The Miami Dolphins will be without Jalen Tolbert on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, with the veteran wide receiver leading the team’s inactive list for Week 1.
That leaves Miami leaning on a young receiving group. Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell and Kevin Coleman, Jr. are all active, along with veteran Malik Washington, to make up the position group for the opener.
The Dolphins are also rolling out a long list of rookies elsewhere on the roster. Eight other first-year players are active for the game: starting left guard Kadyn Proctor, starting middle linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, starting cornerback Chris Johnson, starting safety Michael Taaffe, tight end Will Kacmarek, fullback DJ Herman, safety/linebacker Kyle Louis and tight end Seydou Traore.
Miami’s inactive list also includes cornerback Reese Taylor, guard DJ Campbell, tackle Chukwuebuka Godrick and tight end Justin Joly. All four were waiver claims after the preseason roster cuts and appear to need more time with the team before being ready for game day.
Quarterback Brady Cook is the final inactive for Miami, though he was designated the emergency third quarterback. That means he can dress for the game, but he can only enter if both starter Malik Willis and backup Kyle McCord are injured.
Las Vegas has its own list of inactives, including cornerback Darrell Luter, Jr., safety Dalton Johnson, linebacker Cody Lindenberg, guard Bryce Cabeldue, tight end Brock Bowers and defensive tackle JJ Pegues. Bowers had already been ruled out earlier in the week because of a knee injury. The Raiders listed quarterback Aidan O’Connell as their emergency quarterback.
In Other News...
Dolphins Suddenly Have A Week 1 Pass Rush Twist Fans Need To See
The Dolphins are already juggling long-term cap concerns, but for now the focus is on what they can get out of their pass rush in Week 1 against the Raiders on Sept. 13. Miami activated defensive end Clelin Ferrell to the active roster for the game, giving the defense another veteran body up front as the team prepares to open the season with several rookies also expected to see the field.
It is a reminder of how much turnover and uncertainty still sits around this roster, even before the first snap matters. Miamis 2026 cap picture is already lopsided, with more money tied up in players not currently on the roster than those who are, so every live rep from a player like Ferrell carries a little extra weight as the Dolphins try to sort out which pieces can actually help them now. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Week 1 Decision Raises Eyebrows At One Position
Jalen Tolbert being among Miamis six inactives for its first regular-season game is the sort of opening-week roster call that immediately stands out. The Dolphins also sat cornerback Reese Taylor, guard DJ Campbell, tackle Chukwuebuka Godrick, tight end Justin Joly and emergency third quarterback Brady Cook, trimming the game-day group before the season even got fully underway.
The list is notable because Tolbert arrived with the kind of veteran profile that usually suggests at least an early role, and instead he was left on the sideline for Week 1. Miamis choices also came against a Raiders inactive list that included tight end Brock Bowers after a knee procedure, along with Aidan O'Connell as the emergency third quarterback, underscoring how quickly early-season availability can shape a game-day plan. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Face Tanking Talk Again As Their Rebuild Gets Tested
Talk of tanking has started to hover around the Dolphins again, this time with the franchise trying to work through a difficult roster and cap picture while also putting real pieces in place for the future. Miami still carries significant dead money from Tua Tagovailoas contract, and the front office has been busy making moves that point more toward stabilization than teardown, including signing quarterback Malik Willis and keeping DeVon Achane in the fold.
For a team that has already lived through accusations of intentional losing back in 2019, the optics matter almost as much as the record. The Dolphins are trying to sell a different story now, one built on rebuilding and a new culture rather than short-term sacrifice, but any season that starts with cap stress and quarterback uncertainty is going to invite the same old questions until the on-field results quiet them. [Read more 🡒]