Coming off their mini-bye, the New England Patriots return to their division. On Sunday, the team of head coach Mike Vrabel will visit the Dolphins in Miami.
The Dolphins are in the middle of a rebuild. They brought in Jeff Hafley and Malik Willis as the head coach-quarterback combo this offseason to replace the departed Mike McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa, and have invested heavily in rookie talent: no team made more picks in this year’s draft than Miami’s 13.
The organization is building for the future,
even though there are some current growing pains. At 1-5 and ranked 30th in scoring differential thus far, the Dolphins have been one of the worst teams in the NFL this season up to that point.
That said, they might be trending up. Let’s meet them.
Dolphins key stats
The Dolphins’ problems are reflected by their statistics. They are ranked near the bottom of the league in most major categories on both offense and defense.
Offensively, the Dolphins have struggled moving the ball both through the air and on the ground. There have been flashes, but the consistency is lacking even though the team has been able to keep turnovers in a comparatively reasonable range (especially when looking to New England’s much more talented offense).
On defense, a lack of takeaway has plagued the unit, as has an uneven pass rush and an inability to get off the field on third down (52.1%; 31st). The run defense has been a relative bright spot, but considering that opponents are throwing all over the Dolphins — fourth-most attempts (175), highest net yards per attempt (7.5), highest scoring percentage (49.1%) — there simply is no need to run into a veteran D-line on a regular basis.
Dolphins 2026 season
The Dolphins started their season with five straight losses, including the first three by multiple scores. Since then, however, they have shown some improvement. Their scoring margin of -7 over the last three games is a distinct improvement, as is being able to finally earn a victory last Sunday against the lackluster Jets.
Week 1: 27-13 loss at Las Vegas Raiders (0-1)
Week 2: 35-13 loss at San Francisco 49ers (0-2)
Week 3: 24-10 loss vs. Kansas City Chiefs (0-3)
Week 4: 15-10 loss at Minnesota Vikings (0-4)
Week 5: 31-24 loss vs. Cincinnati Bengals (0-5)
Week 6: Bye
Week 7: 28-25 win at New York Jets (1-5)
What stands out about Miami’s schedule is that it featured the last three unbeaten teams in the league — the 49ers, Chiefs and Vikings — and the toughest strength of schedule among all 32 teams (.667). Granted, the Dolphins being fairly bad played into that, but they have played, and lost to, some very good teams and beaten the worst one they have faced so far.
Dolphins active roster
Roster up-to-date as of Oct. 28, 5 a.m. ET | *denotes nominal starter
Quarterback (2): Malik Willis* (2), Kyle McCord (14)
Running back (3): Ollie Gordon II* (0), Jaylen Wright (5 | KR), Kaytron Allen (30)
Fullback (1): D.J. Herman (34)
Wide receiver (6): Malik Washington* (6 | PR), Chris Bell* (18), Caleb Douglas* (7), Kevin Coleman Jr. (21), Jared Wayne (86), Jalen Tolbert (1)
Tight end (4): Greg Dulcich* (85), Will Kacmarek (89), Seydou Traore (83), Justin Joly (80)
Offensive tackle (4): Patrick Paul* (52 | LT), Austin Jackson* (73 | RT), Caedan Wallace (77), Chukwuebuka Godrick (79)
Interior offensive line (6): Kadyn Proctor* (74 | LG), Aaron Brewer* (55 | C), Jonah Savaiinaea* (71 | RG), Jarrett Kingston (62), Andrew Meyer (60), D.J. Campbell (63)
Interior defensive line (4): Zach Sieler* (92), Jordan Phillips* (94), Kenneth Grant (78), Zeek Biggers (93)
Defensive edge (5): Joshua Uche* (9), Chop Robinson* (44), Malik Herring (90), Rob Beal Jr. (51), Rodney McGraw (59)
Linebacker (5): Jacob Rodriguez* (10), Jordyn Brooks* (20), Willie Gay Jr. (40), Jackson Woodard (42), Shaka Heyward (45)
Cornerback (6): Chris Johnson* (3), Jason Marshall Jr.* (4), JuJu Brents* (8), Jaylin Simpson (32), Reese Taylor (35), Marcellas Dial Jr. (24)
Safety (5): Michael Taaffe* (16), Dante Trader Jr.* (11), Zayne Anderson (23), Julius Wood (25), Kyle Louis (19)
Specialists (2): Bradley Pinion (48 | P/H), LS Tucker Addington (46 | LS)
The first thing that stands out about the Dolphins is their commitment to rebuilding from the ground up.
