The Miami Dolphins finally have something to show for the Jeff Hafley era, and the win did more than just get them out of the 0-7 conversation. It also bought Malik Willis a little more breathing room.
That was the story Sunday against the New York Jets: a first victory that quieted the loudest worst-case scenarios, with Willis right in the middle of it. His stat line was modest enough, 208 passing yards on 14 completions, but the performance matched the version of him the Dolphins saw during his time with the Green Bay Packers - the one that helped convince Hafley and Jon-Eric Sullivan to bring him in.
It was the kind of outing that makes the conversation about Miami’s 2027 first-round pick shift again. The pick still looks like it could land pretty high, which is why the chatter about Drew Mestermaker, Arch Manning or Darian Mensah can take a pause for now.
That doesn’t mean Willis has locked anything down after one game. It does mean he earned more time.
Caleb Douglas was another major piece of the win, and his return from an ankle injury mattered immediately. He caught only two passes after missing three games, but both were difference-makers.
The first touchdown came off sharp route-running, as he froze the Jets cornerback with a quick, jerky move. The second was even bigger: a long touchdown built on YAC, with Douglas turning a short catch into the play that eventually became the game-winner.
And yes, it came against Minkah Fitzpatrick.
The finish also went to the Dolphins’ running game, which did the dirty work when the Jets pulled within striking distance with 3:24 left. Miami responded with five straight runs and two first downs, starting with a 14-yard burst from Ollie Gordon II and ending with Malik Willis’ fourth-and-1 sneak.
Gordon had a major hand in that conversion by helping push Willis forward. It was a bold call, and one the Dolphins made with the right attitude.
That kind of aggressiveness is what they’ll want more of from Hafley.
Gordon’s role keeps growing, too. With De’Von Achane on IR, he continues to look like more than a stopgap.
There were some clear tweaks on offense as well. Miami didn’t lean on nearly as many deep shots as it had in earlier weeks, and that helped Willis settle in and complete a higher percentage of his throws. His decisions looked cleaner, his legs remained a real weapon, and he showed good awareness late in the first half when he slid in bounds to bleed clock after the Dolphins scored to go up 21-7.
Special teams also stayed out of the spotlight for once, which in itself was a win. Even better, the only missed field goal came from former Miami kicker Jason Sanders, and the Dolphins ended up winning by three.
Zane Gonzalez helped by sending kickoffs into the end zone, cutting down the Jets’ return chances and giving Miami’s defense a better starting point.
That defense still had its rough spots, especially through the air, but the secondary is also the youngest group on that side of the ball. Michael Taaffe came up with a veteran-style interception, reading Geno Smith’s eyes while Smith was on the move.
The biggest defensive sequence came at the goal line. Zach Sieler started it with a key first-down tackle, Chop Robinson followed with a third-down sack after refusing to bite on the play fake, and Zayne Anderson helped take away Smith’s short outlet. It was a total stand when Miami needed one most.
None of this means the Dolphins can ignore the quality of the opponent, but that cuts both ways. They’ve also had to absorb the quality of the teams they’ve already lost to. New England is next, and that will be another step up in competition, but Sunday showed why the Dolphins were always likely to get one sooner rather than later.
For now, the 0-17 talk can be shelved, the draft panic can cool off for a bit, and the focus can go back to watching the roster develop instead of rushing to stamp judgments on it.
In Other News...
Dolphins Need More From A Few Struggling Starters Against The Jets
The Dolphins are heading into their first divisional test of the 2026 season with a familiar kind of urgency, the kind that tends to surface when a handful of starters need cleaner work before the margin gets any thinner. Against the Jets, Miami will be watching the trenches closely, with Austin Jackson carrying a heavy load on the right side and Chris Johnson and Chop Robinson also under the microscope as the Dolphins look to limit the kind of errors that can quickly tilt a division game.
Malik Willis adds another layer to that equation, because Miami needs steadier play from the quarterback spot to keep the offense on schedule against a defense that can make life difficult. The Jets arrive with one of the leagues best pass defenses, so the Dolphins do not have much room for the sloppy stretches that have shown up before. For Miami, the challenge is simple enough to say and hard enough to solve: get more from the players who have been up and down, and do it quickly enough to avoid letting an early divisional game get away. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Face One Trade Deadline Test They May Not Budge On
With the trade deadline approaching, the Dolphins are shaping up as sellers, but one name appears to be off the table for now. ESPN reporters Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport said Miami is expected to listen on some pieces, yet the team views its young edge rush group as part of the future, not a short-term source of help for someone else.
Chop Robinson is the clearest example of that stance. A 2024 first-round pick with multiple years of contract control remaining, he should draw interest from teams looking for pass-rush help, but Miami does not currently plan to move him this season. For a club weighing its deadline options, that kind of line in the sand says plenty about which players it believes still fit into the long view. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Face A Jets Backfield Twist Right Before Kickoff
The Jets are still waiting on Breece Hall, who has not played since Week 3 because of a quadriceps injury and is now unlikely to suit up against the Dolphins in Week 7. There is still a chance he tests the leg in a pregame workout, but for Miami, the more immediate concern is the shape of New Yorks backfield if Hall is unavailable.
Braelon Allen has handled the lead role in Halls absence and is expected to get the start against a Dolphins defense that has shown vulnerability against running backs. If Hall cannot go, Allen would be the one carrying the load again, giving New York a familiar setup right before kickoff and leaving Miami to prepare for a backfield built around a runner who has already taken on a heavier workload. [Read more 🡒]