Quarterback

Seven years ago, the Dolphins adopted an aggressive rebuilding strategy, sick of middling seasons and having not won a playoff game since 2000. They traded away numerous veterans to try to tank for a high draft pick and a potential young franchise quarterback, and to accumulate future draft picks and cap space to surround that young franchise quarterback with as much talent as possible while he was still on his cheap rookie deal. Unfortunately, while the strategy led to post-season appearances in 2022 and 2023, the Dolphins did not win a playoff game in either season, extending their post-season win drought even further.

The strategy was not a bad idea, but they missed on numerous draft picks and, most importantly, they gave a massive extension to a quarterback who wasn’t worth it. After back-to-back seasons missing the post-season in 2024 and 2025, the Dolphins have decided to go back to square one and rebuild even more aggressively this time around. In total, the Dolphins have an NFL record 179 million in dead cap for 2026 and already 57 million in dead cap for 2027. 

This season, the Dolphins’ active cap spending accounts for only about 42.1% of the total salary cap, leading to a roster that almost entirely consists of players on rookie contracts and veterans on minimum or near minimum contracts. On paper, this looks like one of the worst teams in the NFL in recent memory and the situation is made even worse by the loss of talented offensive playcaller Mike McDaniel as head coach, with defensive minded Jeff Hafley coming with an underwhelming offensive playcaller in Bobby Slowik.

The biggest mistake the Dolphins made in their previous rebuild was the selection of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the 5th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and the subsequent 4-year, 212.4 million dollar extension they gave him to stick around long-term. Tagovailoa had some productive seasons, but his success was largely the result of having an elite offense around him and a great offensive playcaller in Mike McDaniel. 

Last season, with his supporting cast not being what it once was, Tagovailoa completed 67.7% of his passes for an average of 6.93 YPA, 20 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. Having seen enough, the Dolphins opted to move on from Tagovailoa this off-season despite his 54 million dollar salary being fully guaranteed because bringing him back would have risked Tagovailoa suffering an injury, which could have guaranteed his 2027 salary as well. 

The one player the Dolphins did spend money on this off-season was their new starting quarterback Malik Willis, who they gave a 3-year, 67.5 million dollar deal with 45 million guaranteed. A third round pick in 2022, Willis entered the league raw and struggled early in his career as a spot starter in Tennessee, leading to him being traded to the Packers for next to nothing two off-seasons ago, but Willis seemingly came into his own in Green Bay, only making three starts as a backup over the past two seasons, but making the most of his opportunities, completing 78.7% of his passes for 10.92 YPA, 6 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions, while rushing for 6.21 YPC and 3 touchdowns on 42 carries.

Obviously that is a very limited sample size in a good situation, but if Willis can be even a fraction of that good over a full season, he will at least be a top-32 quarterback in the NFL. In a vacuum, Willis deserves to be a starter and his contract is reasonable, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense for the Dolphins given the current state of the team. Regardless of what Willis does, the Dolphins figure to have a high draft pick in what should be a good quarterback class in 2027 and, with a terrible supporting cast, it will be very difficult to accurately evaluate whether or not Willis is a good enough long-term starter for it to be worth passing on a highly touted quarterback prospect. 

With Willis’ salary guaranteed for 2027, the result could easily be a situation where the Dolphins use a high pick on a quarterback and again are paying a significant guaranteed salary for a quarterback who isn’t starting. The Dolphins probably would have been better off committing even further to the rebuild and starting either a cheap veteran, a rookie, or 2025 7th round pick Quinn Ewers, a developmental backup who showed a little bit of promise down the stretch last season (85.5 QB rating across 83 pass attempts), rather than committing 45 million guaranteed to a quarterback who is unlikely to be a starter for more than one season, a season where the Dolphins are highly unlikely to be competitive either way. 

Grade: C+

Receiving Corps

The Dolphins’ receiving corps was the biggest victim of their teardown. A couple years ago, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle were arguably the best wide receiver duo in the league. However, Waddle was traded for a first round pick and a couple mid round picks this off-season, while age, injury, and off-the-field problems led to the Dolphins releasing Hill outright this off-season. In their absence, the Dolphins have easily the worst receiving corps in the league. 

The Dolphins used a trio of draft picks on the position, but none of them were premium picks, with Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell selected in the 3rd round and Kevin Coleman selected in the 5th round. Bell could have been a 1st or 2nd round pick if he didn’t tear his ACL late last season and he is expected to be ready for the start of next season, but he could easily not be 100% in his first season after the injury, especially if he misses most or all of the off-season program and is behind in learning the offense as a result. 

