftime before the Cowboys pulled away with three touchdowns in the second half.

Miami even threatened to take its first lead of the season at the end of the second quarter, but that was ruined by a Kenyan Drake fumble.

HELLO #HOTBOYZ @Thejaylonsmith forces the fumble & @tanklawrence recovers #MIAvsDAL | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/HgCpqEh1zg

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) September 22, 2019

The Dolphins gave up 476 yards of total offense to the Cowboys and managed just 283 yards of their own.

Week 4 — Chargers 30, Dolphins 10

The Dolphins actually led a game for the first time in 2019 with an early touchdown that put them ahead of the Chargers, 7-3. It stayed close in the first half with Josh Rosen playing well early and leading the team to a 10-10 tie late in the second quarter.

Los Angeles turned on the jets in the second half, though. The Chargers scored 20 unanswered points and Rosen’s solid day of work was undermined by a baffling interception.

first career pick ✊ pic.twitter.com/INAa3IIig4

— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) September 29, 2019

The Dolphins lost their first four games by a combined 137 points, the worst for any team since 1950.

Week 6 — Washington 17, Dolphins 16

The Dolphins came oh so close to getting into the win column after a Week 5 bye. Washington took a 17-3 lead into the fourth quarter, but Miami started a come back after Josh Rosen was benched and replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick led the team down the field on a nine-play, 55-yard touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter and then a nine-play, 75-yard drive in the final minutes. The latter was capped with an 11-yard touchdown pass to DeVante Parker. However, a two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful when Fitzpatrick’s screen pass to Kenyan Drake was dropped.

The Dolphins two point conversion to win, did not succeed pic.twitter.com/gXSIgdd0p0

— Vikings Blogger (@firstandskol) October 13, 2019

Drake may not have made it in even if he caught the pass. Either way, in the long run, the drop was probably a good thing for the Dolphins.

Week 7 — Bills 27, Dolphins 17

In the middle of the third quarter, the Dolphins had a 14-9 lead and were in the red zone threatening to go up two scores over Buffalo. Then Ryan Fitzpatrick threw an interception and the Bills went on a 98-yard drive that ended with a touchdown.

That was the first of three fourth quarter touchdowns for the Bills, who won despite losing in the stat books to the Dolphins.

Miami had 381 yards while Buffalo had 301. The Dolphins also won in first downs (24 to 17) and time of possession (33:31 to 26:29). Still, they fell to 0-6 with the loss.

Week 8 — Steelers 27, Dolphins 14

A 14-0 start for Miami made the possibility of a victory look attainable. Then the Steelers roared back with 27 unanswered points to win 27-14.

Pittsburgh’s comeback got jumpstarted by a 45-yard connection between Mason Rudolph and Diontae Johnson for a touchdown just before halftime. The Dolphins’ baffling decision to blitz with eight players on the play was so bad that viewers couldn’t help but wonder if there was an ulterior motive for the decision.

All I know is that if I was tanking, this is probably the defense I’d call on 3rd-and-20. pic.twitter.com/5S8ZxubyYs

— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurkeNFL) October 29, 2019

The Dolphins had a lead for more than 37 minutes during the Monday Night Football loss. That was more than double the time Miami had a lead in its first six losses.

Week 9 — Dolphins 26, Jets 18

A win!

The Dolphins fell behind 7-0 after the Jets’ opening drive of the day, but scored the next 21 points to take a commanding lead that they never gave up. Ryan Fitzpatrick led the way with 288 passing yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions to get Miami in the win column for the first time in 2019.

That’s probably not a great thing in the long run, but it’s not exactly a disaster either. The win didn’t drop out of the top five of the draft order, and the No. 1 pick is still very much a possibility.

Week 10 — Dolphins 16, Colts 12

Out of absolutely nowhere, the Dolphins found themselves on a winning streak by beating the Colts.

The upset victory came with Jacoby Brissett sitting out with a knee injury, forcing Brian Hoyer into the lineup. The replacement quarterback completed just 18 of his 39 passes and three interceptions to only one touchdown.

Another win for Miami isn’t great news for the tanking project, but the Dolphins are still in line for a top five pick.

[writefooted-blog]

From Russia with Love: A Trumpvestigation

June 18, 2013: In his first public flirtation with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump tweets: “Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow - if so, will he become my new best friend?”

December 17, 2013: Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych (a client of Paul Manafort, see below) and Russia's Vladimir Putin announce a $15 billion dollar aid package from Russia to Ukraine. Previously, in the run-up to the historic accord, Yanukovych had been expected to sign an agreement with the European Union. He unilaterally scuttled that plan at the last minute, accepting the massive bailout from the Kremlin instead.

December - January, 2013: Pro-EU demonstrators flood the Maidan, Kiev’s main square. Soon, the protests turn violent, after a brutal crackdown by security forces.

February 18 - 20, 2014: Russia encourages Yanukovych to crack down harder on pro-EU demonstrators and threatens to withhold financial aid unless he does. Dozens die and hundreds are injured as police deploy snipers and fire live ammunition to assert control. Some estimates put the 72 hour total at more than 100 dead and more than 550 wounded.

February 22, 2016: After 3 months of intense and bloody conflict, president Viktor Yanukovych flees Kiev to the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. In a televised speech he states: “I am not leaving the country for anywhere. I do not intend to resign. I am the legitimately elected president.” In Kiev, the Ukrainian parliament votes to release opposition leader and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko from jail, where she had been imprisoned since 2011 (for what are widely believed to be trumped up, politically motivated charges.) Parliament also votes to hold new presidential elections on May 25.

23 February 2014, pro-Russian demonstrations were held in the Crimean city of Sevastopol.

 On 27 February masked Russian troops, without official marking or insignias, take over the Supreme Council of Crimea, and capture strategic sites across Crimea, leading to the installation of the pro-Russian Aksyonov government in Crimea and the declaration of Crimea's independence.

July 2015, Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev said that Crimea had been fully integrated into Russia.[49]

December 17, 2015: Putin publicly praises Trump, saying that he is "a very lively man, talented without doubt," adding that Trump is the "absolute leader in the presidential race." Before the day ends, Trump returns the favor. "It is always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond," he says of Putin.

March 21, 2016: Donald Trump announces a list of foreign policy advisors for his campaign. According to The New York Times, the list includes Carter Page, who will counsel Trump on energy policy and Russian relations.

 March 28th, 2016: In an effort to marshall more delegates, the Trump campaign announces that Paul J. Manafort will serve as his campaign’s Convention Manager. Manafort, who still maintains deep ties to various Russian political leaders and billionaire oligarchs, worked as an adviser to Viktor Yanukovych—a perennial pro-Russian candidate for president of Ukraine— from December 2004 - February 2010. In fact, Manafort was hired by Yanukovych after Yanukovych’s 2004 presidential victory was essentially nullified by Ukrainian ‘Orange Revolution’ street protests, and continued to advise him for the next 6 years until Yanukovych eked out a narrow win over then Ukrainian Prime Minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, who happens to have co-led the Orange Revolution. [[Mr. Manafort began working in Ukraine after the popular uprising in the winter of 2004-5 that became known as the Orange Revolution. Mr. Yanukovych, then prime minister, was declared the winner of a presidential election in 2004 that was marred by fraud and overturned by the country’s highest court after weeks of protests in favor of his pro-Western rival, Viktor A. Yushchenko.]]

May 19, 2016: Paul Manafort is promoted to campaign chairman and chief strategist.

June 20, 2016: Trump fires his original campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, clearing the way, exclusively, for Paul Manafort.

July 22, 2016: Wikileaks releases about 30,000 emails and attachments hacked from the DNC.

July 25, 2016: Trump tweets, “The new joke in town is that Russia leaked the disastrous DNC e-mails, which should never have been written (stupid), because Putin likes me"

July 27, 2016: Speaking to reporters at the Trump National Doral in Doral, Florida (a prestigious 800-acre resort near Miami airport boasts a completely re-designed clubhouse, 643 new deluxe accommodations, luxurious event spaces, premier dining, four championship golf courses plus all new re-imagined recreational amenities), Donald Trump says: “I have nothing to do with Putin. I've never spoken to him. I know nothing about him other than he will respect me.” Almost immediately, he pivots and implores: “I will tell you this, Russia: If you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”

July 27, 2016: During the same press conference, a German reporter asks Trump: “I would like to know, if you became president, would you recognize Crimea as Russian territory?” Trump casually responds, “We'll be looking at that. Yeah, we'll be looking.”

