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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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Over the last three months, the Miami Dolphins have released former No. 5 overall pick Tua Tagovailoa, All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill, and Pro Bowl linebacker Bradley Chubb, two of whom are already on new teams and expected to play major roles.
They also traded away former No. 6 overall pick Jaylen Waddle and All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. That's nearly every player that's given Dolphins fans any reason to be excited over the last half-decade.
They also fired head coach Mike McDaniel back in January, now the offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Chargers, and brought in Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to replace him. Hafley has never been a head coach in the NFL.
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The Tagovailoa alone is stunning. Miami cut him just two years into his four-year, $212.4 million extension he signed in 2024, and the franchise is now carrying a dead cap hit of $99.2 million, spread over two years, for a QB who's no longer on the team. Making matters worse, he could become the starter for an Atlanta Falcons team that already has one of the best offenses in the league and could be eyeing the playoffs in 2026.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell recently ranked Miami's skill position group dead last in the entire NFL. The team signed Malik Willis, a QB with just six career starts, to be their guy in 2026, but their receiving corps is led by Malik Washington, Jalen Tolbert, and Tutu Atwell. The offense will again have to run through De'Von Achane, who's just 5-foot-9, 190 pounds, and has already dealt with injuries throughout his career.
On Monday, Mike Jones of The Athletic went so far as to call this a team that's "destined to exceed last year's loss total in 2026." The Dolphins went 7-10 last year, and their projected win total right now sits at around 4.5.
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Willis signed to a three-year, $67.5 million deal, and while the price is reasonable considering he was probably the best QB on the market, there's no guarantee he works out, let alone becomes the Dolphins' long-term solution under center.
Many are expecting Miami to plummet in 2026, setting them up to land one of the top picks in the 2027 NFL Draft, at which point they could potentially land one of Arch Manning, Quinn Ewers' former Longhorns teammate, Dante Moore, or Darian Mensah.
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