The Miami Dolphins could use help just about everywhere, but the free-agent market probably isn’t going to save them during the bye week.
That’s the reality heading into Week 6: there are options out there, but not many that would move the needle. Miami may still explore depth additions, especially if injuries pile up or if certain players continue to underperform. The names on the board are mostly stopgaps, not splashy fixes.
If the Dolphins do make a move, the most obvious spots to watch are running back, offensive line and tight end. Even then, the available talent is thin enough that any signing would likely be more about survival than excitement. The roster wouldn’t exactly get a wave of applause.
At tight end, Miami is leaning on Greg Dulcich and Will Kacmarek, while rookies Justin Joly and Seydou Traore have yet to get much of a look. If the Dolphins needed another body there, the best free-agent possibilities are Donald Parham, Will Dissly and Zach Ertz.
That group tells the story all by itself: Parham is 29, Dissly is 30 and Ertz is 35. Aside from Ertz, the production levels across those careers have been fairly ordinary, and age is a major reason they’re still unsigned.
If the tight end room takes a hit, Miami would likely stick with what it already has.
Offensive tackle is another area worth watching, particularly with the NFL trade deadline set for November 10th. There’s a real chance Austin Jackson could be traded if the Dolphins can get the right return, but Miami would probably check its own depth chart before reaching outside the building. The free-agent pool at tackle is slim, with Charlie Heck, Trenton Scott, Nicholas Petit-Frere, Jonah Williams and Jedrick Willis among the names available.
Guard is not much better from a free-agent standpoint, though the Dolphins’ current group may be strong enough to avoid needing outside help there. The available options include Max Scharping, Germain Ifedi, Robert Jones, Evan Neal and Ezra Cleveland.
Running back is another spot that could draw attention because Jaylen Wright has not been healthy. Miami has already been cycling through backup backs, and so far it’s been the Ollie Gordon II show. He has played well, but behind him the depth chart gets shaky fast.
In Other News...
Malik Willis Keeps Ignoring One Dolphins Fix They Clearly Need
Through five games of the 2026 season, Malik Willis has given the Dolphins enough to work with at quarterback, but his decision-making has also left a clear opening in the offense. One of the easiest ways to clean that up should be right in front of him. Miamis tight ends have been involved in the game plan, and Greg Dulcich and Will Kacmarek have both helped the unit in different ways, yet the passing game has not leaned on that group nearly enough.
That matters because the Dolphins have a position room that can help open things up if Willis and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik are willing to use it more consistently. Dulcich has flashed as a receiver, while Kacmarek has mostly been asked to do the dirty work, and the balance there suggests Miami has more room to grow on offense than it has shown so far. The question is whether Willis will start trusting the middle of the field more often, or keep leaving one of the teams clearest fixes on the table. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Ownership Just Got More Crowded Than Many Fans Realize
Stephen Ross has continued to widen the circle around the Dolphins, recently agreeing to sell a small minority stake in the franchise to Jean Eric Salata, pending approval. It is the latest sign that Miamis ownership structure has become a little more layered over time, with Ross bringing in outside capital while still holding the principal role that has defined the teams modern era.
Salata would join a long list of recognizable investors who already have ties to the Dolphins, a group that has included Ares Management, Lin Bin, Joe Tsai and Oliver Weisberg, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Serena and Venus Williams, Marc Anthony, and Fergie. For fans, the takeaway is less about boardroom mechanics than the breadth of names attached to the franchise now, and how much more crowded that ownership picture has become. [Read more 🡒]
Malik Willis Pushes Back On What Dolphins Fans Saw Sunday
Before Miamis Week 5 matchup, Bengals safety Jordan Battle pointed to something he thought he saw from Malik Willis, suggesting the quarterback was tapping the ball before he threw it and that the habit helped lead to two interceptions. It was the kind of pregame remark that can stick with a player, especially when it sounds like a clean explanation for a turnover-heavy day.
Willis pushed back on that version of events, saying the interceptions came down to tipped passes and a scramble-drill mistake rather than any tell in his delivery. For Dolphins fans who had already noticed the playmaking swings around those turnovers, the dispute adds another layer to the debate over what really happened and whether the issue was habit, execution, or just a couple of bad breaks. [Read more 🡒]