July 31, 2016: Donald Trump tells ABC's George Stephanopoulos that Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t invade Ukraine militarily, stating, "He's not going into Ukraine, OK, just so you understand. He's not going to go into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down.” Given the fact that Russia annexed Crimea in early 2014, Stephanopoulos is incredulous. He responds, "Well, he's already there, isn't he?” Trump tries to backpedal, responding awkwardly, "OK -- well, he's there in a certain way. But I'm not there. You have Obama there. And frankly, that whole part of the world is a mess under Obama with all the strength that you're talking about and all of the power of NATO and all of this. In the meantime, he's going away, he takes Crimea.”

August 1, 2016 (7:50 a.m.): Trump clarifies his comments from the day before via his favorite medium, Twitter. He tweets: “When I said in an interview that Putin is "not going into Ukraine, you can mark it down," I am saying if I am President. Already in Crimea!” Thirteen minutes later, Trump adds, “So with all of the Obama tough talk on Russia and the Ukraine, they have already taken Crimea and continue to push. That's what I said!”

August 14, 2016: The New York Times publishes an article entitled “Secret Ledger in Ukraine Lists Cash for Donald Trump’s Campaign Chief.” The article alleges that political consultant Paul Manafort received millions of dollars worth of cash payments from Viktor Yanukovych's party while in Ukraine, noting, "Handwritten ledgers show $12.7 million in undisclosed cash payments designated for Mr. Manafort from Mr. Yanukovych’s pro-Russian political party from 2007 to 2012, according to Ukraine’s newly formed National Anti-Corruption Bureau. Investigators assert that the disbursements were part of an illegal off-the-books system whose recipients also included election officials.” Manafort denies the allegations, saying, "The suggestion that I accepted cash payments is unfounded, silly and nonsensical."

August 19, 2016: Paul Manafort resigns.

September 7, 2016: In a televised forum on military issues hosted by NBC’s Matt Lauer, Donald Trump says he that he thinks Vladimir Putin "has been a leader far more than our president has been leader.”

September 14, 2016: Upon suddenly remembering that Russia has, in fact, invaded Ukraine, Trump tweets: "Russia took Crimea during the so-called Obama years. Who wouldn't know this and why does Obama get a free pass?"

October 7, 2016: Wikileaks releases 50,000 emails stolen from Hillary Clinton’s campaign chief, John Podesta.

October 8, 2016: After release of the Donald Trump “Access Hollywood” tape in which Trump made several lewd and sexually aggressive comments, Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah)   tells Utah’s Fox 13 News, “I’m out. I can no longer in good conscience endorse this person for president. It is some of the most abhorrent and offensive comments that you can possibly imagine.”

October 24, 2016: Lara Trump, wife of Donald Trump’s middle son, Eric, tells “Fox & Friends” hosts, “Well there's still a couple days left in October. We’ve got some stuff up our sleeve.”

October 25, 2016: Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City and Trump surrogate giddily tells “Fox & Friends” hosts, “We got a couple of surprises left” and “I do think that all of these revelations about Hillary Clinton finally are beginning to have an impact.”

October 26, 2016: Rudy Giuliani tells Fox News, "I'm sorry, I don't believe in polls. Every election I ever won, I outperformed the polls. I think he's [Trump] got a surprise or two that you're going to hear about in the next few days. I mean, I'm talking about some pretty big surprises."

October 26, 2016 (6:05 p.m.): Suddenly and inexplicably, Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) reverses course, publicly stating he will vote for Trump. He tweets: "I will not defend or endorse @realDonaldTrump, but I am voting for him. HRC is that bad.  HRC is bad for the USA.”

October 28, 2016: FBI Director James Comey sends a letter to Congress stating: “In connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation. . . . I agreed that the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps designed to allow investigators to review these emails to determine whether they contain classified information, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation.”

October 28, 2016: The media goes into a feeding frenzy, breathlessly reporting the FBI’s urgent investigation of the “newly discovered” Clinton emails. Giuliani tells Fox News: “I did nothing to get it out, I had no role in it. Did I hear about it? You’re darn right I heard about it, and I can’t even repeat the language that I heard from the former FBI agents.”

October 31, 2016: Law enforcement and intelligence sources tell NBC News that the FBI has opened a preliminary inquiry into Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort's foreign business connections. Manafort tells NBC News, "None of it is true ... There's no investigation going on by the FBI that I'm aware of. This is all political propaganda, meant to deflect.”

[junker-town]

How the Dolphins are tanking, in 3 steps

Dolphins quarterback Josh Rosen sacked by Ravens pass rusher Matthew Judon.

The Dolphins gutted their roster and now they are — surprise, surprise — a very bad football team.

The Miami Dolphins are awful.

That’s no surprise. They were expected to be after they mostly spent their offseason getting rid of talent rather than acquiring it. But it was still staggering to see just how bad the Dolphins were when they kicked off the 2019 season by getting destroyed by the Ravens, 59-10.

While head coach Brian Flores continues to insist the team’s not tanking, there’s no way around it at this point. The Dolphins are bottoming out in a way that’s usually only seen in the NBA.

The one-sided loss to Baltimore was, in all likelihood, the first of many butt kickings Miami will endure in 2019. That’s even apparent to Dolphins players, some of whom asked their agents to get them traded out of South Beach, according to Pro Football Talk.

“The players believe that the coaching staff, despite claiming that they intend to try to win, aren’t serious about competing and winning,” the report said.

Those players are correct. The Dolphins organization is not trying to be a contender in 2019. Its goal all year has been to load up on cap space and draft picks in lieu of wins. That’s a textbook tank job.

Dolphins players aren’t trying to lose, though. Roster spots are too hard to come by and careers are too short in the NFL. They’ll all give 100 percent on the field. Miami is just too far behind other teams in terms of skill to truly keep up and compete.

So how did the Dolphins get to this point? They followed a simple three-step process

Step 1: Gut the roster

Dec. 31, 2018: The best place to start is the day Adam Gase was fired as head coach of the Dolphins after a 7-9 season.

Miami finished the year 31st in total offense and 29th in total defense. The Dolphins were bad at everything, but by still managing seven wins, they didn’t even have a top-12 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Being stuck in that 6-to-8-win middle ground — somewhere the team was for most of a decade — prompted coaching and executive changes.

Along with Gase’s firing, football operations were removed from executive vice president Mike Tannenbaum’s control and given to general manager Chris Grier. Former Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie was later hired as a senior personnel executive and Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores, a first-time head coach, replaced Gase.

March 7, 2019: The first signs of tanking didn’t come until March. It started with the Dolphins releasing veteran defensive end Andre Branch and starting offensive guard Ted Larsen. Still, neither move was too surprising considering they saved the Dolphins about $9 million in combined cap space. Branch signed with the Cardinals, but didn’t make the final roster. Larsen is now a backup for the Bears.

March 13, 2019: The Dolphins made another move on the offensive line by releasing Josh Sitton. He played just one game for the team in 2018 before a rotator cuff tear landed him on injured reserve. It saved the team $5 million in cap space and Sitton retired in April.

That was also the same day free agency began in the NFL. The Dolphins allowed offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James, defensive end Cameron Wake, wide receiver Danny Amendola, and running back Frank Gore, among others, to walk and sign elsewhere.

March 15, 2019: Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was traded to the Titans after seven years and 88 starts with the Dolphins. The two teams swapped late-round selections in 2019 and the Dolphins received a 2020 fourth-round pick.

Tannehill was due to count $26.6 million against Miam’s cap in 2019, a pricy number for a player who struggled to stay healthy or ascend into a top-tier passer. Following the trade — and an agreement to pay $5 million of his signing bonus on the Titans’ behalf — the Dolphins saved a little over $8 million and ate about $18.4 million in dead money. Tannehill will be off the books entirely in 2020.

