The Miami Dolphins have concluded their preseason slate and have trimmed the roster down to 53 men after a flurry of cuts on Saturday and Sunday. As the dust settled, one thing became clear — the organization and new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan have embraced a youth movement regarding the 2026 version of the Dolphins.
The numbers prove it.
In a social media post sent out on Monday morning, Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post compiled a list of the youngest teams in the National Football League —
and the Miami Dolphins easily boast the youngest roster in the entire league, with an average age of 25.3 years.
The Dolphins beat out the Cleveland Browns as the youngest team in the league — with an average age that is 0.6 years younger than the AFC South squad. The Kansas City Chiefs come in third — 0.8 years older than Miami’s average player.
Conversely, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons have the oldest rosters in the league — with each having an average age of 27.4 years. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is obviously dragging that number up for Pittsburgh, but that means the age of an average Steelers or Falcons player in 2026 is a whopping 3.1 years older than the average Dolphins player.
So, what does that mean for Miami in 2026? It means that if the squad hopes to compete against a difficult schedule of talented teams, they’ll need to lean on their youth and athleticism, while being coached to their fullest potential by a new coaching staff led by head coach Jeff Hafley. It could be a rocky road ahead for the Dolphins this season, but watching a young team come into their own as the year unfolds should be a rewarding experience — even if that doesn’t translate to a lot of wins in the process.