For veteran options, the Dolphins brought in Jalen Tolbert, who has a career 0.97 yards per route run average, Tutu Atwell, who caught 6 passes last season, and Terrace Marshall, who has a career 0.83 yards per route run average and was out of the league last season. The newcomers will compete for roles with the Dolphins’ top holdovers, 2024 6th round pick Malik Washington, who has a career 0.86 yards per route run average, 2024 7th round pick Tahj Washington, who has a career 0.97 yards per route run average, and Theo Wease, a 2025 undrafted free agent with 6 catches as a rookie. None of the Dolphins’ wide receiver options are likely to be much help for new quarterback Malik Willis.

Things aren’t much better at tight end. Greg Dulcich was a 3rd round pick in 2022 and has shown promise with a career 1.35 yards per route run average, but that has come in limited playing time, as he only has 67 catches in four seasons in the league. He is expected to start due to a lack of better options. Ben Sims, a blocking specialist with 11 career catches, was added in free agency, while Will Kacmarek and Seydou Traore were added in the 3rd and 5th round of the draft respectively. They will all compete for roles behind Dulcich. This is one of the worst receiving corps in recent memory.

Grade: C-

Running Backs

One player who survived the Dolphins’ off-season teardown is running back De’Von Achane. That was a bit of a surprise and could prove to not be the right move. Achane only has one year left on his cheap rookie deal and history shows that bad teams that spend big money on running backs tend to regret it. This was also a bad running back draft class and Achane is coming off of an elite season that he probably won’t replicate with a worse supporting cast and without talented offensive playcaller Mike McDaniel, so this is probably the highest Achane’s trade value will ever be.

Achane finished the 2025 season with 5.67 YPC and 8 touchdowns on 238 carries, with a 49.2% carry success rate, 4.11 yards per carry after contact, a 20.6% missed tackle rate, and 1.29 yards per route run, in line with his career averages of 5.64 YPC and 22 touchdowns on 543 carries, with a 50.2% carry success rate, 3.85 yards per carry after contact, a 20.1% missed tackle rate, and 1.33 yards per route run. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see his production drop off significantly in 2026, given the situation around him, but he is still by far the Dolphins’ best offensive playmaker, both on the ground and through the air.

Achane figures to get the vast majority of the touches in the backfield, with Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon competing for the #2 job. Wright, a 4th round pick in 2024, has averaged 3.89 YPC, a 45.7% carry success rate, 3.35 yards per carry after contact, and a 21.7% missed tackle rate on 138 career carries, while averaging 0.44 yards per route run through the air. Gordon, a 6th round pick in 2025, has averaged 2.84 YPC, a 45.7% carry success rate, 2.10 yards per carry after contact, and a 14.3% missed tackle rate on 70 career carries, while averaging 0.34 yards per route run through the air. Wright seems like the favorite for the backup job, but it is likely both would see a significant role if Achane misses time, something he has done in two of three seasons in the league. Achane has as much talent as any running back in the league, but could see his production decrease significantly due to the situation around him.

Grade: A

Offensive Line

With needs all over the field, the Dolphins could have gone anywhere with their high draft picks, which included a pair of first round picks following the Jaylen Waddle trade. They opted to use their first pick on the offensive line, taking Kadyn Proctor. Using high draft capital on the offensive line at the start of a rebuild is inherently a good idea, but Proctor is a boom or bust prospect, with elite physical traits, but inconsistent tape and a questionable work ethic. He could prove to be the right pick, but the 12th overall pick was probably a little early to take that kind of risk. Proctor played tackle in college, but the Dolphins are working him out at both tackle and guard. Obviously, he would provide more value long-term if he can develop at tackle, but it remains to be seen if that is where the Dolphins believe he will be at his best long-term. 

Where Proctor plays as a rookie will dictate where Austin Jackson, who has played both guard (13 starts) and tackle (47 starts) in his career, will play in 2026. Jackson is also a former first round pick, back in 2020, but he hasn’t lived up to the billing, providing average at best play and consistently missing time with injury, limited to just 60 starts in 6 seasons in the league. Patrick Paul is probably locked in at left tackle again, with Proctor likely to play right tackle if he doesn’t play guard. A 2nd round pick in 2024, Paul wasn’t great in his first full season as the starting left tackle in 2025 (17 starts), but he wasn’t bad either and he has the upside to take a step forward in his third season in the league in 2026. 