March 18, 2019: Career journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick was signed to a two-year contract to be the team’s new starting quarterback. The deal provided the Dolphins with a cheap stopgap solution under center. The two-year, $11 million contract given to Fitzpatrick constituted the most expensive acquisition the Dolphins made in free agency. Only the Cowboys and Rams — two Super Bowl contenders — spent less.

March 28, 2019: Pass rusher Robert Quinn, who came over in a trade from the Rams in March 2018, was sent to the Cowboys for a 2020 sixth-round pick. He led Miami in sacks during the 2018 season with 6.5. The trade saved the Dolphins close to $12 million in cap space and stuck them with only around $1.1 million in dead money.

April 25-26, 2019: Miami selected Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft and traded its second-round pick for quarterback Josh Rosen. Rosen, a top-10 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, started one season for the Cardinals.

May 13, 2019: The most significant investment made by the Dolphins in the offseason was a five-year, $76.5 million extension given to cornerback Xavien Howard. He was their only Pro Bowler in 2018 and is now tied to the team through the 2024 season. DeVante Parker, Jakeem Grant, and Jesse Davis received more moderately sized extensions at other points in the offseason.

Aug. 31, 2019: A week prior to their regular season opener, the Dolphins traded starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills to the Texans. The package of picks sent back to Miami was quite the haul:

Official terms of now completed trade: Houston receives: T Laremy Tunsil WR Kenny Stills 2020 4th round pick 2021 6th round pick Miami receives: 2020 1st round pick 2021 1st round pick 2021 2nd round pick T Julien Davenport CB Johnson Bademosi

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 31, 2019

Following the trade, Julién Davenport was slotted in as the Dolphins’ new starting right tackle. No offensive lineman in the NFL allowed more quarterback hits (14) in 2018 or drew more penalties (16) than Davenport.

He lasted just one game for the Dolphins before landing on injured reserve.

Sept. 15, 2019: Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported the Dolphins have been calling around the league in an attempt to trade running back Kenyan Drake. He led the team in rushing in 2017 and yards from scrimmage in 2018.

Sept. 16, 2019: The Dolphins allowed 2018 first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick to pursue a trade after their Week 1 loss, and found a partner after Week 2. Fitzpatrick was sent to the Steelers for a 2020 first-round pick, a potentially great investment considering the Steelers’ many problems in 2019.

Oct. 28, 2019: One day ahead of the trade deadline, the Dolphins traded running back Kenyan Drake to the Cardinals for a sixth-round pick that has a chance to become a fifth-round pick if Drake reaches certain milestones.

Howard summed up the state of the roster following the trade of Fitzpatrick in September

pic.twitter.com/wLbhtqqNv5

— Xavien Howard (@Iamxavienhoward) September 17, 2019

On the bright side for Howard, the first-round pick acquired from the Fitzpatrick trade is just one of the reasons why the roster around him could be upgraded massively.

Step 2: Stockpile cap space and draft picks

Altogether, the offseason moved the Dolphins to the top spot in salary cap space for the 2020 season. The team is due to carry only $6.9 million in dead money in 2020 and none in 2021.

It also owns the following picks in the next two drafts:

2020

1st round (Dolphins)

1st round (Texans)

1st round (Steelers)

2nd round (Dolphins)

2nd round (Saints)

3rd round (Dolphins)

5th round (Steelers)

6th round (Dolphins)

6th round (Cardinals)

6th round (Cowboys)

7th round (Dolphins)

2021

1st round (Dolphins)

1st round (Texans)

2nd round (Dolphins)

2nd round (Texans)

3rd round (Dolphins)

4th round (Dolphins)

5th round (Dolphins)

6th round (Steelers)

That draft capital and the Dolphins’ ample cap space was the point of the offseason teardown. It’ll be even better if they land the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

It’s expected to be a good year to draft a quarterback with Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Oregon’s Justin Herbert among the top arms in the class. That’d likely be an appealing route for the Dolphins and — by the look of the team so far — a probable outcome.

Step 3: Lose a lot

There have only been two winless teams over the course of a 16-game schedule in NFL history: the 2008 Lions and the 2017 Browns. The Dolphins can look to both as a source of optimism.

Detroit followed its 0-16 season by drafting Matthew Stafford first overall in 2009. By 2011, the Lions were a playoff team. The Browns also tanked to acquire loads of picks, then selected Baker Mayfield at the top of the 2018 NFL Draft after their winless year. That plan seems to be paying off for Cleveland.

Anything can happen in an NFL game — like a team putting their oft-injured, lunky tight end in on defense, for instance — so it’s not a foregone conclusion that the Dolphins will finish 0-16. But whew, they’re a putrid football team. Right here, we’ll keep track of their season as it unfolds:

Week 1 — Ravens 59, Dolphins 10

There are many ways to dice up the carnage of the blowout, but here are a few stats that put in context just how absolutely terrible the Dolphins were in their opener:

Baltimore had 643 yards of total offense (the most ever allowed by Miami). The Dolphins had 200 yards. That 443-yard difference is the worst disparity in an NFL game since the Vikings trounced the Lions in 1988.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson joined Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, and Drew Brees as one of only four players who has finished a game with more than 20 adjusted yards per attempt in a game with at least 20 passes thrown.

The Dolphins had a time of possession of 19:53. It was their first time having the ball for less than 20 minutes in a game in 14 years.

That’s a good ol’ fashioned steamrolling.

Week 2 — Patriots 43, Dolphins 0

Miami hung in the game longer than expected and trailed only 13-0 at halftime. The game busted open in the second half with the Patriots recording two pick-sixes in the fourth quarter.

At the end of the game, the Dolphins had 189 yards of total offense. It made them the first team since the 2010 Bills to start a season with 200 yards or less in their first two games. That team finished 4-12 with Ryan Fitzpatrick starting at quarterback for almost the entire year.

Miami won’t have to worry about a similar fate ...at least when it comes to Fitzpatrick. The veteran was benched in favor of Josh Rosen the week following that shutout home loss to New England.

Week 3 — Cowboys 31, Dolphins 6

Like the week prior, the Dolphins kept the game close early. They trailed 10-6 at halftime before the Cowboys pulled away with three touchdowns in the second half.

Miami even threatened to take its first lead of the season at the end of the second quarter, but that was ruined by a Kenyan Drake fumble.

HELLO #HOTBOYZ @Thejaylonsmith forces the fumble & @tanklawrence recovers #MIAvsDAL | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/HgCpqEh1zg

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) September 22, 2019

The Dolphins gave up 476 yards of total offense to the Cowboys and managed just 283 yards of their own.

Week 4 — Chargers 30, Dolphins 10

The Dolphins actually led a game for the first time in 2019 with an early touchdown that put them ahead of the Chargers, 7-3. It stayed close in the first half with Josh Rosen playing well early and leading the team to a 10-10 tie late in the second quarter.

Los Angeles turned on the jets in the second half, though. The Chargers scored 20 unanswered points and Rosen’s solid day of work was undermined by a baffling interception.

first career pick ✊ pic.twitter.com/INAa3IIig4

— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) September 29, 2019

The Dolphins lost their first four games by a combined 137 points, the worst for any team since 1950.

Week 6 — Washington 17, Dolphins 16

The Dolphins came oh so close to getting into the win column after a Week 5 bye. Washington took a 17-3 lead into the fourth quarter, but Miami started a come back after Josh Rosen was benched and replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick led the team down the field on a nine-play, 55-yard touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter and then a nine-play, 75-yard drive in the final minutes. The latter was capped with an 11-yard touchdown pass to DeVante Parker. However, a two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful when Fitzpatrick’s screen pass to Kenyan Drake was dropped.

The Dolphins two point conversion to win, did not succeed pic.twitter.com/gXSIgdd0p0

— Vikings Blogger (@firstandskol) October 13, 2019

Drake may not have made it in even if he caught the pass. Either way, in the long run, the drop was probably a good thing for the Dolphins.

Week 7 — Bills 27, Dolphins 17

In the middle of the third quarter, the Dolphins had a 14-9 lead and were in the red zone threatening to go up two scores over Buffalo. Then Ryan Fitzpatrick threw an interception and the Bills went on a 98-yard drive that ended with a touchdown.

