EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- For four years, under then-coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier, the Miami Dolphins were a reflection of the city's reputation -- flashy, star-driven, expensive.Their players were household names, even their coach wore designer clothes and jewelry.There were highs: scoring 70 points against the Broncos in 2023, erasing a three-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Ravens in 2022, making the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in more than 20 years.Like the city they represent, the Dolphins teemed with star talent -- but with those stars came star-sized egos, which led to accountability issues within the locker room, consecutive losing seasons, and ultimately led to this offseason's complete teardown.Over the past three months, Miami, under new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley, has undergone an extensive identity change. Gone now are nearly all players who defined the previous four seasons of Dolphins football. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, wide receiver Tyreek Hill and linebacker Bradley Chubb were all released, while safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle were traded. In their place lies an incomplete roster and an unprecedented $179 million of dead salary cap money.Outside expectations for the Dolphins in 2026 are low. DraftKings set their win total to 4.5 and Miami is one of five teams that weren't scheduled a primetime game this season. The Dolphins own the longest playoff win drought in major American professional sports at 26 years. That streak is unlikely to end this season, but that's not what this offseason is about.Right now, this team is a construction zone -- one still waiting for its foundation."You start from ground zero and you've got to build things up," tight end Greg Dulcich said, before citing the youth and hunger of the players currently on the roster."I think everyone's kind of checked their ego at the door ... this offseason is a time to grow together and just learn as much as you can and really just kind of be a sponge for football and for technique."The Dolphins added 13 players in April's draft, the first layer of the new foundation Sullivan referenced. Thanks to a series of one-year agreements in free agency, Miami now employs a plethora of players who Sullivan says have a chip on their shoulders.But chips don't always lead to Super Bowls. Team owner Stephen Ross was patient with his previous front office; a front office source told ESPN that there was interest in the Dolphins' general manager job in part because of former GM Chris Grier's 10-year tenure with the team despite never winning a playoff game. But Ross has made it clear his ultimate goal is to bring a championship to a city that hasn't celebrated one since winning back-to-back titles in 1972 and 1973, and has shown a willingness to make changes if he doesn't see steps toward that goal.Since Ross bought the team in 2008, no head coach has lasted more than four seasons in the role.If Miami's new groundwork doesn't breed results, players may not want to spend their prime on a team stuck at the bottom. Speaking Wednesday on former Dolphins teammate Terron Armstead's podcast, "The Set," running back De'Von Achane said Miami's goals remain the same as they've always been."Everybody keeps talking about this rebuild year -- I ain't got time for that," Achane, who signed a four-year, $64 million extension earlier this month, said. "I'm not trying to hear no 'we rebuilding for two years,' I'm not trying to do that."Most definitely I want to win the division, we've got to win a playoff game. I'm not saying we've got to win a championship but we're trying to get those things first. We haven't done either of those things since I've been here."Rebuilding the Dolphins will be methodical, but Sullivan has stuck to his plan so far, starting with getting the team younger and cheaper before fortifying the physical run game and replenishing its young core.All while echoing Achane's sentiments, fighting the notion that this is a rebuild to begin with."So understand all the R words -- retool, rebuild, refocus -- I don't like that," Sullivan said. "I think that gives the connotation of, 'hey, look, we're mailing it in this year.' That's 100% not what's going on. We're here to compete and play our ass off and try to win football games as we build this thing out."That's the culture we want to be. We want people that embrace that underdog mentality."SULLIVAN SAYS HE'S not trying to build "Green Bay south" in Miami. But after spending 21 years with the Packers, there are some characteristics he'd like to emulate."I think in terms of player acquisition principles and philosophy ... what [Green Bay has] always done is build through the draft and again, it's about culture," he said. "[The Dolphins are] going to build through the draft. We're going to retain our own players, if at all possible, because of the culture piece of it."The Dolphins underwent a rapid rebuild when McDaniel arrived in 2022, trading for and extending stars such as Hill, Chubb and Jalen Ramsey. They also supplemented their roster in free agency with players such as Armstead, a former Pro Bowl tackle, linebacker Jordyn Brooks and center Aaron Brewer.Once the job began, Sullivan started shedding the team's bigger contracts -- starting with Hill, Tagovailoa and Chubb.Those moves were expected; trading Waddle was more of a surprise.Sullivan said at the NFL league meetings in March that the Denver Broncos approached him around the start of the new league year. He said trading Waddle for a first-round pick made sense for the Dolphins' timeline to compete."Waddle is 27 years old. We're in an era where the market for receivers is through the roof," he said in March. "And eventually, the chickens are going to come to roost with that. And so when we hit our stride, I'm not sure that all meshed the way that we needed to mesh -- we're in a position with our roster