This looks like the group the Dolphins are sticking with for the next few seasons, like it or not.

The men running this team were impressed enough by what they saw over the past year to push forward with multi-year contracts for Andre Branch, Kenny Stills, Kiko Alonso and Reshad Jones this month. That gives Miami 18 starters signed for at least the next two seasons. Obviously NFL contracts are tenuous, but the Dolphins are betting their future on those players.

Is that a good thing coming off a 10-6 season that ended with a harsh dismissal by Pittsburgh in the playoffs? The Dolphins’ self-analysis goes deeper than that, starting with the fact that so many key players missed extended time due to injury. One reason the team didn’t go chasing big-name free agents this year is that it believes it’ll make sufficient additions simply by getting healthier.

"We had guys that battled," coach Adam Gase said a few weeks ago when asked for an honest assessment of how good Miami actually was in 2016. "We had a lot of guys in there that either weren’t ready or guys that we picked up off the street … We had a lot of young guys play, which is good, because when we do get some of our key guys, like the Reshad Jones of the world, back, that’s going to be helpful."

The Dolphins played without Jones, a Pro Bowler the year before, for 10 games. Ryan Tannehill missed the last three-plus games and the playoffs. Starting cornerbacks Byron Maxwell and Xavien Howard were inactive a combined 12 times.

Based on what Miami’s done this offseason, it appears management thinks better health, some modest additions like Lawrence Timmons and Julius Thomas and a little more depth will be good enough to compete for another playoff appearance. The team also wants to add some long-term contributors in the draft, where its first three picks are Nos. 22, 54 and 97.

Of the Dolphins’ 13 core players, wide receiver Jarvis Landry is the only one whose contract is up at the end of the season. Vice president Mike Tannenbaum hinted that the team would explore that this offseason and Landry said he was optimistic they’ll reach a deal, and he’s the last big task on Miami’s to-do list for this offseason.

Jones and Alonso got extensions worth a total of $88.9 million that will keep them with the Dolphins through 2022 and ’20. Branch is back for $27 million over three seasons, and Stills re-upped for four years, $32 million.

Miami already had Tannehill and Ndamukong Suh under contract through 2020 as their two highest-paid players. Top two offensive linemen Mike Pouncey and Laremy Tunsil are on board the next four seasons as well. The Dolphins still have Jay Ajayi and DeVante Parker cheap for two more seasons.

The majority of Miami’s key pieces are young, too. Everyone but Wake and Suh are under 30, and the average age of the other 11 players is 25.7. The offense features a 1,200-yard rusher, a two-time 1,100-yard receiver and a quarterback who made strides under Gase. The defense has a solid line and quality pillars behind it in Alonso and Jones.

A lot of that sounds promising for the Dolphins, but here’s the biggest argument to be hopeful about their future: Gase believes in it enough to tie himself to it.

Gase showed good judgment in his first year with Miami, and his first venture into being a head coach hinges on the group of players he’s helped assemble. It’s also riding on his ability to further improve guys like Tannehill, Stills and Parker. Considering how much is at stake for Gase, if he’s confident about that foundation, there’s not much reason to doubt him.