How the Miami Dolphins are showing promise within the tank
By Andy Davies
The Miami Dolphins went into the 2026 NFL season with not an awful lot of hope.
Many fans and analysts were foreseeing a difficult season for Miami, with a 3-13 record the most touted record prediction going into the season.
Going into the season, the Dolphins had a league record $187.4 million dead cap space. Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Jalen Ramsey, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Bradley Chubb and Terron Armstead contributed to $162.3 million of that total. There were big name departures, with no headline arrivals coming in.
The first overall pick in 2027 odds had Miami firmly in the mix as one of the favourites to have the worst record in the league in 2026. So far, results have gone exactly as predicted, with a 1-5 record, only getting their first win on Sunday.
However, the record does not tell the whole story. Despite just one win, there is a lot of optimism around the team. Here is how the teams are showing a huge amount of promise whilst in full tank mode.
There is improvement every week for the Dolphins
The front office knew what this season was going to be, going into it with the youngest roster and all that aforementioned dead cap space.
This team was going to take a lot of time to gel, given the drastic turnaround within the roster. Their most disappointing result came in Week One, given their opponent, as they lost 27-13 to the Las Vegas Raiders. A 22-point loss to the San Francisco 49ers followed, but their 6-1 record so far this season shows the quality of team they faced.
Going into the fourth quarter, they were just four points behind the Kansas City Chiefs, a team who are also 5-1. They only lost by five points against the Minnesota Vikings and by seven to the Cincinnati Bengals a week later. Prior to the Jets win, their opponents this season had combined for a 22-5 record, and three of those teams were all unbeaten prior to the most recent weekend of action, before the Chiefs and Niners lost.
The Dolphins are not losing games in embarrassing fashion and are being beaten by good teams. We are seeing a team improve week by week in a year that was planned to be a tough one. With a fantastic draft class so far this season, there is also a lot of hope for the future of the franchise, going beyond this season.
A haul of impressive rookies
When Jon-Eric Sullivan was hired as General Manager of the Dolphins, he spoke of the importance of draft picks. He said: “I’ve said it time and time again, we’re going to be a draft-and-develop team.
“We will always be a young team. I think this is a young man’s game. I think from a salary cap standpoint, staying young allows you to be sustainable, and then you go pay your difference makers versus having a bunch of mercenaries that are overpaid, if you will.”
Having joined the Dolphins from the Green Bay Packers, he left an organisation who knows one thing or two about drafting smartly. He has certainly brought the Packers DNA over to South Beach, with some impressive draft picks so far.
Guard Kadyn Proctor (12th overall) has started in all six games and allowed just one sack along with 13 pressures. He has also been part of an offensive line unit that has allowed 100-plus rushing yards in each of the past five games. This has allowed second year running back Ollie Gordon II, to flourish, with 291 rushing yards and three touchdowns across the past three games.
On a defense that ranks eighth against the pass, cornerback Chris Johnson (27th overall) has allowed just 206 receiving yards. The most that he has allowed in one game has been Mike Evans’ 54 yards in Week Two. Sticking with the secondary and rookie safety Michael Taaffe (158th overall) has two interceptions and is the first Dolphins player since Pat Surtain in 1998 to record multiple picks in the first six games of the season.
Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (61st overall) has the ninth most tackles in the entire NFL (61). Wide receiver Caleb Douglas (75th overall) is the only rookie to record two touchdowns in a game and has 20.3 yards per catch. Only Omar Cooper Jr has more in the league.
The Dolphins will have one of the highest cap space totals next season and a lot of players on rookie deals. Add on this impressive draft class and this is a team that could really go places and see major improvement results wise in 2027 and beyond.
ANDY DAVIES
NFL ANALYST
ANDY IS A SPORTS JOURNALISM GRADUATE WITH OVER SIX YEARS EXPERIENCE OF NFL WRITING AND PODCASTING. ANDY HAS BEEN TO EVERY NFL STADIUM AND IS THE HOST OF THE ACROSS THE POD PODCAST. HE HAS PRESS PASS EXPERIENCE AT THE LONDON GAMES AND MANY OTHER NFL BASED EVENTS SUCH AS SUPER BOWL LIX AND LX, HAVING INTERVIEWED THE LIKES OF AARON RODGERS, JUSTIN JEFFERSON, JASON BELL, OSI UMENYIORA, PATRICK MAHOMES, TRAVIS KELCE, DERRICK HENRY, SAQUON BARKLEY AND JALEN HURTS.
