The Miami Dolphins enter Week 1 with the kind of consensus you don’t want: nearly everybody has them parked at the bottom of the NFL.
Seven of the 10 national outlets used in the traditional power-rankings survey - Yahoo Sports, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, The Athletic, NFL.com, USA Today and CBS Sports - slotted Miami at No. 32.
The Dolphins’ best showing came from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who had them at No. 28.
They were also ranked 29th and 30th in two other polls.
That left Miami with an average ranking of 31.1 heading into the 2026 regular season. The Raiders, who open Sunday against the Dolphins, weren’t exactly viewed as a juggernaut either, coming in with an average ranking of 27.7.
The common thread in the national reaction is clear: this is a team being viewed as a rebuild, not a contender. One ranking noted, “They aren't tanking, but they won't be winning a lot of games this season.
The schedule is tough and they are a young team. It's all about the process now.”
Another pointed straight at the roster math, asking, “How bad is a team with nearly $182 million in dead money on its salary cap?” That same evaluation also highlighted Miami’s aggressive post-cutdown move, noting the club claimed seven players after roster reductions.
There’s plenty of skepticism around the new-look Dolphins, but there are a few names drawing notice. Malik Willis and De'Von Achane were singled out as the players most likely to keep the offense moving, while young receivers are expected to help however they can. Jeff Hafley, meanwhile, was described as someone who will need patience as he tries to shape the defense into something that matches his vision.
Achane also popped up in a milestone watch worth tracking. He’s already led all running backs in receptions over the past two seasons with 145, and he’s 58 catches away from passing Herschel Walker for 10th place among running backs in receptions through their first four NFL seasons.
The note on him was simple: it’s a good bet he gets there this season, since he has averaged 66 catches over 17 games in his career and Miami will lean on him heavily. His only real obstacle, as the ranking noted, is availability, though he has missed only one game over the past two seasons despite 586 total touches.
Not every comment around the team was purely bleak. One ranking called rookie wide receiver Chris Bell’s emergence a fun storyline and said there is something invigorating about being doubted, even while still expecting the Malik Willis-led Dolphins to fall short of those low expectations.
Still, most of the national read on Miami was blunt. One outlet said the Dolphins seem to be accepting their fate as a rebuilding team, adding that Tyreek Hill was cut at the start of the offseason and that other veterans, including Tua Tagovailoa and Minkah Fitzpatrick, might follow him out the door. That same take described Jeff Hafley as likely to be working with one of football’s worst rosters and framed 2026 pain as a possible path to a better future.
Another went even harder, calling the roster “a clear burn down” and pointing to the midseason firing of the general manager and the uncertainty around the head coach as proof of how badly the team was stocked. It cited a weak offensive line and a defensive line “without teeth” as major problems Hafley now has to address.
There was even a ranking that focused on Miami landing below the Cardinals, tying that to the roster and to a joint practice against the Giants that was described as so lopsided Brian Burns called it “dominant,” while also saying a report of six New York sacks undersold what happened.
At the end of the survey, the Dolphins sat where most of the league seems to believe they belong for now: 27th in the composite list, and very much in the conversation no team wants to win.
In Other News...
Dolphins Open This Season With A Brutal Outside Message
The Dolphins head into their season opener against the Raiders on Sunday, Sept. 13, carrying a harsh national view of where this team stands before a snap has been played. ESPNs Adam Schefter has even pointed to Miami as a favorite for the first pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, while preseason projections have the Dolphins landing somewhere in the 3-14 to 5-12 range.
Joe Schads preseason NFL power rankings slot Miami at 30th, a reminder of how little margin for error the team is getting from outside observers. Even with Malik Willis noted as a key offseason addition, the message from the broader league is clear: the Dolphins will have to prove they are better than the expectation attached to them from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins May Be Turning A Lingering O-Line Weakness Into A Strength
Jonah Savaiinaea spent his rookie year learning the hard way, but the Dolphins have seen a different version of the second-year guard this offseason. The added comfort has shown up on both sides of the line, and center Aaron Brewer has noticed the growth in pass protection and in the run game as Miami tries to firm up a spot that was too often a concern a year ago.
Kadyn Proctor has also given the Dolphins reason to believe there is more help coming on the interior, though the real test will arrive once the regular season starts and the pressure changes. For a team that has been looking for stability up front, the encouraging part is not just that one young lineman is progressing, but that there may be multiple options pushing the unit toward becoming a strength instead of a question. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Suddenly Have A Veteran Receiver Decision To Make
The Giants release of Darius Slayton created an immediate ripple across the veteran receiver market, and Miami is the kind of place where it naturally gets noticed. Slayton brings seven seasons of production with New York, along with 296 catches and 4,435 yards, and he also has a built-in connection to Dolphins wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert from their time together with the Giants.
For a Miami offense that can always use more proven depth at receiver, the fit is at least easy to picture. No move has been reported, but Slaytons availability gives the Dolphins another experienced option to weigh as they sort through their roster and look for help around a passing game that values reliable veterans as much as upside. [Read more 🡒]