The Miami Dolphins are in roster-cut mode after wrapping up their 2026 preseason, and the next 48 hours will decide who survives the squeeze to 53.
Miami finished the exhibition slate 0-3 under new head coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. The results themselves won’t count, but the evaluation did. Now the Dolphins have to turn a 91-man roster into the league-mandated 53 before the deadline.
That deadline arrives Sunday, August 30 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
With the preseason over and no practice scheduled this weekend, Miami won’t get any more live reps to sort through the final decisions. It’s a waiting game now, and every cut will tell a little more about how this new regime views the roster it inherited.
Dolphins Wire will be tracking the moves as they come in until the roster is finalized.
Miami’s roster picture also comes with a young, inexperienced feel that could keep shifting throughout the season. A final 53-man projection has already been laid out, even as the actual roster continues to take shape.
The Dolphins’ 2026 regular season starts with a trip to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Sept. 13 at 4:25 p.m. ET. From there, the schedule runs through a tough early stretch that includes the San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, and Cincinnati Bengals before the Week 6 bye.
Here’s the full slate:
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 13, at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:25 p.m. ET
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 20, at San Francisco 49ers, 4:25 p.m. ET
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 27, vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 4, at Minnesota Vikings, 4:05 p.m. ET
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 11, vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 6: BYE
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 25, at New York Jets, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 8: Sunday, Nov. 1, vs. New England Patriots, 4:25 p.m. ET
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 8, vs. Detroit Lions, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 15, at Indianapolis Colts, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 22, at Buffalo Bills, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 29, vs. New York Jets, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 6, at Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m. ET
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 13, vs. Chicago Bears, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 20, at Green Bay Packers, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 27, vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 1:00 p.m. ET
Week 17: Sunday, Jan. 3, vs. Buffalo Bills, 1:00 p.m. ET
In Other News...
Tuas Return To Miami Brought Out Feelings Dolphins Fans Know Well
Tua Tagovailoas return to South Florida on Saturday carried the kind of edge that naturally follows a quarterback who once arrived with big expectations and left with unfinished business. Facing the Dolphins in preseason action for the Atlanta Falcons, Tagovailoa looked sharp right away, completing 7 of 8 passes for 95 yards in a quarter and leading a touchdown drive on his first possession.
For Dolphins fans, it was an uncomfortable reminder of how quickly a promising chapter can turn. Miami released Tagovailoa 16 months after signing him to a large guaranteed contract, and his first game back in the building brought a little of everything, including a lost fumble on a muffed snap. Even in August, those kinds of moments have a way of reopening old feelings. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Leave Final Preseason Game With One Roster Battle Wide Open
The Dolphins closed out the preseason with a loss to the Falcons, and the night had the usual mix of roster-clinching urgency and August uncertainty. With many rookies and fringe players on the field, Miami got a look at a few hopefuls trying to leave one last impression, including rookie receiver Chris Bell, who flashed enough in his debut to stand out in a game that otherwise reflected how thin the margins are at this stage.
Miamis offense never found much rhythm, especially on the ground without its top backs, and the quarterback picture still does not feel settled after the final tune-up. Even with the preseason now over, the one battle that seems to matter most is still hanging in the balance, giving the Dolphins a final week of decisions before the roster has to be trimmed. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins QB Shakeup Just Raised A Bigger Roster Question
Quinn Ewers is on his way to Jacksonville after the Dolphins sent the quarterback to the Jaguars for a 2028 sixth-round pick, a move that comes after a rough stretch in training camp and the preseason. Miami had seen enough to make the swap, and the deal does more than thin the quarterback room. It also opens a roster spot at a time when every place on the 53-man roster matters.
Ewers arrives in Jacksonville with some appeal as a young quarterback who has already started three games in his career, but the bigger question in Miami is what comes next at the back end of the roster. The Dolphins created flexibility with the trade, and now they have to decide whether that spot is best used to reinforce another position or simply keep their options open as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]