As part of that process, they have six rookie starters in their lineup: wide receivers Chris Bell and Caleb Douglas and left guard Kadyn Proctor on offense, plus linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, cornerback Chris Johnson and safety Michael Taaffe on defense. Furthermore, several of their key reserves are first-year players as well, including fullback D.J. Herman, WR4 Kevin Coleman Jr, and their entire three-man backup tight end group.
How soon the Dolphins will add a quarterback to the mix will be seen. For now, however, they are riding with free agency signing Malik Willis.
Willis has started all six of the team’s games since signing a three-year, $67.5 million contract to move from Green Bay to Miami alongside his head coach. In those games, he has completed 87 o f 151 pass attempts (57.6%) for 1,057 yards with four touchdowns and interceptions each. He also has been sacked 16 times and scored three rushing touchdowns.
Willis is a hit-or-miss thrower with big-play potential, but overall has been uneven as evidenced by his 31st ranking among quarterbacks in EPA per play (-0.115). Part of the reason might be his supporting cast, which is missing its best player — running back De’Von Achane — and relying on a whole lot of young talent.
That said, Willis’ top two receivers this year are both veterans: wide receiver Malik Washington (26/289/0) and tight end Greg Dulcich (18/213/0). At running back, meanwhile, Ollie Gordon has stepped up since Achane’s season-ending knee injury. He has carried the. ball 72 times for 339 yards and a 4.7-yard average per carry; Gordon also has scored a team-leading four times.
Miami’s offensive line, meanwhile, is a collection of highly-drafted players. The only non-first- or second-round pick is center Aaron Brewer, a former undrafted free agent who started his career with Mike Vrabel’s Titans in 2020.
On the other side of the ball, Miami is led by a veteran defensive line. The top players among the group are Zach Sieler and Chop Robinson, who are tied for the team lead with two sacks each. Robinson, meanwhile, has posted a team-high 20 quarterback pressures. Also high on both lists is ex-Patriot and started edge Joshua Uche, who has one quarterback takedown among his 13 pressures.
The second level of the defense is led by the aforementioned Jacob Rodriguez, who has impressed since arriving in the second round of this year’s draft. His running mate off the ball is first-team All-Pro Jordyn Brooks, who signed a three-year, $48.1 million extension through 2029 this offseason. The Dolphins are banking on Rodriguez and Brooks leading their defense for years to come, and for good reason: both are very good players.
The secondary doesn’t have the same consistent talent, even though it has received some solid contributions from its youngsters and veterans alike. Safety Michael Taaffe, for example, is leading the team with two interceptions and tied for the team lead with a forced fumble. Overall, however, as illustrated by the EPA per dropback ranking, the Dolphins’ pass defense has some ground to make up — and an inconsistent secondary is a big reason for that.
Interestingly enough, the Dolphins don’t have a kicker on their active roster. Riley Patterson was released after missing three kicks over the first five games, with the team relying on practice squad member Zane Gonzalez since. In his lone game, Gonzalez has not attempted any field goals but gone a perfect 4-for-4 on extra points.
Dolphins reserves
Practice squad (16): QB Brady Cook (15), RB Carlos Washington Jr. (26), WR A.J. Henning (82), WR Jalen Reagor (88), WR Will Sheppard (81), TE Tre Watson (87), OT Gottlieb Ayedze (72), OL James Easter (65), DT Jordan Jefferson (91), ED Amari Gainer (53), ED Max Llewellyn (57), ED Eric Watts (95), LB Liam Anderson (50), CB Ethan Bonner (27), S Major Burns (43), K Zane Gonzalez (31)
IR (6): RB De’Von Achane (28), TE Cole Turner (87), DT Rene Konga (95), LB Ronnie Harrison (56), LB Trey Moore (17)
PUP (1): CB Darrell Baker Jr. (22)
The most prominent name on the Dolphins’ reserve lists is without a doubt De’Von Achane, who will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL suffered in Week 3. Coming off a season in which he had 1,838 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns, a healthy Achane would be Miami’s lead running back and most dangerous offensive player.
Dolphins coaching staff
Head coach: Jeff Hafley
Coordinators: Bobby Slowik (OC), Sean Duggan (DC), Chris Tabor (ST)
The Dolphin overhauled their coaching staff this offseason, firing Mike McDaniel and brining in Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. Patriots might know Hafley from another role, though: he was Boston College’s head coach between 2020 and 2023.
Hafley brought coordinator Sean Duggan and a significant portion of the defensive staff with him, and also hired Chris Tabor to lead the special teams unit. On offense, there is a bit more continuity: coordinator Bobby Slowik already was with the Dolphins under McDaniel, previously serving as a senior passing game coordinator.
