The Miami Dolphins opted to cut ties with Tyreek Hill and trade Jaylen Waddle this offseason. Nonetheless, Miami drafted five pass catchers in the 2026 NFL Draft, including three wideouts and two tight ends, to give their new QB, Malik Willis, weapons for this 2026 season.
Moreover, the new Dolphins front office did look at the veteran wideout position, as they were reportedly among the teams interested in Jauan Jennings before the free-agent wide receiver chose to sign with the Minnesota Vikings.
Miami probably knows it can’t fully count on its rookies and wants to give Willis experienced wideouts so as not to put all the pressure on its young players to make an impact right away as they figure out the NFL.
As a result, in a May 16 article, FanSided’s Jake Beckman picked one trade target each NFL team should look to make to address a major weakness on their squad, and for the Dolphins, it’s wide receiver.
Furthermore, Beckman sees the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ Brian Thomas Jr. as a player who, given his age, could be part of a long-term rebuild.
“The Dolphins should absolutely not be trading for anyone… However, they simply cannot go into a season with a wide receiver room of Jalen Tolbert, Caleb Douglas, and Malik Washington,” Beckman wrote.
“If they wanted to make a splash and get a building-block type of guy, they could try to see if the Jaguars are willing to get rid of Brian Thomas Jr., who would immediately come in and be the WR1 by a whoooooole lot. He’s only 23 years old, so he’d be in Miami, ideally, for the long haul.”
Chris Bell Has Major Upside for Miami
Last season, Thomas played 500 pass snaps for the Jaguars, recording a 65.5 overall PFF grade. The 23-year-old hauled in 48 receptions on 88 targets for 707 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Moreover, Thomas averaged 14.7 yards per reception and generated 170 yards after the catch.
Nonetheless, one of the draft picks that Miami selected in this past year’s draft does have No. 1 wideout potential. Eric Galko, the director of football operations for the East-West Shrine Bowl, spoke with the Miami Herald on the type of player Chris Bell, the Dolphins’ 2026 third-round pick, is.
“If he doesn’t get hurt in November, he’s a first-round pick,” Galko said in the May 6 article. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up being the Dolphins’ best receiver by the second half of the season. He’s AJ Brown. He’s locked in on his rehab.
“I got a chance to get to know him; he’s a good person with a really impressive background. He’s self-confident but also a guy who can stay in the background. To get him in the third round, I can imagine how happy they were.”
Darren Waller on the Dolphins’ Rebuild
Meanwhile, as the Dolphins are in Year 1 of a full-blown rebuild, someone who was teammates with the players cut or traded was veteran tight end Darren Waller. During the May 14 edition of “All the Smoke,” Waller shared his thoughts on the Miami rebuild, noting that he believed that the team would have a fire sale.
“With the way they’re going, they’re kind of blowing everything up,” Waller said. “I thought for a second they were going to trade everybody. They got everybody, but they traded Waddle. I thought they were going to trade [De’Von] Achane for a minute, but I would definitely keep him. I’d build everything around him.”
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