That was the first of three fourth quarter touchdowns for the Bills, who won despite losing in the stat books to the Dolphins.

Miami had 381 yards while Buffalo had 301. The Dolphins also won in first downs (24 to 17) and time of possession (33:31 to 26:29). Still, they fell to 0-6 with the loss.

[junker-town]

How the Dolphins are tanking, in 3 steps

Dolphins quarterback Josh Rosen sacked by Ravens pass rusher Matthew Judon.

The Dolphins gutted their roster and now they are — surprise, surprise — a very bad football team.

The Miami Dolphins are awful.

That’s no surprise. They were expected to be after they mostly spent their offseason getting rid of talent rather than acquiring it. But it was still staggering to see just how bad the Dolphins were when they kicked off the 2019 season by getting destroyed by the Ravens, 59-10.

While head coach Brian Flores continues to insist the team’s not tanking, there’s no way around it at this point. The Dolphins are bottoming out in a way that’s usually only seen in the NBA.

The one-sided loss to Baltimore was, in all likelihood, the first of many butt kickings Miami will endure in 2019. That’s even apparent to Dolphins players, some of whom asked their agents to get them traded out of South Beach, according to Pro Football Talk.

“The players believe that the coaching staff, despite claiming that they intend to try to win, aren’t serious about competing and winning,” the report said.

Those players are correct. The Dolphins organization is not trying to be a contender in 2019. Its goal all year has been to load up on cap space and draft picks in lieu of wins. That’s a textbook tank job.

Dolphins players aren’t trying to lose, though. Roster spots are too hard to come by and careers are too short in the NFL. They’ll all give 100 percent on the field. Miami is just too far behind other teams in terms of skill to truly keep up and compete.

So how did the Dolphins get to this point? They followed a simple three-step process

Step 1: Gut the roster

Dec. 31, 2018: The best place to start is the day Adam Gase was fired as head coach of the Dolphins after a 7-9 season.

Miami finished the year 31st in total offense and 29th in total defense. The Dolphins were bad at everything, but by still managing seven wins, they didn’t even have a top-12 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Being stuck in that 6-to-8-win middle ground — somewhere the team was for most of a decade — prompted coaching and executive changes.

Along with Gase’s firing, football operations were removed from executive vice president Mike Tannenbaum’s control and given to general manager Chris Grier. Former Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie was later hired as a senior personnel executive and Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores, a first-time head coach, replaced Gase.

March 7, 2019: The first signs of tanking didn’t come until March. It started with the Dolphins releasing veteran defensive end Andre Branch and starting offensive guard Ted Larsen. Still, neither move was too surprising considering they saved the Dolphins about $9 million in combined cap space. Branch signed with the Cardinals, but didn’t make the final roster. Larsen is now a backup for the Bears.

March 13, 2019: The Dolphins made another move on the offensive line by releasing Josh Sitton. He played just one game for the team in 2018 before a rotator cuff tear landed him on injured reserve. It saved the team $5 million in cap space and Sitton retired in April.

That was also the same day free agency began in the NFL. The Dolphins allowed offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James, defensive end Cameron Wake, wide receiver Danny Amendola, and running back Frank Gore, among others, to walk and sign elsewhere.

March 15, 2019: Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was traded to the Titans after seven years and 88 starts with the Dolphins. The two teams swapped late-round selections in 2019 and the Dolphins received a 2020 fourth-round pick.

Tannehill was due to count $26.6 million against Miam’s cap in 2019, a pricy number for a player who struggled to stay healthy or ascend into a top-tier passer. Following the trade — and an agreement to pay $5 million of his signing bonus on the Titans’ behalf — the Dolphins saved a little over $8 million and ate about $18.4 million in dead money. Tannehill will be off the books entirely in 2020.

March 18, 2019: Career journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick was signed to a two-year contract to be the team’s new starting quarterback. The deal provided the Dolphins with a cheap stopgap solution under center. The two-year, $11 million contract given to Fitzpatrick constituted the most expensive acquisition the Dolphins made in free agency. Only the Cowboys and Rams — two Super Bowl contenders — spent less.

March 28, 2019: Pass rusher Robert Quinn, who came over in a trade from the Rams in March 2018, was sent to the Cowboys for a 2020 sixth-round pick. He led Miami in sacks during the 2018 season with 6.5. The trade saved the Dolphins close to $12 million in cap space and stuck them with only around $1.1 million in dead money.

April 25-26, 2019: Miami selected Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft and traded its second-round pick for quarterback Josh Rosen. Rosen, a top-10 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, started one season for the Cardinals.

May 13, 2019: The most significant investment made by the Dolphins in the offseason was a five-year, $76.5 million extension given to cornerback Xavien Howard. He was their only Pro Bowler in 2018 and is now tied to the team through the 2024 season. DeVante Parker, Jakeem Grant, and Jesse Davis received more moderately sized extensions at other points in the offseason.

Aug. 31, 2019: A week prior to their regular season opener, the Dolphins traded starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills to the Texans. The package of picks sent back to Miami was quite the haul:

Official terms of now completed trade: Houston receives: T Laremy Tunsil WR Kenny Stills 2020 4th round pick 2021 6th round pick Miami receives: 2020 1st round pick 2021 1st round pick 2021 2nd round pick T Julien Davenport CB Johnson Bademosi

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 31, 2019

Following the trade, Julién Davenport was slotted in as the Dolphins’ new starting right tackle. No offensive lineman in the NFL allowed more quarterback hits (14) in 2018 or drew more penalties (16) than Davenport.

He lasted just one game for the Dolphins before landing on injured reserve.

Sept. 15, 2019: Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported the Dolphins have been calling around the league in an attempt to trade running back Kenyan Drake. He led the team in rushing in 2017 and yards from scrimmage in 2018.

Sept. 16, 2019: The Dolphins allowed 2018 first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick to pursue a trade after their Week 1 loss, and found a partner after Week 2. Fitzpatrick was sent to the Steelers for a 2020 first-round pick, a potentially great investment considering the Steelers’ many problems in 2019.

Howard summed up the state of the roster following the trade

pic.twitter.com/wLbhtqqNv5

— Xavien Howard (@Iamxavienhoward) September 17, 2019

On the bright side for Howard, the first-round pick acquired from the Fitzpatrick trade is just one of the reasons why the roster around him could be upgraded massively.

Step 2: Stockpile cap space and draft picks

Altogether, the offseason moved the Dolphins to the top spot in salary cap space for the 2020 season. The team is due to carry only $6.9 million in dead money in 2020 and none in 2021.

It also owns the following picks in the next two drafts:

2020

1st round (Dolphins)

1st round (Texans)

1st round (Steelers)

2nd round (Dolphins)

2nd round (Saints)

3rd round (Dolphins)

5th round (Steelers)

6th round (Dolphins)

6th round (Cowboys)

7th round (Dolphins)

2021

1st round (Dolphins)

1st round (Texans)

2nd round (Dolphins)

2nd round (Texans)

3rd round (Dolphins)

4th round (Dolphins)

5th round (Dolphins)

6th round (Steelers)

That draft capital and the Dolphins’ ample cap space was the point of the offseason teardown. It’ll be even better if they land the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

It’s expected to be a good year to draft a quarterback with Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Oregon’s Justin Herbert among the top arms in the class. That’d likely be an appealing route for the Dolphins and — by the look of the team so far — a probable outcome.

Step 3: Lose a lot

There have only been two winless teams over the course of a 16-game schedule in NFL history: the 2008 Lions and the 2017 Browns. The Dolphins can look to both as a source of optimism.

Detroit followed its 0-16 season by drafting Matthew Stafford first overall in 2009. By 2011, the Lions were a playoff team. The Browns also tanked to acquire loads of picks, then selected Baker Mayfield at the top of the 2018 NFL Draft after their winless year. That plan seems to be paying off for Cleveland.

Anything can happen in an NFL game — like a team putting their oft-injured, lunky tight end in on defense, for instance — so it’s not a foregone conclusion that the Dolphins will finish 0-16. But whew, they’re a putrid football team. Right here, we’ll keep track of their season as it unfolds:

Week 1 — Ravens 59, Dolphins 10

There are many ways to dice up the carnage of the blowout, but here are a few stats that put in context just how absolutely terrible the Dolphins were in their opener:

Baltimore had 643 yards of total offense (the most ever allowed by Miami). The Dolphins had 200 yards. That 443-yard difference is the worst disparity in an NFL game since the Vikings trounced the Lions in 1988.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson joined Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, and Drew Brees as one of only four players who has finished a game with more than 20 adjusted yards per attempt in a game with at least 20 passes thrown.

