Expectations are not high for the Miami Dolphins in the 2026 season. A rebuild is the word most often associated with the team’s outlook.
General manager Jon-Eric Sullivan is familiar with this sentiment. However, regarding the lack of expectations surrounding the Dolphins, Sullivan said, “I’ll say about this about the guys that had been here – I know on paper, people aren’t giving them a whole lot of credit and they don’t expect us to do much, but these guys are working. I think we have some undervalued football players… they’re eager to prove their worth to the football world.”
Unfortunately, after some bad news, it appears the Dolphins will have a tough road to surpass the currently low expectations.
Miami Dolphins Schedule
Using Las Vegas oddsmakers’ projected win totals, Warren Sharp calculated each team’s strength of schedule. Despite finishing third in the AFC East last season, the Miami Dolphins are projected to have the second-hardest schedule in the NFL.
Regarding his method, Sharp explained:
“Projected win totals incorporate current information about team strength, including offseason acquisitions, injuries, and coaching changes.
These projections are crafted by sportsbooks aiming to predict future performance, making them more reflective of a team’s current capabilities.
While no SOS metric is perfect, using Vegas win totals provides a better indication of what teams could look like in the upcoming season than relying on the previous year’s wins.
We know that certain teams will benefit from luck factors in games next season, such as fumble recoveries, opponent field goal misses, tipped passes that result in interceptions, and red zone variance. But with current projected win totals, the pure luck factors that decide games are not incorporated.”
Regarding Miami’s schedule, Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post wrote:
“A record of 6-11 or better in 2026 would be an outstanding achievement from the rebuilding Dolphins this season. Most experts are calling for 4-13 or perhaps 5-12.
The official NFL schedule, with dates and times, should be released the week of Wednesday, May 13, although the league has suggested it could be pushed back into the next week, if necessary.”
Miami Dolphins Draft Class
Expecting the Dolphins to be in playoff contention appears unrealistic heading into the 2026 season, but perhaps that is not as important as laying the foundation for the future. Fortunately, it appears the Dolphins added plenty of talent in this year’s NFL Draft, as evidenced by the B+ grade given by The Ringer’s Danny Kelly. Kelly wrote:
“The Dolphins made approximately 80 picks in this draft, or that’s how it felt at least, and did a really nice job of adding depth and talent to what had become a depressingly barren roster. The team came away with a starting tackle (Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor) and cornerback (San Diego State’s Chris Johnson) with its pair of first-round picks, solidifying two of the most important spots of a rebuild. They added two rangy, playmaking linebackers in Jacob Rodriguez (second round) and Kyle Louis (fourth round), giving new head coach Jeff Hafley plenty of options in both base and sub-package looks.
Crucially, the Dolphins looked to bolster their receiver group, too, and I’m sure Malik Willis was somewhere smiling when the team drafted personal favorites of mine in Chris Bell and Kevin Coleman Jr. (it also took Caleb Douglas in the third round). I won’t be surprised if both Bell and Coleman emerge as starters for this squad as early as this year. Overall, it’s clear that Miami has a ways to go in its full roster reset, but I was impressed with what new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan was able to accomplish in his first draft.”
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