where we need to get younger and cheaper."Miami also started working toward reestablishing the "draft, develop, re-sign" model Sullivan said he wants to maintain, signing Achane to a lucrative extension. The former third-round pick made his first Pro Bowl in 2025, rushing for a career-high 1,350 yards and eight touchdowns while leading the league in yards per carry (5.7). He also caught 67 passes (sixth among running backs) for 488 yards and four touchdowns.Sullivan said in March the team will also attempt to work out extensions with Brewer and Brooks, who both made All-Pro teams last season, and hopes the Achane deal reverberates through the Dolphins' locker room."I think it sends a good message when you have a player who is here on his first contract and has produced and had success, to reward that player with a second contract," Hafley said. "I know that's important to [Sullivan] and I."ON MAY 19, shortly after their second OTA practice, the Dolphins' new starting quarterback squeezed between a crowd of reporters and an ivy-covered fence just outside the team's practice field.As he settled behind a white high-top table that doubled as his lectern for his second news conference since signing a three-year contract in March, Malik Willis was asked how spring practice in Miami compared to Green Bay.He smiled."I think it's a weather issue, I think it's a little different," he said, referencing Miami's late-spring heat. "I think the football is similar."Entering this offseason, the former Packers quarterback seemed like a potential fit considering the crossover with Sullivan and Hafley, but the Dolphins' roster was thin. Ideally, Sullivan said he wanted to build the team's support system first before spending valuable cap space, or a high draft pick, on a quarterback. He also said they wouldn't be big spenders in free agency this year, mostly because they couldn't afford to be.But Miami was able to trade Fitzpatrick before the start of the league's legal tampering period, clearing enough space to sign Willis to a back-loaded, three-year, $67.5 million deal."There's a lot of great reasons to be here," Willis said. "[Hafley and Sullivan] are the biggest ones, in my opinion, as far as what I see this organization and this team becoming. I can't see the future, but all I know is they're going to put in the work each and every day just as well as I will try to do the same."Whatever role, whatever leadership, whatever it is, they brought me in as a piece of the puzzle that they want to put here, and I'm grateful and honored to be a part of that."Dolphins staff members, including Sullivan and Hafley, have said the team plans to build around Willis and signed him to a three-year contract for that very reason. The former third-round pick's numbers popped in limited action with the Packers, completing 78.7% of his passes for 972 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions in 11 games (three starts). He also added 261 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.Beyond Willis' deal, Sullivan stayed true to his word; no other player signed longer than a one-year contract with the Dolphins this offseason.Miami's free agent signees included veteran journeymen and once-starters, like Josh Uche, Jalen Tolbert and Jamaree Salyer. Hafley admitted that there isn't a clear veteran leader among every position group; in those situations, he's looking to his staff and even second-year players like safety Dante Trader Jr. to lean into leadership roles.Ultimately, he believes the lack of an obvious leader doesn't mean one doesn't exist."I've been in too many places where a coach comes in and says, 'We don't have any leaders around here,'" he said. "I think that's a bunch of B.S., right? You can develop leaders, you can teach leadership."Hafley said acts of leadership can include hosting teammates for dinner and even pulling them aside privately to offer constructive advice. Whichever leaders emerge will have to help inspire this team to play greater than the sum of their parts; there are no All-Pros saving the day on either side of the ball.But that doesn't mean there won't be, eventually."Really, it's about what people in the building think," defensive line coach Austin Clark said. "And I think ultimately as a coach, you got to develop guys and that's what I'm trying to do and I know that's what Jeff [Hafley] wants to do. We need to develop these players we have and I think ultimately that one day they'll turn into those guys that somebody deems stars."IN HIS INTRODUCTORY news conference, Sullivan said the Dolphins plan to draft, develop and re-sign their homegrown talent; the first step in doing so came in April's NFL draft.The morning of Sullivan's first draft as the Miami Dolphins' general manager was serene; he didn't expect that.He made his way to the Dolphins' facility well ahead of the 8 p.m. start time, met with team staff and found time for a workout -- which he said helped clear his head.Then, he said, there was an "eerie calm" in the facility, which is a far cry from how he felt the week before the draft."To be perfectly honest with you, the last two nights in a row, I've woken up in the middle of the night, literally with my hand [raised], like dreaming that I'm taking a tag off the board," Sullivan said before the draft. "I'm not even trying to be corny, like that happened. And then you lay there for like an hour and a half, it's three o'clock in the morning and I'm just laying there thinking about, 'What if this pops up? I'm going to do this,' so yeah, I'm excited. I'm fired up."We've got 11 picks, seven in the top 100. If we do our job right, and we will, it's an awesome opportunity to lay the foundation for what we're building."The serenity ended once the first round began, and Sullivan made multiple splashes.Dallas and Miami agreed to swap first-round picks in exchange for Dallas' two fifth-round picks. The Cowboys selected Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, while the Dolphins took the player they'd been targeting all along, Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor.Miami traded up again at the end of the first round, moving up three spots to take San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson. In all, the Dolphins finished the weekend having made 13 picks, several of whom will challenge for early playing time -- like linebackers Jacob Rodriguez and Kyle Louis, tight end Will Kacmarek and wide receivers Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell.Sullivan called Rodriguez a "green dot guy," saying the second-round pick will call the Dolphins' defense on the field in time. He also had high praise for Kacmarek, the blocking tight end from Ohio State who Sullivan believes is already among the league's best at what he does."He's an unsung hero. You know, he's a grimy, dirty, bite your face off type of dude," he said. "He's going to be a difference-maker for us in the run game, which allows your offense to do so many different things ... I think he's elite as a blocker. When you watch the league and see tight ends block, I think this guy, Day 1, is on the upper echelon of that and will only get better."Sullivan said the theme among the players they targeted was "good football players who can do different things," but there was another commonality among Miami's 13 draft picks -- physicality."[Physicality is] always a priority," Hafley said. "I think we've talked about from the jump just what we're trying to build here -- the culture, the competition -- and then on top of that, the play style ... I can tell you from the moment that we started working together back in Green Bay, [Sullivan] says that word or that phrase quite a bit, and the players adhere to it. Play style, physicality is a big part of what we're trying to accomplish and build here."ESPN senior NFL analyst Mel Kiper Jr. gave the Dolphins a 'B' grade for their draft haul, noting that "a lot of these players are going to see the field in 2026, whether they're ready or not."Miami has struggled to develop and retain its homegrown players over the past 10 years; since 2016, it has extended 11 of its 55 eligible drafted players -- although linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel and running back Myles Gaskin signed one-year deals and Gaskin was released five months after signing.Their moves led to consecutive playoff appearances but came at the cost of draft picks. Miami drafted eight total players in 2022 and 2023; two of whom remain on its roster. For context, the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks' roster last season featured 33 homegrown players, including 15 from the 2022 and 2023 draft classes.The Dolphins hope this class not only contributes on the field this season, but also helps replenish their homegrown core.BRINGING THE PLAN together on the field will be Hafley, whose lone head coaching job prior to Miami was a four-year stint at Boston College. There, he compiled a 22-26 record with a win over SMU in his lone bowl appearance in 2023. But he surprised people outside the program when he voluntarily left Boston College to take the Packers' defensive coordinator job in 2024.The basis of his decision was a desire to get back to just coaching football."People questioned it, but to be very truthful, I loved my time there," he told Rich Eisen in February. "The first two years, without the portal, without NIL -- it was so pure ... When the portal hit and NIL hit, it turned into a different job."I wanted to get into it to coach football, to help change people's lives and I just love the pure game of college football. All of a sudden, I wasn't coaching football anymore ... I didn't like the person I was becoming and I wasn't doing the job that I dreamed of."In essence, the Dolphins' offseason mirrors that; it's a return to basics, to just football.Defensive tackle Zach Sieler said when a team undergoes the level of change the Dolphins have over the past few months -- 20 new coaches and more than 30 new players -- you have no choice but to check your ego, like Dulcich suggested."I think that's really cool he said that," offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said of Dulcich. "I think any time you want to get better ... the only way you can do that is you've got to be able to tell the truth. We got to be able to tell the truth to the players. They got to be able to tell the truth to us. It's a two-way street. We got to have real conversations. They've got to have real conversations with each other, and so far early on, I think that's been evident with this whole group."All anybody here cares about is growing themselves as much as they can, getting as good as they can as an individual. They don't care if it's positivity, they don't care if it's criticism; they want to use it to become better."Sieler, who is entering his eighth season with the Dolphins, said that "candid truth" feels different this offseason compared to years past.Eight months from now, we'll know whether that candid truth will help Miami outpace the preseason expectations sportsbooks have bestowed upon it. Since 2022, six teams paired a first-time general manager with a first-time head coach. The New York Jets (4-13), Carolina Panthers (5-12) and Arizona Cardinals (4-13) all finished well below .500, but the New York Giants (9-7-1), Minnesota Vikings (13-4) and Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4) all made the playoffs.But with three months remaining until their season opener, the Dolphins care more about their Week 1 road game against the Las Vegas Raiders than what the casinos down the street from Allegiant Stadium think of them."Doesn't mean anything. I mean, that's just shooting a number out there. I mean, sure, you could say, 'Hey, they got this guy, they got this today, they lost this guy, their salary cap.' It doesn't matter. You go out there and play ball, you can win with anybody."We want to win -- we want to win now," Sieler said. "We don't want to say, 'Oh, hey, Vegas says this.' We don't care about that. Let's go out there and play our game."