The Dolphins’ best offensive lineman by far is center Aaron Brewer, who played at an All-Pro level last season. It was the best year of Brewer’s career, but not by a lot, so even if he isn’t quite as good in 2026 as he was in 2025, he should remain one of the better centers in the league. Brewer is going into his contract year in 2026 and, while his age isn’t ideal given the long rebuild the Dolphins have in front of them (age 29 in 2026), they should still look to lock him up long-term and keep him around throughout their rebuild to provide a foundation in the trenches.

The fifth and final starting job on this offensive line at guard is probably up for grabs. Jonah Savaiinaea is probably the favorite for the job, but the 2025 2nd round pick was one of the worst guards in the league as a rookie and, even if he improves in 2026, he has a long way to improve to even be an average starter. The biggest reason why he is likely to start is just that the Dolphins don’t have another good option. 

The Dolphins signed veteran Jamaree Salyer in free agency and he has experience at both guard and tackle, with 40 total starts in four seasons in the league, 21 at guard and 19 at tackle, but he has mostly struggled and is best as a versatile reserve. The Dolphins also used a 6th round pick on a guard prospect in DJ Campbell and he could see some starts down the stretch if Savaiinaea struggles, but he is probably not a real contender for the week 1 job and he would likely struggle if he makes starts at any point this season. Compared to a lot of this roster, this offensive line isn’t that bad, but it still looks like a below average group overall.

Grade: B-

Edge Defenders

The Dolphins’ edge defender room is almost as bad as their receiving corps. Chop Robinson is a former 2024 1st round pick and has upside, but the rest of the group is very underwhelming. Even Robinson is far from a sure thing. He had an impressive rookie season, particularly as a pass rusher, with 6 sacks, 8 hits, and a 16.3% pressure rate, but he dropped off significantly in year two, struggling as both a run defender and a pass rusher, totaling just 4 sacks, 1 hit, and a 7.9% pressure rate. I am not sure why he dropped off so much in year two and it is tough to know what to expect from him in 2026. He has obvious upside, still only in his age 23 season, but he also comes with significant downside.

The rest of the group consists of veteran flyers on cheap contracts and rookies selected with non-premium draft picks. Joshua Uche has upside as a situational pass rusher, with a 15.4% career pressure rate, but his history of injuries and his struggles against the run have led to him playing just 269 snaps per season in six seasons in the league, with a maximum of 373 snaps back in 2022. He could play a career high in snaps in 2026 if he stays relatively healthy, but he is a one dimensional player who could easily be exposed in a larger role.

Other veteran options include free agent additions David Ojabo and Robert Beal and holdover Cameron Goode. Ojabo was a 2nd round pick in 2022, but injuries and ineffective play have limited him to 576 snaps total in 4 seasons in the league. Meanwhile, Beal has played just 292 mediocre snaps in three seasons in the league since being selected in the 5th round in 2023, while Goode has played just 196 mediocre snaps in four seasons in the league since being selected in the 7th round in 2022. The Dolphins also added Trey Moore and Max Llewellyn in the 4th and 7th rounds of the draft respectively, but it is unlikely either will be ready to contribute in a significant positive way in year one. This is a very thin position group full of guys who would not be guaranteed to make most teams’ rosters.

Grade: C

Interior Defenders

Along with Chop Robinson, the Dolphins have another recent first round pick on the defensive line, defensive tackle Kenneth Grant, who was selected in 2025. Grant had an underwhelming rookie year across 554 snaps, posting decent pass rush numbers, 2 sacks, 4 hits, and a 8.7% pressure rate, but struggling against the run. He has the upside to be a lot better in year two, but his career is not off to a great start, which is a concern for a team that is trying to build around young players.

Grant will continue starting next to veteran Zach Sieler. Sieler was an above average player as a pass rusher and a run defender in his prime, but he was just an average starter in 2025 and, now going into his age 31 season, it seems likely that his best days are behind him. After totaling 23.5 sacks, 25 hits, and a 8.7% pressure rate in 49 games from 2022-2024, Sieler had just 5.5 sacks, 4 hits, and a 6.8% pressure rate in 17 games in 2025 and his run defense declined as well. He could remain a capable starter for at least another season, but it seems unlikely he will bounce back to his prime form and he could decline further.

The Dolphins also used 5th and 7th round picks on interior defenders in the 2025 NFL Draft and those two players, Jordan Phillips and Zeek Biggers, figure to be their top reserves at the position this season. Both are underwhelming options who didn’t show much promise across snap counts of 465 and 214 respectively as rookies. Even as reserves, they could easily prove to be liabilities. This position group isn’t as bad as some of the Dolphins’ others, but it is an underwhelming group at best.

