The Miami Dolphins’ 2026 schedule does this young roster no favors, and the road trips might tell the real story. With the league’s youngest roster, a 13-member rookie draft class, and first-year head coach Jeff Hafley trying to steer a major reset, Miami is headed straight into a season that could expose a lot fast.
That’s the backdrop for three away games that stand out as the most revealing tests on the slate. If the Dolphins are going to show they’re ahead of schedule, they’ll have to survive some brutal trips.
Week 4 sends Miami into a matchup with the Vikings and Brian Flores, and that one comes with plenty of bite. Hafley will have to deal with Minnesota head coach and offensive play-caller Kevin O'Connell, but the more dangerous chess match may be on the other side of the ball, where offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik has to figure out Flores.
Flores has his own history here. He once coached the Dolphins and is now suing the NFL for alleged discrimination, which makes this meeting feel especially personal for him. If Miami struggles the way plenty of people expect, Flores won’t be shy about turning up the heat on Malik Willis and the offense.
And that heat figure to come from everywhere. Flores is known for blitzing heavily, and Miami’s shaky guard play between rookie Kadyn Proctor and Jonah Savaiinaea gives him a clear target. Expect simulated pressures, Double Mug looks, and a steady stream of exotic blitz packages aimed right at the Dolphins’ front.
A few weeks later, another road game could stop any momentum Miami manages to build. The Dolphins had to claw out of a 1-6 start last year just to finish 7-10, and with a Week 6 bye after a difficult opening stretch, something similar could be in play again.
The schedule does loosen some from late October through November. The Patriots and Lions show up in Weeks 8 and 9, but both have to come to Hard Rock Stadium, and the Jets are also in the mix twice, including a road game after the bye and another meeting in Week 12. Before that second Jets game, Miami goes to Indianapolis and then to Buffalo.
That’s where the Bills enter the picture in Week 11, and Buffalo could slam the door on any midseason climb. If the Dolphins can stack a few wins - sweep the Jets, steal one from the Colts, maybe catch the Patriots or Lions slipping - they could arrive in Buffalo with some confidence. But Josh Allen and the Bills have a habit of flattening teams at home, especially when they smell an opening.
Still, Miami would walk in with little pressure. Buffalo, on the other hand, lives with the burden of expectations.
The Bills are supposed to make a real Super Bowl push in the next two years, which gives them almost no room to stumble. Whether they handle a game like this one at home in Week 11 is a question worth watching.
Then comes the trip to Lambeau Field, tucked into a rough December stretch that also includes games at Denver and at home against the Bears. After a home date with the Jets in Week 12, the Dolphins head into a three-game run that could be punishing.
This one carries layers. Hafley used to be the defensive coordinator in Green Bay, and Sullivan spent more than two decades with the Packers organization. Packers coach Matt LaFleur knows how to attack his former assistant, and he has better personnel to work with.
Miami’s defense may not be built to take advantage of Green Bay’s offensive line issues, either. Hafley isn’t eager to blitz, and doing that with an undermanned secondary against Jordan Love and the Packers’ weapons would be asking for trouble.
It’s a hard draw in every sense. But if the Dolphins can be competitive at Lambeau against a Packers team that should be fighting for playoff position, that would say a lot about where this 2026 roster really stands.
In Other News...
Dolphins Lose Crucial O-Line Reps After Camp Discipline Crosses A Line
Training camp already had enough friction without the Dolphins losing an important set of offensive line reps in the middle of a joint practice with the Giants. The heat picked up across the field, and Miami right tackle Austin Jackson got caught up in one of several scuffles before the situation crossed the line and drew a removal from the workout.
Head coach Jeff Hafley had made the boundary clear beforehand: throw a punch, and you were done for the day. Jackson was the only player sent off, which left Miami to finish the practice without one of its key blockers while the rest of the session kept teetering between competitive edge and unnecessary escalation. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Joint Practice Fights Could Lead To Bigger Fallout
Joint practices have a way of turning a controlled summer workout into something a lot closer to September football, and the Dolphins saw plenty of that with the Giants. Multiple skirmishes broke out during the session, enough to force Miami and New York to pull players from the action as tempers spiked and the day began to spiral.
Austin Jackson and Jermaine Eluemunor were among the players removed, along with Jameis Winston, after the chippiness crossed the line. The backdrop makes the situation worth watching for Miami, especially after the league already fined the Cowboys and Saints for fights at a joint practice, a reminder that what happens in these settings can carry real fallout once the league reviews it. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Joint Practice Turned Tense Around A Giants Rookie Lineman
The Dolphins joint practice with the Giants had the kind of edge you expect when two teams line up in the heat and humidity of South Florida, and it briefly turned tense when New York rookie right guard Francis Mauigoa came up with a stinger. The injury forced him to leave the field during the session, but the early read from the Giants was encouraging, with head coach John Harbaugh saying it was not serious.
Mauigoa later returned to the sideline and watched the rest of practice, which helped calm the immediate concern around one of New Yorks young linemen. Even so, the episode was a reminder of how quickly a padded workout can shift when the conditions are punishing and the competition gets real. [Read more 🡒]