Training camps blossom across the NFL landscape this week, and no team kicks off the 2026 season with hopes at once higher and lower than the Miami Dolphins. The thoroughly needed fresh start comes embodied by new coach Jeff Hafley and new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, arriving from Green Bay to rebuild a franchise that has wallowed in mediocrity since its last playoff win in 2000.
Hopes are high in South Florida, but low mirroring the arduous climb facing the new regime. Miami’s 350-1 odds of winning the Super Bowl are second-worst in the league, better only than Arizona. The Dolphins are early underdogs in 16 of 17 games, favored only at home vs. New York Jets. Yet signs of a bright future and the reality of a dismal present are both in play as camp opens.
Hafley and Sullivan inherit a roster stripped of high-priced veterans, replaced by 13 rookie draft picks and 12 undrafted free agents. They have finally moved on from Tua Tagovailoa, handing the quarterback job to Malik Willis, a third-round pick now on his third team. Willis has thrown for 846 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in six career starts, and CBS Sports projects a season similar to his Green Bay stint: 972 yards, six touchdowns, and 17 interceptions.
But there is reason for cautious optimism. History shows that new coach/GM combos in Miami have often sparked immediate turnarounds. In 2016, Adam Gase and Chris Grier inherited a 6-10 team and finished 10-6. In 2008, Tony Sparano and Jeff Ireland took over a 1-15 squad and went 11-5. In 2005, Nick Saban and Randy Mueller inherited a 4-12 team and went 9-7. And in 1970, Don Shula took over a 3-10-1 team and went 10-4. Those four instances saw a combined 14-47-1 record before the new regime, and 40-22 after.
“We’re going to play the best players,” Sullivan said after the April draft. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a second-round pick or an undrafted free agent, if you give us the best chance to win on Sunday, you’re going to be on the field.” Hafley echoes that sentiment, noting the need to carefully evaluate young players like offensive linemen Aaron Brewer, Patrick Paul, and Kadyn Proctor, and running back De’Von Achane.
The schedule is daunting—second-toughest in the league—and Bleacher Report predicts four or fewer wins. But the team’s youth and hunger could lead to surprise. Owner Stephen Ross, age 86, is counting on this last big swing. The Dolphins may not be playoff-bound, but they could be competitive, and that alone would be a victory in a season full of questions.
