The Dolphins’ first win of the season came with a big exhale, and head coach Jeff Hafley didn’t hide what it meant inside the building.
Miami entered the year knowing the roster was young and the cap situation was weighed down by dead money, but that didn’t make the waiting any easier. After six straight losses, the relief was obvious. Hafley said he wanted the players to experience the payoff for all the work they’d been putting in, especially after a stretch in which Miami kept battling but came up short.
“The biggest thing for me is I wanted them to feel what it was like to win,” Dolphins HC Jeff Hafley said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “The way these guys fought and competed against the Niners and the Chiefs and the Vikings, and been in all those games, and how hard they’re playing, they deserve this. And I wanted to win for them so badly because they practiced like we’re getting ready for playoff games.
“I mean, they came back from the bye and it was like we’re a team in the playoff hunt, like trying to win a first playoff game. So they deserve this.
And it helps with their confidence. When you have all these young guys playing, most of our team’s never won an NFL game.”
In New York, Garrett Wilson wanted to make one thing clear after a tense moment during the Jets’ loss to the Dolphins on Sunday: his words were not aimed at Geno Smith.
Wilson appeared to be yelling in Smith’s direction, but he said the two were simply trying to sort through the frustration of the game together.
“We were collaborating,” Wilson said, via ESPN. “I don’t even think I was talking to Geno.
I think we were both heated, but not at each other at all. We were just disappointed with how we were playing up to that point and wanted to be a little more aggressive.
That’s what that was.”
He expanded on that point, saying the conversation was about finding a way to attack more aggressively and give the offense a better chance to take control.
“Just trying to figure out how we can fix where we’re at right now, wanting to get it in our hands and make a difference and try to win these games that we feel like we’re a better team - and we’re not,” Wilson added. “Like I’ve said before, I want it in my hands to try and make an impact. So that’s all we were talking about, just putting it in our hands and how we can make that happen, being aggressive throughout and keeping ourselves out of those situations so we can win these games.”
Smith backed up that version of events and said the focus should be on getting Wilson more opportunities.
“He might have been yelling, but I don’t think he was yelling at me,” Smith said. “I think we can all do a better job of finding ways to get him more targets and more touches. But the ball has to go where it goes based on coverage.”
In New England, Mike Vrabel brushed off any concern about A.J. Brown’s production, saying the veteran receiver just needs more time to settle in with Drake Maye.
Vrabel said he wasn’t worried about Brown’s performance and pointed to the natural process of developing timing with a new quarterback. He also noted that Brown had a couple of missed opportunities, but didn’t see that as a reason for alarm.
“No, I don’t have any concern. . . . I thought that he dropped a few passes, and then the other night there was a contested catch that - I’ve seen him make those plays in the past, I’ve seen those plays get called for DPI, and I’ve seen those plays be good plays by the defense down the field,” Vrabel said, via NBC Sports.
“So, I don’t think anybody has to press here or anything else. I think we just have to get back into a rhythm offensively with the guys that we have.”
In Other News...
Dolphins May Have Finally Found A Coach Worth Trusting
Jeff Hafleys first season in charge has already given Miami at least one sign that the reset might be moving in the right direction. The Dolphins finally got into the win column with a victory over the Jets, and it came with the kind of early-season context that usually tests a new staff most: a rebuilding roster, plenty of youth, and little room for patience. Even so, the team has looked competitive enough to suggest there is something more sustainable taking shape.
NFL insider Peter Schrager took note of that after the win, framing Hafley as a coach who has Miami headed somewhere better than the usual rebuilding slog. The challenge now is turning one encouraging result into a real stretch of momentum, and the schedule offers another chance soon enough with the Patriots coming to Miami in Week 8. For a team trying to establish trust in a new direction, the next few games will matter just as much as the first win did. [Read more 🡒]
Malik Willis Just Changed The Dolphins Conversation
The Dolphins finally got their first win of the 2026 season in Week 7, edging the Jets 28-25 in a game that did more than just snap the skid. Malik Willis delivered the kind of all-around performance Miami has been searching for, throwing for 208 yards and two touchdowns while also making plays with his legs and finishing with a 130.7 passer rating.
It was the sort of outing that can change the way a quarterback is discussed in a building, especially when it comes with both efficiency and improvisation. Willis also landed among the leagues most productive dual-threat passers this season, and the advanced numbers only added to the appeal, with his day against New York grading out as one of the best performances of the year in terms of expected points added per drop back. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Fans Already Face A Brutal Future Debate
The conversation around Miamis future is already drifting well beyond the next draft, with fans eyeing the 2027 class as a possible answer to the franchises long-running quarterback dilemma. Much of the early speculation has centered on the kind of player who could alter the direction of the roster, and the buzz has quickly turned into a familiar kind of draft debate: whether the Dolphins should chase a quarterback or start thinking about another elite weapon.
One name generating the most heat is Drew Mestemaker, a quarterback who has drawn Josh Allen comparisons and would fit the profile of the kind of swing-for-the-fences prospect fans cant help but discuss this early. Another is Jeremiah Smith, widely viewed as the top wide receiver in the conversation, which only adds to the intrigue as Miami weighs where its biggest need might truly be when that class finally arrives. The wild card, of course, is Arch Manning and what he decides to do next, which leaves the Dolphins long-range outlook feeling both promising and unsettled. [Read more 🡒]