The Dolphins had a time of possession of 19:53. It was their first time having the ball for less than 20 minutes in a game in 14 years.

That’s a good ol’ fashioned steamrolling.

Week 2 — Patriots 43, Dolphins 0

Miami hung in the game longer than expected and trailed only 13-0 at halftime. The game busted open in the second half with the Patriots recording two pick-sixes in the fourth quarter.

At the end of the game, the Dolphins had 189 yards of total offense. It made them the first team since the 2010 Bills to start a season with 200 yards or less in their first two games. That team finished 4-12 with Ryan Fitzpatrick starting at quarterback for almost the entire year.

Miami won’t have to worry about a similar fate ...at least when it comes to Fitzpatrick. The veteran was benched in favor of Josh Rosen the week following that shutout home loss to New England.

Week 3 — Cowboys 31, Dolphins 6

Like the week prior, the Dolphins kept the game close early. They trailed 10-6 at halftime before the Cowboys pulled away with three touchdowns in the second half.

Miami even threatened to take its first lead of the season at the end of the second quarter, but that was ruined by a Kenyan Drake fumble.

HELLO #HOTBOYZ @Thejaylonsmith forces the fumble & @tanklawrence recovers #MIAvsDAL | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/HgCpqEh1zg

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) September 22, 2019

The Dolphins gave up 476 yards of total offense to the Cowboys and managed just 283 yards of their own.

Week 4 — Chargers 30, Dolphins 10

The Dolphins actually led a game for the first time in 2019 with an early touchdown that put them ahead of the Chargers, 7-3. It stayed close in the first half with Josh Rosen playing well early and leading the team to a 10-10 tie late in the second quarter.

Los Angeles turned on the jets in the second half, though. The Chargers scored 20 unanswered points and Rosen’s solid day of work was undermined by a baffling interception.

first career pick ✊ pic.twitter.com/INAa3IIig4

— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) September 29, 2019

The Dolphins lost their first four games by a combined 137 points, the worst for any team since 1950.

Week 6 — Washington 17, Dolphins 16

The Dolphins came oh so close to getting into the win column after a Week 5 bye. Washington took a 17-3 lead into the fourth quarter, but Miami started a come back after Josh Rosen was benched and replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick led the team down the field on a nine-play, 55-yard touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter and then a nine-play, 75-yard drive in the final minutes. The latter was capped with an 11-yard touchdown pass to DeVante Parker. However, a two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful when Fitzpatrick’s screen pass to Kenyan Drake was dropped.

The Dolphins two point conversion to win, did not succeed pic.twitter.com/gXSIgdd0p0

— Vikings Blogger (@firstandskol) October 13, 2019

Drake may not have made it in even if he caught the pass. Either way, in the long run, the drop was probably a good thing for the Dolphins.

Week 7 — Bills 27, Dolphins 17

In the middle of the third quarter, the Dolphins had a 14-9 lead and were in the red zone threatening to go up two scores over Buffalo. Then Ryan Fitzpatrick threw an interception and the Bills went on a 98-yard drive that ended with a touchdown.

That was the first of three fourth quarter touchdowns for the Bills, who won despite losing in the stat books to the Dolphins.

Miami had 381 yards while Buffalo had 301. The Dolphins also won in first downs (24 to 17) and time of possession (33:31 to 26:29). Still, they fell to 0-6 with the loss.

[junker-town]

How the Dolphins are tanking, in 3 steps

Dolphins quarterback Josh Rosen sacked by Ravens pass rusher Matthew Judon.

The Dolphins gutted their roster and now they are — surprise, surprise — a very bad football team.

The Miami Dolphins are awful.

That’s no surprise. They were expected to be after they mostly spent their offseason getting rid of talent rather than acquiring it. But it was still staggering to see just how bad the Dolphins were when they kicked off the 2019 season by getting destroyed by the Ravens, 59-10.

While head coach Brian Flores continues to insist the team’s not tanking, there’s no way around it at this point. The Dolphins are bottoming out in a way that’s usually only seen in the NBA.

The one-sided loss to Baltimore was, in all likelihood, the first of many butt kickings Miami will endure in 2019. That’s even apparent to Dolphins players, some of whom asked their agents to get them traded out of South Beach, according to Pro Football Talk.

“The players believe that the coaching staff, despite claiming that they intend to try to win, aren’t serious about competing and winning,” the report said.

Those players are correct. The Dolphins organization is not trying to be a contender in 2019. Its goal all year has been to load up on cap space and draft picks in lieu of wins. That’s a textbook tank job.

Dolphins players aren’t trying to lose, though. Roster spots are too hard to come by and careers are too short in the NFL. They’ll all give 100 percent on the field. Miami is just too far behind other teams in terms of skill to truly keep up and compete.

So how did the Dolphins get to this point? They followed a simple three-step process

Step 1: Gut the roster

Dec. 31, 2018: The best place to start is the day Adam Gase was fired as head coach of the Dolphins after a 7-9 season.

Miami finished the year 31st in total offense and 29th in total defense. The Dolphins were bad at everything, but by still managing seven wins, they didn’t even have a top-12 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Being stuck in that 6-to-8-win middle ground — somewhere the team was for most of a decade — prompted coaching and executive changes.

Along with Gase’s firing, football operations were removed from executive vice president Mike Tannenbaum’s control and given to general manager Chris Grier. Former Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie was later hired as a senior personnel executive and Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores, a first-time head coach, replaced Gase.

March 7, 2019: The first signs of tanking didn’t come until March. It started with the Dolphins releasing veteran defensive end Andre Branch and starting offensive guard Ted Larsen. Still, neither move was too surprising considering they saved the Dolphins about $9 million in combined cap space. Branch signed with the Cardinals, but didn’t make the final roster. Larsen is now a backup for the Bears.

March 13, 2019: The Dolphins made another move on the offensive line by releasing Josh Sitton. He played just one game for the team in 2018 before a rotator cuff tear landed him on injured reserve. It saved the team $5 million in cap space and Sitton retired in April.

That was also the same day free agency began in the NFL. The Dolphins allowed offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James, defensive end Cameron Wake, wide receiver Danny Amendola, and running back Frank Gore, among others, to walk and sign elsewhere.

March 15, 2019: Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was traded to the Titans after seven years and 88 starts with the Dolphins. The two teams swapped late-round selections in 2019 and the Dolphins received a 2020 fourth-round pick.

Tannehill was due to count $26.6 million against Miam’s cap in 2019, a pricy number for a player who struggled to stay healthy or ascend into a top-tier passer. Following the trade — and an agreement to pay $5 million of his signing bonus on the Titans’ behalf — the Dolphins saved a little over $8 million and ate about $18.4 million in dead money. Tannehill will be off the books entirely in 2020.

March 18, 2019: Career journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick was signed to a two-year contract to be the team’s new starting quarterback. The deal provided the Dolphins with a cheap stopgap solution under center. The two-year, $11 million contract given to Fitzpatrick constituted the most expensive acquisition the Dolphins made in free agency. Only the Cowboys and Rams — two Super Bowl contenders — spent less.

March 28, 2019: Pass rusher Robert Quinn, who came over in a trade from the Rams in March 2018, was sent to the Cowboys for a 2020 sixth-round pick. He led Miami in sacks during the 2018 season with 6.5. The trade saved the Dolphins close to $12 million in cap space and stuck them with only around $1.1 million in dead money.

April 25-26, 2019: Miami selected Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft and traded its second-round pick for quarterback Josh Rosen. Rosen, a top-10 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, started one season for the Cardinals.

May 13, 2019: The most significant investment made by the Dolphins in the offseason was a five-year, $76.5 million extension given to cornerback Xavien Howard. He was their only Pro Bowler in 2018 and is now tied to the team through the 2024 season. DeVante Parker, Jakeem Grant, and Jesse Davis received more moderately sized extensions at other points in the offseason.

