There isn’t much national confidence floating around the 2026 Miami Dolphins right now, and the skepticism has only grown since the arrival of new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and the wave of roster departures that followed. Around the league, the conversation has leaned less toward Miami winning games and more toward the team’s dead cap situation and the possibility that the Dolphins could “earn” the number one overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
That kind of talk is hanging over Miami as Week One approaches, too. The Dolphins open on the road in Las Vegas against a Raiders team that went 3-14 in 2025 and ended up with the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Even with that record, Miami is still being treated as the underdog. Most sportsbooks have the Raiders favored by at least three points, and some have pushed it to four or more.
The national voices have piled on as well. NFL Network’s panel has basically lined up behind the idea that Miami is in for a rough year, and nobody there is picking the Dolphins to beat the Raiders - or even to cover the spread. Brandon Perna, meanwhile, has the Dolphins scoring exactly three points against a Raiders defense that allowed 25.4 points per game in 2025, the eighth-most in the league.
None of that will matter much inside the Dolphins’ building. Dan Parr, Kevin Patra, Brooke Cersosimo and the rest of the outside chorus can make their predictions, but Miami can’t do anything about those opinions.
The only thing the Dolphins can control is what happens when they step on the field in Las Vegas. For a team that’s been written off so early, that should be all the fuel it needs.
The doubters have made their call. Now Miami has to answer with toughness, heart…
In Other News...
Tua Tagovailoa Faces Another Brutal Question About His NFL Future
Tua Tagovailoas latest setback has once again put his availability at the center of the conversation, with the quarterback dealing with a non-contact oblique injury suffered in practice and now listed as doubtful to play. With Michael Penix Jr. unavailable, the Falcons have already shifted to Cooper Rush as the starter, a reminder of how quickly a team can have to adjust when the quarterback room thins out.
For Miami, the bigger picture is hard to ignore anytime Tagovailoas health comes up, even if there is no official discussion about his future with the team right now. These are the kinds of injury questions that linger around a quarterback's career and make every new setback feel like more than a short-term roster note, especially when the depth chart is already forcing changes behind him. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Face A Quarterback Question That Could Change Everything
The Dolphins matchup with the 49ers brings an unusual comparison into focus, one that starts in the same 2022 draft class and lands in very different places. Brock Purdy and Skylar Thompson were both seventh-round picks, yet their careers have already taken opposite paths, with Purdy becoming San Franciscos full-time starter and earning an extension while Thompson has seen only limited success in Miami.
For the Dolphins, the contrast is more than a trivia note. It cuts to the larger question of how much quarterback development depends on the player and how much comes down to environment, coaching and organizational support. Thompson is not expected to remain with the team after his third season, and with Miami still sorting out its future at the position, the gap between these two careers only sharpens the stakes. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Just Got A Small Opening Against McCaffrey And The 49ers
Jake Tonges season is over just one game into it, and the 49ers are already adjusting on offense. The tight end is headed to injured reserve after suffering an MCL injury in the opener, a loss that trims some of the formation flexibility San Francisco likes to lean on with its 12 and 22 personnel looks.
For Miami, the timing matters. Facing a 49ers attack built around Christian McCaffrey, the Dolphins can at least take some comfort in knowing one piece of the opponents multi-tight-end structure is gone, which could make life a little more straightforward for Miamis linebackers when it comes to keying on the run game. It is a small opening, but against San Francisco, small openings are worth noticing. [Read more 🡒]