The Miami Dolphins are taking a gap year.
Hitting delete on the Tua Tagovailoa era forced the franchise to play with a handicap in 2026. Releasing the left-handed quarterback accelerated a $55.4 million dead salary cap hit onto the team's books this fall. Cutting or trading Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill, Jalen Ramsey and Minkah Fitzpatrick contributed another $85 million. More than 45 percent of the team's cap this season is devoted to players who are no longer Miami Dolphins.
Thus, this fall will hinge on figuring out which young players are worth future investments -- the kind that pan out rather than handcuff a general manager when it comes to future contracts. What is first year head coach Jeff Hafley dealing with in 2026?
Key addition: QB Malik Willis
Was Willis' revival
as a Green Bay Packer the symptom of a small sample size and unprepared defenses? Or was it a sign he's capable of being a franchise quarterback? It will be tough to tell with a Miami roster whose top receivers are Malik Washington, Tutu Atwell, Jalen Tolbert, Chris Bell and Caleb Douglas.
We'll have to grade Willis' first season in orange and aqua on a curve. If he thrives in RPO situations and finds openings with the quick processing he showed as an understudy in Green Bay, the Dolphins will be in good shape. If he succumbs to frustration, holds the ball too long and can't establish a rapport with his young wideouts… well, nothing really counts for this team until 2027, anyway.
Key departure: WRs Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill
Malik Willis' top wideouts for 2026 are some combination of Malik Washington, Jalen Tolbert, Chris Bell and Caleb Douglas. Greg Dulcich might be a late bloomer at tight end — a position that typically requires a long NFL runway — but 2025 was his first season with a positive EPA when targeted. De'Von Achane has been healthy the past two seasons and was fourth in the NFL in rush yards over expected last fall, but he's about to see the most stacked boxes of his life as opponents dare Miami to throw downfield.
Potential 2026 breakout player: LB Jacob Rodriguez
The Dolphins probably won't be very good in 2026. They'll certainly give a whole bunch of young prospects and overlooked veterans a chance to shine, however.
Rodriguez has all the traits to solidify himself as a pillar of the team's rebuild. His versatility opens up new pages in first-year head coach Jeff Hafley's playbook, and the franchise regards him highly enough to have released 2025 starter Tyrel Dodson in the run-up to cutdown day.
Position ranks
- QB rank (expected points added per dropback, via RBSDM.com): 1, if you lower the bar down to Willis' tiny, 58-snap sample size
- WR corps rank: 32
- RB corps rank: 7
- TE corps rank: 29
Will they improve in 2026?
No. Oh, no no no. This is a full reset in Jeff Hafley's first year. As long as Miami can identify some foundational pieces for an eventual playoff run, it'll be a success. But it won't end with a better record than 2025.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Dolphins 2026 season preview: It's totally OK to bottom out
