The Miami Dolphins’ preseason results have been ugly enough to invite the worst-case jokes, but two August games do not suddenly turn a roster into a lost cause.
Saturday’s 26-3 loss to the New York Giants at Hard Rock Stadium followed a 20-7 defeat to the Commanders in the preseason opener, leaving Miami outscored 46-10 through two exhibitions. Plenty of starters and key players have sat out, which matters. So does the response from coach Jeff Hafley after the latest loss: "We're not where we need to be."
That’s the setup for a classic Overreaction Sunday, and the big question hanging over the Dolphins is simple: how much of this is noise, and how much is real?
The idea that Miami could go 0-17 fits squarely in the noise category. Yes, it’s rare for any NFL team to finish with zero or one win.
USA Today has the Dolphins pegged for a 1-16 season, but this group still has enough capable pieces to avoid that kind of collapse. Malik Willis, De'Von Achane, Aaron Brewer, Patrick Paul, Kadyn Proctor, Zach Sieler, Jordyn Brooks, Jacob Rodriguez and Chris Johnson are all part of a roster that should be able to scrape together at least three wins.
And in 2026, the wins are not supposed to be the point anyway. Player development and building a stronger foundation are supposed to drive the season.
Physicality is another easy target after two rough preseason showings, but that one doesn’t hold up either. Hafley was pleased with the physicality the Dolphins defense has show against the Giants on defense, even if the offensive line got overwhelmed in the joint practice.
Miami is going to lose a lot of games, but the expectation is that Hafley will not put up with a lack of toughness, physicality or effort. If he sees it, those players are expected to sit.
The talent question is much harder to brush off. ESPN says Miami has the worst roster in the NFL and it isn't even close.
That may sound brutal, but the source of that verdict matters: this was intentional. The plan is to absorb the hits now and hope the pain pays off later, with the real payoff potentially arriving in 2027 and beyond.
Quarterback depth is also a concern. Cam Miller was OK on Saturday, and Miami will probably go with Quinn Ewers if and when he’s healthy.
Even so, the Dolphins are expected to keep an eye on any 22-to-25-year-old quarterbacks drafted in the first three or four rounds over the last three or four seasons who get waived soon. That’s the kind of market this team may have to live in.
As for the rebuild itself, four years is probably too rigid a way to frame it. NFL turnarounds can happen fast, and much depends on how general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan handles the draft and free agency.
This season is being described as a salary cap calamity because of the reset left behind by the previous regime. That doesn’t lock Miami into a long, endless slog.
It simply means the road is messy now. A playoff push in 2027 and even an AFC title run in 2028 are not impossible.
No one is promising it, but it’s on the table.
In Other News...
Jeff Hafley Sounds Fed Up With Dolphins Players Fighting For Jobs
Jeff Hafley came away from Miamis preseason loss to the New York Giants sounding more irritated than encouraged, and it was easy to see why. The Dolphins kept handing the game back with self-inflicted mistakes on offense and special teams, including holds, a fumble, a shanked punt and a stream of penalties that kept undercutting any chance to build rhythm. For a staff trying to sort out the back end of the roster, it was the kind of sloppy tape that makes every evaluation harder than it already is.
The bigger concern now is how little time there is left for players trying to force their way into jobs. Hafley made clear that many of the players who logged meaningful snaps in the preseason finale are probably headed for cuts, which only raises the pressure on anyone still fighting to stand out. When the mistakes are piling up and the margin for error is shrinking, the final audition can turn into a painfully short opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Preseason Loss Exposed A Roster Problem Fans Cant Ignore
The second week of the 2026 preseason offered a rough snapshot of where Miamis roster stands beneath the top line. With most of the starters resting against the Giants, the Dolphins leaned hard on depth players, and the result was a lopsided 26-3 loss that exposed problems on both sides of the ball. The offense had trouble getting moving, the defense had a hard time slowing New York, and the kind of clean, stable play teams want from their backups simply was not there.
There were a few bright spots, most notably rookie Jackson Woodard, who flashed with tackles and a fumble recovery, but the bigger concern was what happened up front. Miamis offensive line depth struggled significantly, which is the sort of issue that can ripple through the rest of the roster if it does not get cleaned up quickly. Injuries to linebacker Trey Moore and running back Ollie Gordon only added to the uneasy feeling leaving the game, because preseason losses are one thing, but depth concerns that come with physical setbacks are usually the ones teams spend the rest of August trying to solve. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Suddenly Loom In Deshaun Watson's Unsettled Browns Situation
Deshaun Watsons return to the field has put Cleveland in an uneasy spot, with the veteran battling for the Browns starting quarterback job after coming back from two Achilles tears. He did not help his case in a recent preseason game against the Bills, and head coach Todd Monken still has not named a starter with Shedeur Sanders also in the mix, leaving the Browns with a competition that feels anything but settled.
For Miami, the intrigue is less about the Browns internal drama than what happens if Watsons path in Cleveland keeps drifting. The Dolphins already have to think in terms of fit and timing when it comes to quarterback alternatives, and Watson is one of the names tied to that conversation along with the Rams and Raiders because of how his skill set could match certain offensive systems. For now, it remains a hypothetical, but the kind of unsettled situation in Cleveland is exactly the sort that can put another team on alert. [Read more 🡒]