The Miami Dolphins are 0-4, and the early returns have been rough. Even so, there have been a few encouraging signs around the organization, which is why the next couple of months could get interesting.
The big question is how aggressive Miami wants to be. Based on the way things look now, it does not seem likely the Dolphins will part with premium draft capital for a major swing. More realistically, they would probably be looking at no more than a fourth-round pick if they decided to bring in a young player worth taking a chance on.
That is where the idea of adding another receiver starts to make sense. With Malik Willis needing more weapons, there is at least a case for Miami to go a little higher than that and use a third-round pick on a wideout they believe they can develop into the player scouts expected him to be coming out of college.
Bleacher Report recently floated exactly that kind of move, linking the Dolphins to Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr. in a deal built around a 2027 third-round pick.
“Miami Dolphins receive: WR Brian Thomas Jr.
Jacksonville Jaguars receive: 2027 third-round draft pick
“The Miami Dolphins entered the 2026 NFL season with low expectations and an 0-4 start is hardly shocking. It's now up to the front office to decide if the club should try to turn things around now or wait until the offseason to make major moves. The team has issues up-and-down the roster, ranking bottom-three in total and passing offense in addition to coming in dead-last in scoring offense.
“The defense is faring a bit better and ranks towards the middle of the pack in most major categories, but isn't anywhere near good enough to carry the team to respectability,” Bleacher Report wrote.
Thomas is a tricky evaluation. At times over the last couple of seasons, he has looked like a true WR1-type talent.
But for much of that stretch, he has not consistently played like one. Jacksonville has leaned on other receivers more often, and the fit in that offense has not always looked clean.
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 🡒]
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 🡒]
Dolphins Fans May Have Found One Early Reason For Hope
Through the first four weeks of the 2026 season, Jeff Hafley has given Dolphins fans at least one reason to look past the broader unease around the roster. Miamis defense has not been dominant, but it has held up respectably in the early going, and that matters for a team that entered the year with a group many viewed as one of the weaker collections of talent the franchise has put on the field in some time.
What makes the start more interesting is the company Hafley is already keeping. The early numbers place his defense in the middle of the pack when stacked against the opening seasons of previous Dolphins head coaches, even though he inherited a difficult situation and a rebuilding feel around the roster. It is still early, but for a fan base searching for signs the new regime can stabilize something, the defensive baseline has quietly become one of the more encouraging developments. [Read more 🡒]