Each day until the kickoff of the 2026 NFL season, TeamFB7 will dive into a team with analysis, critiques, breakout player picks and overall predictions. We’re working backwards from No. 32 on our early preseason power rankings, meaning we start with the Miami Dolphins.
Of all the NFL teams undertaking roster rebuilds, the Miami Dolphins are the closest to the starting line entering the 2026 season.
The Mike McDaniel Era produced a 35-33 record in four seasons, two playoff appearances with no wins and a structural collapse that began last fall when high-priced star wide receiver Tyreek Hill went down with a brutal knee injury in Week 4 and overpriced middling quarterback Tua Tagovailoa delivered his worst season on the way to getting benched down the stretch.
Then the true dismantling began.
Honestly, credit McDaniel for keeping the Dolphins competitive through adversity. After a 1-6 start, the team won five of its next six games before tailing off down the stretch. McDaniel was fired nonetheless, but he came out of it all with enough respect around the league to draw several head coaching interviews before ultimately taking the offensive coordinator job with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Ultimately, the Dolphins just needed a full reset.
Miami cleaned out the front office too and hired general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, who had worked his way up the ranks with the Green Bay Packers since 2004 (most recently serving as vice president of player personnel since 2022). Sullivan leaned on familiarity and hired Jeff Hafley, the Packers’ defensive coordinator the last two years, as head coach.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins began purging the roster of most of their expensive contracts, releasing Hill, Tagovailoa (whom they still owe more than $52 million this year), veteran edge rusher Bradley Chubb and others, while safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the New York Jets and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos.
Those moves in total left the Dolphins with an NFL-record $179.2 million in dead salary cap money and about $120 million in cap space to field a 53-man roster, per Over The Cap.
That left room for only one splash free agent signing, with Miami filling its void at quarterback by going back to the Green Bay well once more and signing former Packers backup Malik Willis to a three-year, $67.5-million deal.
The rest of the Dolphins’ free agent additions all signed contracts for less than $1.5 million/year.
Miami didn’t totally gut the foundation of the roster, though.
The Dolphins kept star running back De’Von Achane with a fresh four-year, $64-million extension, signaling that at least internally they expect to be competitive again in the next year or two.
For better or worse, most of the starting offensive line (ranked 29th in the league by PFF) is back from last year, with second-team All-Pro center Aaron Brewer (ranked 2nd among 40 qualifying centers by PFF), left tackle Patrick Paul, left guard Jonah Savaiinaea (moving to right guard) and right tackle Austin Jackson. First-round draft pick Kadyn Proctor (No. 12 overall) steps in at left guard.
And Miami also kept its inside linebacker tandem of Jordyn Brooks (183 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks in 2025) and Tyrel Dodson (129 tackles, 10 TFLs, 5 sacks, 1 INT), among a few other defensive starters, while giving Brooks a three-year, $48-million extension last month.
There’s no sugarcoating it, however. The Dolphins are going to be bad this year — by design — and the favorites to land the No. 1 overall pick in a 2027 NFL Draft expected to be loaded with top quarterback prospects.
Willis, who initially stumbled in three starts with the Tennessee Titans as a 2022 third-round pick, earned another shot to prove himself as an NFL starter after his sterling play off the bench and in three relief starts for the Packers the last two years.
Unfortunately, he may not get a long runway to do that — at least with the Dolphins — and he’ll have to make do with the worst wide receiver corps in the league this season.
Miami Dolphins Reset
2025 Finish: 7-10, missed playoffs
Head Coach: Jeff Hafley, first season
Hot Seat Meter (0-10): 0
Best Offseason Move: Willis was a smart signing and good value with his $22.5 million annual average salary ranking 18th among NFL QBs. Either he overwhelms the Dolphins front office and coaching staff and allows the team to use its draft capital on other positions next spring, or he’s a bridge to the next franchise QB and a potential trade asset. He was fun to watch in Green Bay late last season and finished with 422 passing yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs and 123 rushing yards with 2 TDs in one start and four appearances overall.
Worst Offseason Move: Not upgrading the wide receiver unit. Even with salary cap constraints, the Dolphins could have a least tried to add a single proven asset. (More on this in a moment …)
Miami Dolphins Roster Breakdown
Biggest Strength: De’Von Achane finished fifth in the NFL with 1,350 rushing yards despite missing a game last season, posting a league-leading 5.7 yards per carry. Add in 67 catches for 488 yards and 12 combined rushing/receiving TDs and it was a career-year. Entering his fourth NFL season and in the peak of his prime, Achane will be leaned on heavily and has already stated his goal is to lead the league in rushing, which is absolutely realistic.
Biggest Weakness: Back to the wide receivers.
Third-round draft pick Caleb Douglas, out of Texas Tech, is generating some buzz in training camp at least. But the rest of the unit is led by Malik Washington, Jalen Tolbert and Tutu Atwell. Three No. 3 WRs does not make up for not having a No. 1/2-caliber WR.
Washington is probably the best of the group, catching 46 passes for 317 yards and 3 TDs last year.
Tolbert produced for the Dallas Cowboys in 2024 with 49 catches for 610 yards and 7 TDs before losing target share last year.
Atwell’s best season also came two years ago, with the Los Angeles Rams, when he caught 42 passes for 562 yards (0 TDs). Again, any would be a serviceable WR3 for the team, but that’s not the reality here.
Douglas better be a pleasant surprise or this passing attack is going to be depressing.
(The Dolphins also drafted Louisville star WR Chris Bell late in the third round, and he could prove to be a steal for the team in years to come, but he’s been recovering from a torn ACL sustained in December and there’s no reason for Miami to rush him back into action.)
