The AFC is headed into 2026 with a few teams already looking like they know what this year is really about: sorting out the future, not chasing a playoff run. When a roster is thin enough at the premium spots, the wins can almost feel like a distraction from the bigger picture.
That’s the lens here: overall talent, upside, depth, and the state of the most important positions - QB, EDGE, CB, WR, and IDL. With that in mind, two teams in particular stand out near the bottom of the conference.
The Miami Dolphins come in at No. 4, and they look very much like a club in transition. Miami handled the quarterback situation by bringing in Malik Willis for this year’s reset, giving him a starting chance after what he did as Jordan Love’s backup in Green Bay. Even so, he remains one of the biggest unknowns on the roster.
The receiver and tight end situation is just as shaky. The Dolphins may have the weakest group of wideouts and tight ends in the league, though there is at least some hope built into the room with three rookie receivers from this year’s draft and Greg Dulcich, who flashed late last season. That’s not a finished product, but it is a place to start.
What keeps Miami from sinking even further is the front on both sides of the ball. If Patrick Paul keeps taking steps forward and Kadyn Proctor hits, the offensive line could become a real strength.
On defense, the Dolphins can point to three players they believe in as building blocks: Zach Seiler, 2025 first-round pick Kenneth Grant, and 2024 first-round pick Chop Robinson. And if Josh Uche or David Ojabo turns into a useful reclamation project, the long view gets a lot brighter.
The piece of optimism here is simple: this group could be positioned for a real jump by 2027.
At No. 3, the Las Vegas Raiders land here again after finishing as the worst team in the NFL last season. They did make some sensible additions in free agency, including Tyler Linderbaum, Quay Walker, Nakobie Dean, and others, but that alone wasn’t enough to pull them out of the league’s basement.
The problems are obvious and they run deep. The defensive line could be the worst position group in the NFL, and the wide receiver room is in that same conversation. The secondary is also a concern, with Eric Stokes sitting as their best cornerback option.
Still, the Raiders do have some legitimate reasons to feel better about what’s ahead. Brock Bowers is a star at tight end, Ashton Jeanty gives them a promising piece in the backfield, and Fernando Mendoza arrives as the No. 1 overall pick. Those three can be the start of something bigger, but John Spytek is still looking at another offseason of work before this team can realistically be called a real AFC West threat.
In Other News...
Dolphins May Already Have Another Draft Class Problem Brewing
The Dolphins draft haul from the past two years is already setting up a fresh round of front-office decisions, and the calendar is moving faster than Miami would probably like. General manager Jon-Eric Sullivan will have to sort through a number of contract questions after the 2026 season, with Patrick Paul headed toward a contract year in 2027 and no fifth-year option to soften the timeline.
Chop Robinson gives Miami a different kind of decision because the club does have a fifth-year option in play, and his 2026 performance figures to weigh heavily on how the Dolphins handle it. Elsewhere in that same class and the one around it, Jaylen Wright is not viewed as a sure long-term piece, Tahj Washington is fighting for a place at all, and Malik Washington has shown enough growth to look like part of the plan for now before his own contract situation comes due after 2027. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins May Have Let 5 Costly Roster Mistakes Walk Away
Miamis offseason roster churn left the front office with a familiar question: how much depth can a team afford to lose before it starts feeling the effects in the fall? The Dolphins moved on from a handful of players or let them test the market, and several of those names have already found new homes elsewhere, including stops with the Chiefs, Chargers, Giants and 49ers. For a team trying to keep pace in a competitive AFC, those are the kinds of departures that can look routine in March and a lot more significant once the games start counting.
What makes the situation worth watching is that this is not just about star power, but about the supporting cast that helps a roster hold together over a long season. Miamis decision-making around players such as Kader Kohou, Cole Strange, Elijah Campbell, Jack Jones and Alec Ingold could end up being judged less by what it saved in the moment and more by what it leaves exposed later. The real test will come when the Dolphins need reliable snaps, familiar roles and answers from the bottom and middle of the roster, and those are the spots that are hardest to replace on the fly. [Read more 🡒]
Hill And Waddle Fell Agonizingly Short Of Dolphins History
Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle did plenty in Miami to leave a mark, but when it comes to the Dolphins all-time receiving yards list, both former stars ended up just short of history. O.J. McDuffie still owns the fifth and final spot on that leaderboard with 5,074 yards, a number that has become a small but stubborn benchmark for every wideout who has come through the building since.
Hill was closer than most people might realize, and Waddle was even nearer to becoming one of the five most productive receivers in franchise history. Instead, the current Miami pass-catching group is staring up at a record book that still feels a long way off, with Malik Washington leading the active receivers but nowhere near putting McDuffies place in real danger anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]