Grade: C+

Linebackers

The Dolphins’ linebacking corps is the relative strength of this defense. Top linebacker Jordyn Brooks has his issues in coverage, but he is an above average run defender and has been for several seasons. Still in his prime in his age 29 season, I would expect a similar season from him in 2026. Tyrel Dodson struggled as the other starter last season, but the Dolphins used a second round pick on Jacob Rodriguez, who is probably going to start instead of Dodson this season. Rodriguez could have some growing pains as a rookie, but will likely be an upgrade even as a rookie.

Dobson is still on the roster and could retain his starting job, but if that happens that will likely say more about Rodriguez being behind in his development than anything positive about Dobson, who has mostly been a liability as a starter in his career. The Dolphins also used a 4th round pick on Kyle Louis, who is a good developmental option and will provide depth in the short-term. Willie Gay and Ronnie Harrison are also on the roster as potential reserve options. Both have experience as starters, but are best as reserves and are not locks to make the final roster. This isn’t a great group or anything, but it is much more complete than most position groups on the Dolphins’ roster.

Grade: B

Secondary

The Dolphins used their other first round pick, the one they acquired in the Jaylen Waddle trade, on cornerback Chris Johnson. Johnson will probably be the Dolphins’ best cornerback as a rookie and, while he definitely has the upside to be an above average starter long-term, Johnson being the Dolphins’ #1 cornerback as a rookie says more about the rest of their cornerback room than it does about Johnson’s NFL readiness, as he could struggle through some growing pains as a rookie.

JuJu Brents is probably penciled in as the #2 cornerback and at least he has some upside too, but he also comes with downside as well. Originally a second round pick by the Colts in 2023, Brents came into the league with a lot of upside and was decent as a rookie across 497 snaps, but a knee injury ended his second season in the league after just 68 snaps and then he was released by the Colts ahead of final cuts last off-season. 

The Dolphins claimed him off waivers following his release and he showed a lot of potential when he finally got his shot, but a foot injury again ended his season after a very limited sample size, as he played just 110 snaps total. Brents is still only going into his age 26 season and has obvious talent, but it is tough to project a player whose success has come in a limited sample size and who has now had major leg injuries in back-to-back seasons. He is worth a shot as a starter, but he probably wouldn’t be a starter for most teams.

Jason Marshall, a 2025 5th round pick, is the Dolphins’ top returning cornerback in terms of snaps played last season, but he played just 243 snaps and struggled in that limited action. He will face competition for the #3 cornerback role from Storm Duck, a 2024 undrafted free agent who has struggled across 403 career snaps, and free agent addition Darrell Baker, who has averaged 606 snaps per season over the past three seasons, but has mostly struggled. 

Things are even worse at safety. The Dolphins top-3 safeties in terms of snaps played last season, Minkah Fitzpatrick (845 snaps), Ashtyn Davis (713 snaps), and Ifeatu Melifonwu (549 snaps), are no longer with the team, leaving Dante Trader, a 2025 5th round pick who was mediocre in 420 snaps as a rookie, as one starter, with the other starting spot going to either 5th round rookie Michael Taaffe or veteran free agent addition Lonnie Johnson, who has played just 622 snaps over the past four seasons combined and now is going into his age 31 season and coming off of a terrible season across 321 snaps. This secondary figures to be one of the worst in the league.

Grade: C-

Kicker

The Dolphins were expecting their starting kicker in 2025 to be veteran Jason Sanders, who had been in the role since his rookie season in 2018, but Sanders missed the whole season with injury, leaving to job to journeyman Riley Patterson, who had kicked for five different teams in the previous four seasons, while accounting for 2.26 points below average. However, Patterson did well in his first season in Miami, accounting for 5.56 points above average. With Sanders no longer with the team, the Dolphins brought in another veteran journeyman, Zane Gonzalez, to compete with Patterson for the job, but Gonzalez has accounted for 4.34 points below average in his career, so Patterson should be considered the favorite for the job.

Grade: B

Conclusion

The Dolphins are clearly taking a long-term approach, as evidenced by the fact that more than half of their cap space is dedicated to dead money for players no longer on the team. The result is a roster that almost entirely consists of players on rookie deals and bottom of the roster veteran talents on cheap contracts. On paper, the Dolphins look like one of the worst teams in recent memory and seem very unlikely to win more than a few games. They should be among the teams in competition for the #1 overall pick.

Prediction: 2-15, 4th in AFC East