The NFL offseason is nearly done with its lap around the track, and training camp is right there in front of us. Once the 90-man rosters hit the field and the pads come on, the league will finally shift from offseason talk to real football.
Before that happens, here’s a look at where every roster stands heading into 2026, judged by star power, depth, upside, and the kind of talent each team can roll out from top to bottom. This is the optimistic version of the exercise, the one that tries to see each roster the way the team itself probably does.
At the very bottom sits Miami. The Dolphins have become the easy answer for the league’s weakest roster, and there’s not much mystery about why. However you want to break it down - by position group, by starters, by premium spots - the overall picture points to a team deep in rebuilding mode, and they know it.
That said, the roster isn’t empty. Miami may have some appealing pieces in the trenches on both sides of the ball, with the offensive line looking especially interesting.
The bigger question is what happens under center, where Malik Willis is set to get his first real shot at leading an NFL team. He’s earned that opportunity through the way he’s performed as Jordan Love’s backup.
For the Dolphins, this season is as much about information as it is about wins. The real prize is getting the clearest possible read on the 2026 NFL Draft class and setting up smarter decisions for the 2027 NFL Draft class, which is described as absolutely loaded. Even if an AFC East run isn’t in the cards, the new leadership of GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley is trying to build something that lasts.
Cleveland lands just ahead of Miami, and the reason is hard to miss. The Browns traded away the best player in franchise history on the defensive side of the ball, maybe at any position, and they still don’t have a long-term answer at quarterback.
That puts them in the same general neighborhood as Miami: near the bottom, but not completely barren. This is another year of rebuilding and evaluation, and there are enough intriguing pieces to make it worth watching. The offensive line has been overhauled, which was badly needed, and the receiver room got younger with KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.
The Browns also came out of the 2025 NFL Draft with real momentum, led by Defensive Rookie of the Year Carson Schwesinger and running back Quinshon Judkins. If Jared Verse keeps moving forward, there’s more here than just a teardown. But the loss of Myles Garrett and the absence of a quarterback solution keep Cleveland stuck near the cellar.
In Other News...
Dolphins Receiver Battle Suddenly Has One Surprise Name To Watch
The Dolphins receiver room is one of the more open competitions on the roster this spring, and Caleb Douglas has quickly become a name worth tracking. Miami used a third-round pick on the wideout, a move that caught some attention because many around the league expected him to be more of a day-three selection, but the team clearly saw enough to make him part of a class that included three drafted receivers.
Now the question is whether that investment translates into a real path to a starting job. With no clear answer yet on who will line up first at wide receiver, Douglas is in the mix, and the fact that coaches Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley have seen something in him only adds to the intrigue as Miami tries to sort out its passing game around a roster built to chase bigger goals. [Read more 🡒]
Tua Just Reached The Moment Dolphins Fans Knew Was Coming
Tua Tagovailoas next chapter has already become one of the more watched storylines of the offseason, and not just because of where its happening. After years of debate in Miami over whether he could stay healthy and sustain the level he flashed before the regression set in, he has landed in a setting where every throw is being weighed against the version of him Dolphins fans kept waiting to see again. The early buzz out of Atlanta has been encouraging, with Tagovailoa standing out in practices and forcing the conversation to shift from what went wrong in Miami to what might still be possible.
The bigger question now is whether this is the start of a real rebound or just another stop in a career that has already invited plenty of labels. Fans and analysts have been split on the outcome for months, with some expecting a short-term bridge role and others still holding out hope that he can get back to his earlier form. Atlantas quarterback situation gives him a path to prove it, but the pressure is obvious: if he keeps building on this start, he can change the narrative around his future, and if he doesnt, the league may decide it has seen enough. [Read more 🡒]
Mark Gronowski Could Force A Tough Dolphins Quarterback Decision
The Dolphins quarterback room for 2026 already looks very different, with Tua Tagovailoa now in Atlanta and Malik Willis projected to take over as the starter. Quinn Ewers is expected to settle in as the No. 2 option, which leaves the final spot in the room to a younger competition that could matter more than it first appears.
Mark Gronowski, an undrafted rookie with a dual-threat rsum and plenty of college success behind him, is pushing Cam Miller for that third quarterback job. Miami may not want to carry more than three passers, but if Gronowski doesnt make the active roster, the practice squad is the other obvious path, and even that comes with a risk if another team decides it likes his upside enough to make a move during the season. [Read more 🡒]