Jon-Eric Sullivan inherited a mess in Miami, and the cleanup job is already reaching into the Dolphins’ 2024 draft class.
The new general manager has spent his early run tearing down the mistakes left behind by Chris Grier, even dumping salaries into what the source describes as the NFL dumpster and piling up more dead cap money than any other team in league history. But the next major test may not come until after the 2026 season, when Miami has to start sorting out which players from that 2024 class deserve more money.
Right now, the list of candidates is thin, and the answers are not exactly comforting.
Patrick Paul may be the simplest call, though even that comes with an asterisk. He spent his rookie year behind Terron Armstead, and 2026 will be his second full season.
Paul has shown one good season so far, but because he was not a first-round pick, he does not get the fifth-year option. That means Miami may have to make a decision on him sooner than it would prefer.
By 2027, he will be in the third year of his NFL career and on a contract year, something most general managers try to avoid unless they still have real questions about the player. The Dolphins’ starting left tackle could still have more room to grow, but his future will need to be addressed after the 2026 season.
Chop Robinson brings a different kind of decision. Miami does have the fifth-year option on him, which gives the team extra time to evaluate his development.
He is not chasing a new deal next offseason; instead, he is playing for the guaranteed salary that comes with the option. Still, his long-term future will be decided this year.
Robinson has to show he can be consistent off the edge, and if he can’t, the Dolphins should not reward that by picking up the option. The source calls this a critical season for the former Nittany Lion, who opened with a huge rookie year before regressing over the last two years.
The outlook gets even shakier after that. Jaylen Wright’s chances of landing another contract in Miami are described as slim.
The fourth-round pick is not even a lock to make this year’s roster, much less earn a second deal. At best, he can hope to stick on the Dolphins roster in 2026 and 2027 while getting enough reps to prove he belongs.
Even in his best-case scenario, he profiles as only a low-end extension candidate.
Malik Washington is the one name in the group showing real upward momentum. Entering his third season, he turned in solid OTA practices and appears to have secured his roster spot for this year. But there is no contract beyond 2027, which means Miami will have to deal with that issue next year or wait until after the season ends before he reaches year four.
Tahj Washington faces a much steeper climb. He is expected to have a hard time making this year’s roster, which leaves little room to talk extension. A practice squad contract remains possible.
And two members of the class are already gone. Mohamed Kamara and Patrick McMorris were both released last season and are no longer on the Dolphins roster.
In Other News...
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 🡒]