Aug. 31, 2019: A week prior to their regular season opener, the Dolphins traded starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills to the Texans. The package of picks sent back to Miami was quite the haul:

Official terms of now completed trade: Houston receives: T Laremy Tunsil WR Kenny Stills 2020 4th round pick 2021 6th round pick Miami receives: 2020 1st round pick 2021 1st round pick 2021 2nd round pick T Julien Davenport CB Johnson Bademosi

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 31, 2019

Following the trade, Julién Davenport was slotted in as the Dolphins’ new starting right tackle. No offensive lineman in the NFL allowed more quarterback hits (14) in 2018 or drew more penalties (16) than Davenport.

He lasted just one game for the Dolphins before landing on injured reserve.

Sept. 15, 2019: Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported the Dolphins have been calling around the league in an attempt to trade running back Kenyan Drake. He led the team in rushing in 2017 and yards from scrimmage in 2018.

Sept. 16, 2019: The Dolphins allowed 2018 first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick to pursue a trade after their Week 1 loss, and found a partner after Week 2. Fitzpatrick was sent to the Steelers for a 2020 first-round pick, a potentially great investment considering the Steelers’ many problems in 2019.

Howard summed up the state of the roster following the trade

pic.twitter.com/wLbhtqqNv5

— Xavien Howard (@Iamxavienhoward) September 17, 2019

On the bright side for Howard, the first-round pick acquired from the Fitzpatrick trade is just one of the reasons why the roster around him could be upgraded massively.

Step 2: Stockpile cap space and draft picks

Altogether, the offseason moved the Dolphins to the top spot in salary cap space for the 2020 season. The team is due to carry only $6.9 million in dead money in 2020 and none in 2021.

It also owns the following picks in the next two drafts:

2020

1st round (Dolphins)

1st round (Texans)

1st round (Steelers)

2nd round (Dolphins)

2nd round (Saints)

3rd round (Dolphins)

5th round (Steelers)

6th round (Dolphins)

6th round (Cowboys)

7th round (Dolphins)

2021

1st round (Dolphins)

1st round (Texans)

2nd round (Dolphins)

2nd round (Texans)

3rd round (Dolphins)

4th round (Dolphins)

5th round (Dolphins)

6th round (Steelers)

That draft capital and the Dolphins’ ample cap space was the point of the offseason teardown. It’ll be even better if they land the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

It’s expected to be a good year to draft a quarterback with Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Oregon’s Justin Herbert among the top arms in the class. That’d likely be an appealing route for the Dolphins and — by the look of the team so far — a probable outcome.

Step 3: Lose a lot

There have only been two winless teams over the course of a 16-game schedule in NFL history: the 2008 Lions and the 2017 Browns. The Dolphins can look to both as a source of optimism.

Detroit followed its 0-16 season by drafting Matthew Stafford first overall in 2009. By 2011, the Lions were a playoff team. The Browns also tanked to acquire loads of picks, then selected Baker Mayfield at the top of the 2018 NFL Draft after their winless year. That plan seems to be paying off for Cleveland.

Anything can happen in an NFL game — like a team putting their oft-injured, lunky tight end in on defense, for instance — so it’s not a foregone conclusion that the Dolphins will finish 0-16. But whew, they’re a putrid football team. Right here, we’ll keep track of their season as it unfolds:

Week 1 — Ravens 59, Dolphins 10

There are many ways to dice up the carnage of the blowout, but here are a few stats that put in context just how absolutely terrible the Dolphins were in their opener:

Baltimore had 643 yards of total offense (the most ever allowed by Miami). The Dolphins had 200 yards. That 443-yard difference is the worst disparity in an NFL game since the Vikings trounced the Lions in 1988.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson joined Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, and Drew Brees as one of only four players who has finished a game with more than 20 adjusted yards per attempt in a game with at least 20 passes thrown.

The Dolphins had a time of possession of 19:53. It was their first time having the ball for less than 20 minutes in a game in 14 years.

That’s a good ol’ fashioned steamrolling.

Week 2 — Patriots 43, Dolphins 0

Miami hung in the game longer than expected and trailed only 13-0 at halftime. The game busted open in the second half with the Patriots recording two pick-sixes in the fourth quarter.

At the end of the game, the Dolphins had 189 yards of total offense. It made them the first team since the 2010 Bills to start a season with 200 yards or less in their first two games. That team finished 4-12 with Ryan Fitzpatrick starting at quarterback for almost the entire year.

Miami won’t have to worry about a similar fate ...at least when it comes to Fitzpatrick. The veteran was benched in favor of Josh Rosen the week following that shutout home loss to New England.

Week 3 — Cowboys 31, Dolphins 6

Like the week prior, the Dolphins kept the game close early. They trailed 10-6 at halftime before the Cowboys pulled away with three touchdowns in the second half.

Miami even threatened to take its first lead of the season at the end of the second quarter, but that was ruined by a Kenyan Drake fumble.

HELLO #HOTBOYZ @Thejaylonsmith forces the fumble & @tanklawrence recovers #MIAvsDAL | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/HgCpqEh1zg

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) September 22, 2019

The Dolphins gave up 476 yards of total offense to the Cowboys and managed just 283 yards of their own.

Week 4 — Chargers 30, Dolphins 10

The Dolphins actually led a game for the first time in 2019 with an early touchdown that put them ahead of the Chargers, 7-3. It stayed close in the first half with Josh Rosen playing well early and leading the team to a 10-10 tie late in the second quarter.

Los Angeles turned on the jets in the second half, though. The Chargers scored 20 unanswered points and Rosen’s solid day of work was undermined by a baffling interception.

first career pick ✊ pic.twitter.com/INAa3IIig4

— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) September 29, 2019

The Dolphins lost their first four games by a combined 137 points, the worst for any team since 1950.

Week 6 — Washington 17, Dolphins 16

The Dolphins came oh so close to getting into the win column after a Week 5 bye. Washington took a 17-3 lead into the fourth quarter, but Miami started a come back after Josh Rosen was benched and replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick led the team down the field on a nine-play, 55-yard touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter and then a nine-play, 75-yard drive in the final minutes. The latter was capped with an 11-yard touchdown pass to DeVante Parker. However, a two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful when Fitzpatrick’s screen pass to Kenyan Drake was dropped.

In the long run, Drake’s drop was probably a good thing for the Dolphins.

[junker-town]

How the Dolphins are tanking, in 3 steps

Dolphins quarterback Josh Rosen sacked by Ravens pass rusher Matthew Judon.

The Dolphins gutted their roster and now they are — surprise, surprise — a very bad football team.

The Miami Dolphins are awful.

That’s no surprise. They were expected to be after they mostly spent their offseason getting rid of talent rather than acquiring it. But it was still staggering to see just how bad the Dolphins were when they kicked off the 2019 season by getting destroyed by the Ravens, 59-10.

While head coach Brian Flores continues to insist the team’s not tanking, there’s no way around it at this point. The Dolphins are bottoming out in a way that’s usually only seen in the NBA.

The one-sided loss to Baltimore was, in all likelihood, the first of many butt kickings Miami will endure in 2019. That’s even apparent to Dolphins players, some of whom asked their agents to get them traded out of South Beach, according to Pro Football Talk.

“The players believe that the coaching staff, despite claiming that they intend to try to win, aren’t serious about competing and winning,” the report said.

Those players are correct. The Dolphins organization is not trying to be a contender in 2019. Its goal all year has been to load up on cap space and draft picks in lieu of wins. That’s a textbook tank job.

Dolphins players aren’t trying to lose, though. Roster spots are too hard to come by and careers are too short in the NFL. They’ll all give 100 percent on the field. Miami is just too far behind other teams in terms of skill to truly keep up and compete.

So how did the Dolphins get to this point? They followed a simple three-step process

Step 1: Gut the roster

Dec. 31, 2018: The best place to start is the day Adam Gase was fired as head coach of the Dolphins after a 7-9 season.

Miami finished the year 31st in total offense and 29th in total defense. The Dolphins were bad at everything, but by still managing seven wins, they didn’t even have a top-12 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Being stuck in that 6-to-8-win middle ground — somewhere the team was for most of a decade — prompted coaching and executive changes.

