Well, folks… get ready for a long season of Miami Dolphins football.
With a 27-13 defeat at the hands of the Las Vegas Raiders in Week One, the Jeff Hafley and Jon-Eric Sullivan era in Miami got off to a rocky start. While fans of the team expected some growing pains, a win against the team that earned the number one overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft didn’t seem to be an outlandish ask.
Whoops!
Before anyone panics, just remember that the Dolphins aren’t playing with a full deck right now. With a record-setting
amount of dead cap holding this roster back, the team is beginning their latest rebuild with one hand tied behind their backs. It’s going to look ugly at times this season, but hey, we’re Dolphins fans. We’re used to this.
GOOD
Caleb Douglas has record setting performance for rookie receiver in Miami
While it wasn’t a good day for the Miami Dolphins’ offense as a whole, rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas had himself an historic day. In fact, Douglas’ performance was a record setting one. His 94 receiving yards were the most for a Dolphins rookie in his first game as a professional in team history.
When Douglas was selected in the third-round of the 2026 NFL Draft, plenty of people scoffed at the pick. The Texas Tech product was overdrafted according to many national pundits. Well, it doesn’t matter where you’re selected once you hit the field on Sundays — and on this Sunday, Douglas proved that he belongs in the National Football League by nabbing five passes. Here’s hoping he continues to stack good games en route to a successful rookie season.
BAD
Dolphins offensive line gives up 5 sacks in loss
With his first pick as Miami’s general manager, Jon-Eric Sullivan invested in the team’s offensive line, taking Kadyn Proctor out of Alabama to start at left guard. His message was clear — the team needed to be better up front if they wanted to find success on offense. Unfortunately, on Sunday against the Raiders, despite the mobility of quarterback Malik Willis, the Dolphins still gave up five sacks.
It’s early, and there will be plenty of time to work on things from a pass protection standpoint, but if offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik wants to push the ball downfield — which seemed to be the second-half gameplan — Miami’s offensive line will need to be better moving forward. Or maybe Slowik needs to adjust his plan of attack…
UGLY
Dolphins defense couldn’t stop the run
If you take old man Kirk Cousins’ five carries out of the equation, the Dolphins defense gave up 136 yards rushing on 32 attempts — 4.25 yards per carry — to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Second-year running back Ashton Jeanty had 102 yards rushing on 23 carries himself.
Time and time again, the Raiders found themselves in short yardage situations on second and third downs because Miami’s defensive line couldn’t handle the Las Vegas rushing attack. That is not a recipe for success for a defense that is filled with young, unproven talent across the board.
It won’t get any easier for the Dolphins next weekend. They’ll travel to San Francisco to face Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers — a team that just ran for 174 yards on 30 carries against the Los Angeles Rams in Week One.
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The Dolphins came out swinging against the Raiders, unfortunately they didn’t seem to land any blows. The team starts off the Jeff Hafley era with an 0-1 record and the schedule only gets harder from here. Do you think Miami will improve in Week Two against the 49ers or are we in for more of the same — if not worse — against San Francisco? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter at @MBrave13. Fins up.
