The Dolphins are 0-4, but the first month of the season has offered a clear glimpse at what this roster could look like once the young pieces start settling in. Miami is leaning hard on rookies - 13 draft picks plus one undrafted free agent - and several of them are already taking on meaningful roles on both sides of the ball.
Not every newcomer has had a chance to show much yet. Trey Moore, Kyle Louis and D.J.
Campbell have not made an impact so far, with Moore and Louis on injured reserve and Campbell still waiting for his first snap while remaining inactive on game days. Seydou Traore has also been limited on offense, but he has logged 80% of the team’s special teams snaps, which has at least kept him involved.
A few others have already given the Dolphins reasons to believe. Chris Johnson has started all four games and put up 25 tackles, including 11 solo stops, while working both inside and on the boundary.
His debut has had some rough edges, but the improvement has been there as the weeks have passed. Michael Taaffe has also flashed despite some assignment issues.
He has a pass defended, 12 tackles and an interception, and his nonstop effort and film study have helped him avoid repeating mistakes too often.
On offense, Kevin Coleman Jr. is still getting used to the NFL game. The mid-round pick has just two catches through four weeks, but his route running has looked solid, even if he has been at the mercy of Malik Willis’ vision of the field.
Chris Bell, Miami’s third-round receiver, is working his way back into top form after an ACL injury that was surgically repaired last January. He has five receptions for 92 yards, and the Dolphins keep feeding him chances as he continues to move in the right direction.
Will Kacmarek’s stat line won’t jump off the page - two catches for 18 yards - but the tight end has been strong as a blocker, which is exactly what Miami wants from him. The same goes for D.J.
Herman, the undrafted rookie whose lone catch is overshadowed by how well he has blocked. His work in that area has been so steady that he is making fans forget about Alec Ingold.
Caleb Douglas opened the season with a 94-yard performance in Week 1, then an ankle injury in Week 2 knocked him out. He could miss a third straight game in Week 5, and if he does not play against the Bengals, the bye in Week 6 would give him extra time to recover.
Kadyn Proctor has also earned praise for his work in the trenches. He has been consistently effective as a run blocker and in pass protection, even if some pre-snap mental mistakes have shown up, which is hardly surprising for a rookie still learning the speed of the game.
The clearest bright spot may be Rodriguez, who has been the gold standard for Jon-Eric Sullivan’s first NFL draft. He has been explosive, has shown himself to be the best pure tackler on the roster, and is still drawing early DROY talk despite Miami’s 0-4 start. More than anything, he has become the unquestioned leader of the Dolphins defense.
In Other News...
Dolphins May Be Running Out Of Time With Austin Jackson
Austin Jacksons grip on the Dolphins starting right tackle job has become a real storyline through the first month of the 2026 season. After four weeks of allowing multiple pressures, sacks and penalties, the veteran has put Miami in a familiar spot for an offense trying to stabilize the edge while carrying bigger expectations everywhere else.
The Dolphins have already started looking around for answers, with veteran Caedan Wallace and rookies Melvin Priestly and Dodji Dahoue getting a closer look as the staff searches for better play. There is also consideration being given to positional changes involving Kadyn Proctor, a sign that Miami is willing to keep testing options while it pushes a youth-and-development approach and tries to find a cleaner solution at right tackle. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Fans Wont Love This Brian Thomas Jr. Trade Buzz
The Dolphins 0-4 start has already pushed the front office into the kind of early-season roster brainstorming that rarely stays quiet for long, and the search for help around Malik Willis has quickly turned toward the passing game. One name that has surfaced in the chatter is Brian Thomas Jr., a young receiver whose upside remains obvious enough to intrigue teams looking for a jolt, even if his week-to-week production has not always matched the hype.
Bleacher Report floated a possible framework involving Miami sending a 2027 third-round pick to Jacksonville, a kind of deal that would speak to how aggressively the Dolphins may need to think if they want to change the feel of this season. For the Jaguars, moving a player with Thomass talent would not be easy to sell, and his inconsistency only adds another layer to a conversation that is likely to linger until someone actually makes the call. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Fans Are Still Waiting To See If Hafley Is Right
With the Dolphins stuck at 0-4 to open the 2026 season, Jeff Hafley spent his latest media availability leaning into the longer view. The head coach said he still believes in the players and in the process, framing the early slide as something the team can work through with trust, development and a steadier response to adversity. Miami has heard that kind of message before, but at this point the margin for patience is starting to shrink.
Now the focus shifts quickly to Cincinnati, where the Dolphins will try to show that Hafleys confidence is rooted in something more concrete than hope. The Bengals offer the next chance to prove the team can turn practice-room progress into results, and for a fan base waiting to see signs of a real course correction, this game feels like more than just another date on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]