2026 NFL offseason preview: Miami Dolphins cleaned house. Will Tua Tagovailoa be next?

4 days ago 2

The NFL offseason has begun, and Yahoo Sports is previewing the coming months for all 32 teams, from free agency through the draft and more.

Miami Dolphins

2025 season record: 7-10 (u 7.5 wins), third in AFC East, missed playoffs, 24th in DVOA

Overview

Early in the season it looked like the 2025 Dolphins would be an absolute disaster. They started 2-7 with the fifth-worst point differential to that mark. While Miami didn’t completely bottom out, the season was beyond saving. After having a top-five offense whenever Tua Tagovailoa was on the field the past few years, the quarterback imploded and couldn’t stop making mistakes. Tagovailoa led the league in interceptions and was benched after Week 15.

That decision shapes the entire offseason for the Dolphins. Miami will move on from Tagovailoa in the offseason after giving him a contract extension worth over $200 million. On a related note, general manager Chris Grier was fired before the end of the season.

The Dolphins will start completely fresh with a new regime as the team fired head coach Mike McDaniel. At first, it seemed as if McDaniel might have done enough over the second half of the season to keep his job as head coach, thanks to an improved run game and the team never appearing to quit despite the rough start. Miami now has a chance to pivot from McDaniel’s Tua-centric style of offense, but due to the significant investment in that approach, it might not be a quick or easy path out.

Cap/cuts outlook

Miami has -$33 million in effective salary cap space, per Over The Cap. That’s the fourth-lowest figure in the league and could get more complicated given what the Dolphins do with Tua Tagovailoa. The most realistic option is a post-June 1 cut, which would still be a net negative on Miami’s cap for 2026 with over $40 million pushed into 2027. Cutting wide receiver Tyreek Hill would save $23 million on the cap, and that appears to be inevitable given how the past two seasons have ended for the receiver. Restructuring pass rusher Bradley Chubb would save more money on the 2026 cap ($12 million) than releasing him ($7.2 million), but either move seems to be on the table. A restructure for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick would save another $10 million.

Key pending free agents

CB Jack Jones
CB Kader Kohou
CB Rasul Douglas
OL Cole Strange
OL Larry Borom

Jones was excellent for the Dolphins after being cut from the Raiders in April. He was 25th among cornerbacks with at least 100 coverage snaps in adjusted yards per coverage snap on the season. Douglas was 19th. Both played a role in a second-half improvement for the Miami defense. Kohou was expected to be a part of the secondary, but suffered a partially torn ACL in July that forced him to miss the season.

Positional needs

Quarterback
Offensive line
Secondary

With the Tagovailoa fallout, quarterback jumps to Miami’s top need. After Tagovailoa was benched, the Dolphins turned to seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers, who struggled — as would expected from a seventh-round rookie. Ewers had just one game of positive EPA during his four appearances, but that also came with his lowest success rate.

The offensive line was an issue throughout the McDaniel era, partly due to the resource allocation to the skill position players. Miami got center Aaron Brewer at a discount in free agency last offseason and received an All-Pro caliber season in return, and the inside run game developed throughout the season. But given the resources available, the Dolphins might have to hit on some Brewer-like lottery tickets again — though the potential of having a more traditional offense could benefit some linemen.

Despite some improvement during the second half of the season, the Dolphins ranked 28th in DVOA against the pass. Two of the bright spots, Jack Jones and Rasul Douglas, are set to be free agents. With one or both back, Miami would still need depth to fill out the secondary. Youth would also help a defense that was 10th-oldest in snap-weighted age.

2026 NFL Draft picks

1st Round, pick No. 11
2nd Round
3rd Round
3rd Round (PHI)
3rd Round (HOU)
4th Round
4th Round
7th Round

Good draft fit

Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU

Delane has good size and speed, and can play man and zone coverage due to his twitchiness and awareness, respectively. He’d be a great piece to start the Dolphins’ secondary rebuild with all their pending free agents in that group.

What could move the fantasy needle in 2026?

Figure out the quarterback spot

What they do about Tua Tagovailoa’s contract is a big question, but it’s beyond over between Tagovailoa and this team. Same with Mike McDaniel, whose early offenses revolved around getting the best out of the quarterback’s limitations. This will be a fascinating team to watch at the QB position and what it indicates for the new head coach’s vision. There are star skill position players like De’Von Achane and Jaylen Waddle to work with for whoever is under center. — Matt Harmon

Betting nugget

The Dolphins were around .500 in many categories for bettors, including 3-3 against the spread as a favorite and 5-6 ATS as an underdog. Miami was 4-4 ATS at home and 3-5 ATS on the road. It was not enough to save Mike McDaniel’s job. — Ben Fawkes

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