Along with Gase’s firing, football operations were removed from executive vice president Mike Tannenbaum’s control and given to general manager Chris Grier. Former Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie was later hired as a senior personnel executive and Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores, a first-time head coach, replaced Gase.

March 7, 2019: The first signs of tanking didn’t come until March. It started with the Dolphins releasing veteran defensive end Andre Branch and starting offensive guard Ted Larsen. Still, neither move was too surprising considering they saved the Dolphins about $9 million in combined cap space. Branch signed with the Cardinals, but didn’t make the final roster. Larsen is now a backup for the Bears.

March 13, 2019: The Dolphins made another move on the offensive line by releasing Josh Sitton. He played just one game for the team in 2018 before a rotator cuff tear landed him on injured reserve. It saved the team $5 million in cap space and Sitton retired in April.

That was also the same day free agency began in the NFL. The Dolphins allowed offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James, defensive end Cameron Wake, wide receiver Danny Amendola, and running back Frank Gore, among others, to walk and sign elsewhere.

March 15, 2019: Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was traded to the Titans after seven years and 88 starts with the Dolphins. The two teams swapped late-round selections in 2019 and the Dolphins received a 2020 fourth-round pick.

Tannehill was due to count $26.6 million against Miam’s cap in 2019, a pricy number for a player who struggled to stay healthy or ascend into a top-tier passer. Following the trade — and an agreement to pay $5 million of his signing bonus on the Titans’ behalf — the Dolphins saved a little over $8 million and ate about $18.4 million in dead money. Tannehill will be off the books entirely in 2020.

March 18, 2019: Career journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick was signed to a two-year contract to be the team’s new starting quarterback. The deal provided the Dolphins with a cheap stopgap solution under center. The two-year, $11 million contract given to Fitzpatrick constituted the most expensive acquisition the Dolphins made in free agency. Only the Cowboys and Rams — two Super Bowl contenders — spent less.

March 28, 2019: Pass rusher Robert Quinn, who came over in a trade from the Rams in March 2018, was sent to the Cowboys for a 2020 sixth-round pick. He led Miami in sacks during the 2018 season with 6.5. The trade saved the Dolphins close to $12 million in cap space and stuck them with only around $1.1 million in dead money.

April 25-26, 2019: Miami selected Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft and traded its second-round pick for quarterback Josh Rosen. Rosen, a top-10 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, started one season for the Cardinals.

May 13, 2019: The most significant investment made by the Dolphins in the offseason was a five-year, $76.5 million extension given to cornerback Xavien Howard. He was their only Pro Bowler in 2018 and is now tied to the team through the 2024 season. DeVante Parker, Jakeem Grant, and Jesse Davis received more moderately sized extensions at other points in the offseason.

Aug. 31, 2019: A week prior to their regular season opener, the Dolphins traded starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills to the Texans. The package of picks sent back to Miami was quite the haul:

Official terms of now completed trade: Houston receives: T Laremy Tunsil WR Kenny Stills 2020 4th round pick 2021 6th round pick Miami receives: 2020 1st round pick 2021 1st round pick 2021 2nd round pick T Julien Davenport CB Johnson Bademosi

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 31, 2019

Following the trade, Julién Davenport was slotted in as the Dolphins’ new starting right tackle. No offensive lineman in the NFL allowed more quarterback hits (14) in 2018 or drew more penalties (16) than Davenport.

He lasted just one game for the Dolphins before landing on injured reserve.

Sept. 15, 2019: Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported the Dolphins have been calling around the league in an attempt to trade running back Kenyan Drake. He led the team in rushing in 2017 and yards from scrimmage in 2018.

Sept. 16, 2019: The Dolphins allowed 2018 first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick to pursue a trade after their Week 1 loss, and found a partner after Week 2. Fitzpatrick was sent to the Steelers for a 2020 first-round pick, a potentially great investment considering the Steelers’ many problems in 2019.

Howard summed up the state of the roster following the trade

pic.twitter.com/wLbhtqqNv5

— Xavien Howard (@Iamxavienhoward) September 17, 2019

On the bright side for Howard, the first-round pick acquired from the Fitzpatrick trade is just one of the reasons why the roster around him could be upgraded massively.

Step 2: Stockpile cap space and draft picks

Altogether, the offseason moved the Dolphins to the top spot in salary cap space for the 2020 season. The team is due to carry only $6.9 million in dead money in 2020 and none in 2021.

It also owns the following picks in the next two drafts:

2020

1st round (Dolphins)

1st round (Texans)

1st round (Steelers)

2nd round (Dolphins)

2nd round (Saints)

3rd round (Dolphins)

5th round (Steelers)

6th round (Dolphins)

6th round (Cowboys)

7th round (Dolphins)

2021

1st round (Dolphins)

1st round (Texans)

2nd round (Dolphins)

2nd round (Texans)

3rd round (Dolphins)

4th round (Dolphins)

5th round (Dolphins)

6th round (Steelers)

That draft capital and the Dolphins’ ample cap space was the point of the offseason teardown. It’ll be even better if they land the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

It’s expected to be a good year to draft a quarterback with Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Oregon’s Justin Herbert among the top arms in the class. That’d likely be an appealing route for the Dolphins and — by the look of the team so far — a probable outcome.

Step 3: Lose a lot

There have only been two winless teams over the course of a 16-game schedule in NFL history: the 2008 Lions and the 2017 Browns. The Dolphins can look to both as a source of optimism.

Detroit followed its 0-16 season by drafting Matthew Stafford first overall in 2009. By 2011, the Lions were a playoff team. The Browns also tanked to acquire loads of picks, then selected Baker Mayfield at the top of the 2018 NFL Draft after their winless year. That plan seems to be paying off for Cleveland.

Anything can happen in an NFL game — like a team putting their oft-injured, lunky tight end in on defense, for instance — so it’s not a foregone conclusion that the Dolphins will finish 0-16. But whew, they’re a putrid football team. Right here, we’ll keep track of their season as it unfolds:

Week 1 — Ravens 59, Dolphins 10

There are many ways to dice up the carnage of the blowout, but here are a few stats that put in context just how absolutely terrible the Dolphins were in their opener:

Baltimore had 643 yards of total offense (the most ever allowed by Miami). The Dolphins had 200 yards. That 443-yard difference is the worst disparity in an NFL game since the Vikings trounced the Lions in 1988.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson joined Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, and Drew Brees as one of only four players who has finished a game with more than 20 adjusted yards per attempt in a game with at least 20 passes thrown.

The Dolphins had a time of possession of 19:53. It was their first time having the ball for less than 20 minutes in a game in 14 years.

That’s a good ol’ fashioned steamrolling.

Week 2 — Patriots 43, Dolphins 0

Miami hung in the game longer than expected and trailed only 13-0 at halftime. The game busted open in the second half with the Patriots recording two pick-sixes in the fourth quarter.

At the end of the game, the Dolphins had 189 yards of total offense. It made them the first team since the 2010 Bills to start a season with 200 yards or less in their first two games. That team finished 4-12 with Ryan Fitzpatrick starting at quarterback for almost the entire year.

Miami won’t have to worry about a similar fate ...at least when it comes to Fitzpatrick. The veteran was benched in favor of Josh Rosen the week following that shutout home loss to New England.

Week 3 — Cowboys 31, Dolphins 6

Like the week prior, the Dolphins kept the game close early. They trailed 10-6 at halftime before the Cowboys pulled away with three touchdowns in the second half.

Miami even threatened to take its first lead of the season at the end of the second quarter, but that was ruined by a Kenyan Drake fumble.

HELLO #HOTBOYZ @Thejaylonsmith forces the fumble & @tanklawrence recovers #MIAvsDAL | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/HgCpqEh1zg

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) September 22, 2019

The Dolphins gave up 476 yards of total offense to the Cowboys and managed just 283 yards of their own.

Week 4 — Chargers 30, Dolphins 10

The Dolphins actually led a game for the first time in 2019 with an early touchdown that put them ahead of the Chargers, 7-3. It stayed close in the first half with Josh Rosen playing well early and leading the team to a 10-10 tie late in the second quarter.