We’ll also give an (dis)honorable mention to the edge rushers. With Chubb (team-high 8.5 sacks), 2024 first-round pick Chop Robinson (4 sacks last season) and veteran Josh Uche (3 sacks or less in all but one of his six NFL seasons) head the depth chart.
Most Intriguing Rookie: Douglas is one, for sure. He had 1,723 yards and 13 TDs over the last two seasons at Texas Tech. But we’re going to go with cornerback Chris Johnson. The Dolphins used their second first-round pick (No. 27) on the lightning-quick San Diego State defensive back, and right now he’s the only sure starter at cornerback. Johnson is viewed as a foundational cornerstone on defense to the Dolphins’ rebuild.
Breakout Player: Willis. He’s only made six NFL starts in four seasons, so the former Liberty Flames standout qualifies.
The dual-threat QB looked like a complete bust as a third-round pick when the Tennessee Titans gave up on him after two seasons, shipping him to Green Bay for a future seventh-round pick before the 2024 season. But Willis found something with the Packers.
In three starts and parts of 11 games overall the last two years, he completed 78.7% of his passes for 972 yards, 6 TDs and 0 INTs with 261 rushing yards and 3 scores.
Specifically, though, it was two games late last season that earned him this opportunity and that big free agent contract.
Coming off the bench in late December on the road against the rival Chicago Bears, when Jordan Love sustained a concussion in the second quarter, Willis completed 9 of 11 passes for 121 yards, 1 TD and 0 INT while rushing 10 times for 44 yards. The Packers lost 22-16 in overtime, but the league was buzzing about Willis’ performance.
He then continued that momentum in a start the next week vs. the Baltimore Ravens at Lambeau Field. The Packers lost 41-24, but Willis was sensational again, completing 18 of 21 passes for 288 yards, 1 TD and 0 INT while rushing 9 times for 60 yards and 2 scores.
Whether Willis becomes Miami’s long-term solution at quarterback or just a placeholder, he has an opportunity to show the league that small sample size was for real and that he deserves to be a starting QB (somewhere) for years to come.
It’s a fun storyline — and, honestly, Willis was simply too impressive in those two games last season for it to be a fluke. We’re betting he wins over a lot of believers in 2026, no matter what the Dolphins’ record is in the end.
MVP: Achane.
The 5-foot-9 running back flew under the radar a bit as a 2023 third-round pick out of Texas A&M, where he averaged 6.4 YPC over three seasons capped by rushing for 1,102 yards and 8 TDs in 10 games as a junior.
But he proved to be an immediate revelation as a rookie, rushing for 800 yards and 8 TDs on an absurd 7.8 YPC while working in behind starter Raheem Mostert. Last season, his third in the league, he truly ascended into the top tier of NFL running backs.
Expect a career-best season — as both a rusher and pass-catcher — from Achane if he stays healthy.
Miami Dolphins 2026 Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| Week 1, Sept. 13 | at Las Vegas Raiders | 4:25 p.m. |
| Week 2, Sept. 20 | at San Francisco 49ers | 4:25 p.m. |
| Week 3, Sept. 27 | vs. Kansas City Chiefs | 1 p.m. |
| Week 4, Oct. 4 | at Minnesota Vikings | 4:05 p.m. |
| Week 5, Oct. 11 | vs. Cincinnati Bengals | 1 p.m. |
| Week 6 | BYE WEEK | |
| Week 7, Oct. 25 | at New York Jets | 1 p.m. |
| Week 8, Nov. 1 | vs. New England Patriots | 4:25 p.m. |
| Week 9, Nov. 8 | vs. Detroit Lions | 1 p.m. |
| Week 10, Nov. 15 | at Indianapolis Colts | 1 p.m. |
| Week 11, Nov. 22 | at Buffalo Bills | 1 p.m. |
| Week 12, Nov. 29 | vs. New York Jets | 1 p.m. |
| Week 13, Dec. 6 | at Denver Broncos | 4:05 p.m. |
| Week 14, Dec. 13 | vs. Chicago Bears | 1 p.m. |
| Week 15, Dec. 20 | at Green Bay Packers | 1 p.m. |
| Week 16, Dec. 27 | vs. Los Angeles Chargers | 1 p.m. |
| Week 17, Jan. 3 | vs. Buffalo Bills | 1 p.m. |
| Week 18, TBD | at New England Patriots | TBD |
Miami Dolphins Season Prediction And Parting Thoughts
Season Prediction: 3-14
It’s a good thing the Dolphins are content with maximizing their draft slot because the NFL delivered a doozy of a schedule for Miami.
Aside from having two games each with the Bills and Patriots in division play, the AFC East teams also play the NFC North and AFC West, adding more Super Bowl contenders to the schedule with the Chiefs, Broncos, Chargers, Lions, Bears and Packers plus a talented Vikings team that could surprise people. Oh, and for good measure, toss in another with the 49ers (in a cross-country road games) and solid Bengals and Colts teams.
That’s a brutal slate for any team, let alone a rebuilding one with an underwhelming roster.
Where are the wins coming from? Maybe against the Raiders in Week 1, but that’s a cross-country road game. Maybe in the two games with the Jets, but they’re going to be better than last year (or should be). Perhaps a surprise upset somewhere along the way.
It’s hard to see this team winning more than three games, but part of embracing a rebuild is taking satisfaction in seeing pieces fall into place. With Proctor, Johnson, Douglas, intriguing rookie linebackers Jacob Rodriguez (second round pick from Texas Tech), Trey Moore (fourth round from Texas) and Kyle Louis (fourth round from Pittsburgh) and Willis, a number of those could indeed emerge this year.
And the Willis storyline will be captivating, along with Achane’s quest for the rushing title.
The Dolphins won’t be good, but they could be just entertaining enough this season.
