The Miami Dolphins are down to the final week before roster cuts, and the picture is coming into focus fast.
With three practices left and the preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons still to come, the staff has one last chance to sort out the back end of the roster before the NFL deadline forces the group down to 53 players. After 12 intrasquad practices, two joint practices and two preseason games, the Dolphins have a much clearer sense of where things stand - even if injuries are still shaping a few of the decisions.
Here’s how Miami Dolphins On SI Publisher Alain Poupart sees the roster shaking out in his fourth 53-man projection of 2026.
At quarterback, the projection keeps things steady: Tua Tagovailoa, Zach Wilson and Cam Miller. The thinking here is that Miami’s No. 2 quarterback could still wind up being someone not currently on the roster, but for now the safest call is to stick with the current group. The only real question is whether Miller has shown enough to hang around as a third quarterback on the 53, especially when the stat line doesn’t tell the full story because he’s not getting much help.
The backfield looks straightforward. De'Von Achane, Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon II all make it, and the only lingering question is whether the Dolphins would even entertain carrying four backs. If they did, Malik Washington would be the one to add.
At receiver, the group on the 53 is Jalen Tolbert, Chris Bell, Caleb Douglas, Kevin Coleman Jr., Malik Washington and Jalen Reagor. Off the roster in this projection are Tahj Washington, A.J. Henning, Terrace Marshall Jr., Donaven McCulley, Tutu Atwell and Theo Wease Jr.
Bell remains the swing piece. He still hasn’t practiced at full speed, and there’s at least a chance he starts the year on injured reserve with a designation to return. If he doesn’t, the competition behind the top rookies and Washington is wide open.
Tight end is projected to include Greg Dulcich, Will Kacmarek, D.J. Herman and Ben Sims.
Cole Turner, fullback Jeremiah Franklin and Seydou Traore are on the outside looking in. The only change from the previous projection is Herman in and Traore out.
The offensive line keeps Patrick Paul, Austin Jackson, Aaron Brewer, Jonah Savaiinaea, Kadyn Proctor, Charlie Heck, Andrew Meyer, Caedan Wallace and Josh Priebe. That means Marques Cox, Kevin Cline, DJ Campbell, Jim Bonitas, Gottlieb Ayedze and Jamaree Salyer are out, with Salyer landing on IR. Wallace and Priebe are the new additions from the last projection, replacing Salyer and Campbell.
Up front on defense, the projected edge group is Chop Robinson, Josh Uche, Clelin Ferrell, Robert Beal Jr. and Max Llewellyn. David Ojabo, Rodney McGraw, Cameron Goode, Seth Coleman-Lyles and Trey Moore miss out.
Moore is the biggest name here, and the expectation is that he starts the season on IR, ideally with a return designation. Jeff Hafley’s comments Sunday morning suggested Moore won’t be ready for at least the first month.
Ferrell and Beal are being assumed ready for Week 1 despite nursing injuries, and Llewellyn has earned his way onto the 53 after previously being left off. Goode is the toughest cut in the group and could still force his way in.
The defensive tackle group is projected as Zach Sieler, Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips, Zeek Biggers and Matthew Butler. Alex Huntley, Keith Cooper Jr., Fatorma Mulbah and Cam Rice are off the roster. Cooper and Mulbah have flashed recently, but the projection leans on veteran presence with Sieler and Butler.
At linebacker, the projected group is Jordyn Brooks, Tyrel Dodson, Jacob Rodriguez, Ronnie Harrison Jr., Kyle Louis and Jackson Woodard. The group has stayed consistent, though injuries could still alter things. The tough part here is moving on from Gay, and the projection leaves open the possibility that either he or Dodson could be traded to a team looking for a veteran linebacker.
Cornerback is still messy beyond the first four. JuJu Brents, Chris Johnson, Jason Marshall Jr. and Ethan Bonner are projected locks, while Alex Austin and A.J.
Green III round out the six. Miles Battle, Darrell Baker Jr., Ahmari Harvey, Storm Duck, Marco Wilson and Jai'Onte' McMillan are the cuts.
The first four are seen as stable, but the last two spots remain wide open. Duck and Baker also appear likely to begin the season on Reserve/PUP and miss at least the first four games.
Wilson is still in the mix.
At safety, Dante Trader Jr., Michael Taaffe, Zayne Anderson and Lonnie Johnson Jr. make the roster. The note here is simple: the need for a veteran presence pushes Johnson ahead of Burns and Moore, though either of the other two could still sneak in.
Special teams is the easiest part of the projection. K Riley Patterson, P Bradley Pinion and LS Tucker Addington are all in. Once Zane Gonzalez was placed on IR and later released with an injury settlement, that part of the depth chart became a lot simpler.
In Other News...
Jeff Hafley Sounds Fed Up With Dolphins Players Fighting For Jobs
Jeff Hafley came away from Miamis preseason loss to the New York Giants sounding more irritated than encouraged, and it was easy to see why. The Dolphins kept handing the game back with self-inflicted mistakes on offense and special teams, including holds, a fumble, a shanked punt and a stream of penalties that kept undercutting any chance to build rhythm. For a staff trying to sort out the back end of the roster, it was the kind of sloppy tape that makes every evaluation harder than it already is.
The bigger concern now is how little time there is left for players trying to force their way into jobs. Hafley made clear that many of the players who logged meaningful snaps in the preseason finale are probably headed for cuts, which only raises the pressure on anyone still fighting to stand out. When the mistakes are piling up and the margin for error is shrinking, the final audition can turn into a painfully short opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Ugly Start Is Fueling A Debate Fans Dread
The first two preseason games have already put the Dolphins in an uncomfortable spot, even with many of the starters sitting out. Miami was outscored 46-10, and while August results rarely tell the whole story, the early tape has reopened familiar questions about where this team really stands. Jeff Hafley has made it clear the group is not yet where it needs to be, which is hardly the kind of message that settles a fan base looking for signs of a sharper start.
What follows from here is the part Dolphins supporters know all too well, the debate over talent, physicality, quarterback play and how long a rebuild or reset should take to show up in the standings. Some around the team see pieces that can still come together, while others are already looking ahead and wondering how much patience the roster can reasonably ask for. For now, the numbers are ugly, the concerns are real, and the bigger question hanging over camp is whether this is just a noisy August stumble or something more revealing. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Preseason Loss Exposed A Roster Problem Fans Cant Ignore
The second week of the 2026 preseason offered a rough snapshot of where Miamis roster stands beneath the top line. With most of the starters resting against the Giants, the Dolphins leaned hard on depth players, and the result was a lopsided 26-3 loss that exposed problems on both sides of the ball. The offense had trouble getting moving, the defense had a hard time slowing New York, and the kind of clean, stable play teams want from their backups simply was not there.
There were a few bright spots, most notably rookie Jackson Woodard, who flashed with tackles and a fumble recovery, but the bigger concern was what happened up front. Miamis offensive line depth struggled significantly, which is the sort of issue that can ripple through the rest of the roster if it does not get cleaned up quickly. Injuries to linebacker Trey Moore and running back Ollie Gordon only added to the uneasy feeling leaving the game, because preseason losses are one thing, but depth concerns that come with physical setbacks are usually the ones teams spend the rest of August trying to solve. [Read more 🡒]