Los Angeles turned on the jets in the second half, though. The Chargers scored 20 unanswered points and Rosen’s solid day of work was undermined by a baffling interception.

first career pick ✊ pic.twitter.com/INAa3IIig4

— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) September 29, 2019

The Dolphins lost their first four games by a combined 137 points, the worst for any team since 1950.

[junker-town]

How the Dolphins are tanking, in 3 steps

Dolphins quarterback Josh Rosen sacked by Ravens pass rusher Matthew Judon

The Dolphins gutted their roster and now they are — surprise, surprise — a very bad football team.

The Miami Dolphins are awful.

That’s no surprise. They were expected to be after they mostly spent their offseason getting rid of talent rather than acquiring it. But it was still staggering to see just how bad the Dolphins were when they kicked off the 2019 season by getting destroyed by the Ravens, 59-10.

While head coach Brian Flores continues to insist the team’s not tanking, there’s no way around it at this point. The Dolphins are bottoming out in a way that’s usually only seen in the NBA.

The one-sided loss to Baltimore was, in all likelihood, the first of many butt kickings Miami will endure in 2019. That’s even apparent to Dolphins players, some of whom asked their agents to get them traded out of South Beach, according to Pro Football Talk.

“The players believe that the coaching staff, despite claiming that they intend to try to win, aren’t serious about competing and winning,” the report said.

Those players are correct. The Dolphins organization is not trying to be a contender in 2019. Its goal all year has been to load up on cap space and draft picks in lieu of wins. That’s a textbook tank job.

Dolphins players aren’t trying to lose, though. Roster spots are too hard to come by and careers are too short in the NFL. They’ll all give 100 percent on the field. Miami is just too far behind other teams in terms of skill to truly keep up and compete.

So how did the Dolphins get to this point? They followed a simple three-step process

Step 1: Gut the roster

Dec. 31, 2018: The best place to start is the day Adam Gase was fired as head coach of the Dolphins after a 7-9 season.

Miami finished the year 31st in total offense and 29th in total defense. The Dolphins were bad at everything, but by still managing seven wins, they didn’t even have a top-12 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Being stuck in that 6-to-8-win middle ground — somewhere the team was for most of a decade — prompted coaching and executive changes.

Along with Gase’s firing, football operations were removed from executive vice president Mike Tannenbaum’s control and given to general manager Chris Grier. Former Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie was later hired as a senior personnel executive and Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores, a first-time head coach, replaced Gase.

March 7, 2019: The first signs of tanking didn’t come until March. It started with the Dolphins releasing veteran defensive end Andre Branch and starting offensive guard Ted Larsen. Still, neither move was too surprising considering they saved the Dolphins about $9 million in combined cap space. Branch signed with the Cardinals, but didn’t make the final roster. Larsen is now a backup for the Bears.

March 13, 2019: The Dolphins made another move on the offensive line by releasing Josh Sitton. He played just one game for the team in 2018 before a rotator cuff tear landed him on injured reserve. It saved the team $5 million in cap space and Sitton retired in April.

That was also the same day free agency began in the NFL. The Dolphins allowed offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James, defensive end Cameron Wake, wide receiver Danny Amendola, and running back Frank Gore, among others, to walk and sign elsewhere.

March 15, 2019: Quarterback Ryan Tannehill was traded to the Titans after seven years and 88 starts with the Dolphins. The two teams swapped late-round selections in 2019 and the Dolphins received a 2020 fourth-round pick.

Tannehill was due to count $26.6 million against Miam’s cap in 2019, a pricy number for a player who struggled to stay healthy or ascend into a top-tier passer. Following the trade — and an agreement to pay $5 million of his signing bonus on the Titans’ behalf — the Dolphins saved a little over $8 million and ate about $18.4 million in dead money. Tannehill will be off the books entirely in 2020.

March 18, 2019: Career journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick was signed to a two-year contract to be the team’s new starting quarterback. The deal provided the Dolphins with a cheap stopgap solution under center. The two-year, $11 million contract given to Fitzpatrick constituted the most expensive acquisition the Dolphins made in free agency. Only the Cowboys and Rams — two Super Bowl contenders — spent less.

March 28, 2019: Pass rusher Robert Quinn, who was came over in a trade from the Rams in March 2018, was sent to the Cowboys for a 2020 sixth-round pick. He led Miami in sacks during the 2018 season with 6.5. The trade saved the Dolphins close to $12 million in cap space and stuck them with only around $1.1 million in dead money.

April 25-26, 2019: Miami selected Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft and traded its second-round pick for quarterback Josh Rosen. Rosen, a top-10 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, started one season for the Cardinals.

May 13, 2019: The most significant investment made by the Dolphins in the offseason was a five-year, $76.5 million extension given to cornerback Xavien Howard. He was their only Pro Bowler in 2018 and is now tied to the team through the 2024 season. DeVante Parker, Jakeem Grant, and Jesse Davis received more moderately sized extensions at other points in the offseason.

Aug. 31, 2019: A week prior to their regular season opener, the Dolphins traded starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills to the Texans. The package of picks sent back to Miami was quite the haul:

Official terms of now completed trade: Houston receives: T Laremy Tunsil WR Kenny Stills 2020 4th round pick 2021 6th round pick Miami receives: 2020 1st round pick 2021 1st round pick 2021 2nd round pick T Julien Davenport CB Johnson Bademosi

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 31, 2019

Following the trade, Julie’n Davenport was slotted in as the Dolphins’ new starting right tackle. No offensive lineman in the NFL allowed more quarterback hits (14) in 2018 or drew more penalties (16) than Davenport.

He lasted just one game for the Dolphins before landing on injured reserve.

Sept. 12, 2019: Less than a week after Pro Football Talk’s report that several players wanted out of Miami, the team allowed 2018 first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick to pursue a trade.

Step 2: Stockpile cap space and draft picks

Altogether, the offseason moved the Dolphins to the top spot in salary cap space for the 2020 season. The team is due to carry only $6.9 million in dead money in 2020 and none in 2021.

It also owns the following picks in the next two drafts:

2020

1st round (Dolphins)

1st round (Texans)

2nd round (Dolphins)

2nd round (Saints)

3rd round (Dolphins)

4th round (Titans)

6th round (Dolphins)

6th round (Cowboys)

7th round (Dolphins)

2021

1st round (Dolphins)

1st round (Texans)

2nd round (Dolphins)

2nd round (Texans)

3rd round (Dolphins)

4th round (Dolphins)

5th round (Dolphins)

7th round (Dolphins)

That draft capital and the Dolphins’ ample cap space was the point of the offseason teardown. It’ll be even better if they land the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

It’s expected to be a good year to draft a quarterback with Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Oregon’s Justin Herbert among the top arms in the class. That’d likely be an appealing route for the Dolphins and — by the look of the team so far — a probable outcome.

Step 3: Lose a lot

There have only been two winless teams over the course of a 16-game schedule in NFL history: the 2008 Lions and the 2017 Browns. The Dolphins can look to both as a source of optimism.

Detroit followed its 0-16 season by drafting Matthew Stafford first overall in 2009. By 2011, the Lions were a playoff team. The Browns also tanked to acquire loads of picks, then selected Baker Mayfield at the top of the 2018 NFL Draft after their winless year. That plan seems to be paying off for Cleveland.

Anything can happen in an NFL game — like a team putting their oft-injured, lunky tight end in on defense, for instance — so it’s not a foregone conclusion that the Dolphins will finish 0-16. But whew, they’re a putrid football team. Right here, we’ll keep track of their season as it unfolds:

Week 1 — Ravens 59, Dolphins 10

There are many ways to dice up the carnage of that blowout, but here are a few stats that put in context just how absolutely terrible the Dolphins were in their opener:

Baltimore had 643 yards of total offense (the most ever allowed by Miami). The Dolphins had 200 yards. That 443-yard difference is the worst disparity in an NFL game since the Vikings trounced the Lions in 1988.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson joined Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, and Drew Brees as one of only four players who has finished a game with more than 20 adjusted yards per attempt in a game with at least 20 passes thrown.

The Dolphins had a time of possession of 19:53. It was their first time having the ball for less than 20 minutes in a game in 14 years.

That’s a good ol’ fashioned steamrolling.