The Miami Dolphins have headed into the Labor Day weekend with a completely reconstructed roster, which features a whopping 35 players who were not on the team's active roster at this time last year.
Some quick math tells us that's just about two-thirds of the roster made up entirely of newcomers, and practically every one of those is a rookie or a young player looking to jump-start or revive his NFL career. And it's that combination that has led to all the dire predictions as to what the 2026 season will look for the Dolphins.
But we have to ask one simple question: Is this roster so much worse than what the Dolphins had heading into what became a highly disappointing 2025 season?
Or is it simply a matter of unknowns throughout the current roster, whether it be how Malik Willis will fare in his first year as a full-time starting quarterback or how well the rookie draft picks can perform right away?
The answer isn't nearly as obvious as would might expect.
2025: Tua Tagovailoa, Zach Wilson, Quinn Ewers
2026: Malik Willis, Kyle McCord, Brady Cook
Breakdown: Let's be real, Tua already was a diminished asset heading into the 2025 season because of the injuries he sustained late the previous year and also because his performance really was uneven and he stopped attacking downfield. Willis, meanwhile, offers all kinds of possibilities and while it's premature and maybe overly optimistic to predict he'll be a good to very good starting quarterback, the signs absolutely are encouraging. Verdict: 2026 more promising
2025: De'Von Achane, Jaylen Wright, Ollie Gordon II, FB Alec Ingold
2026: De'Von Achane, Jaylen Wright, Ollie Gordon II, FB DJ Herman
Breakdown: This is the old six of one, half-dozen of the other at halfback, though Ingold obviously was a proven commodity, whereas Herman is a rookie free agent - making the transition from college linebacker no less. Verdict: 2025 better
2025: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Malik Washington, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Dee Eskridge, Tahj Washington
2026: Malik Washington, Jalen Tolbert, Kevin Coleman Jr., Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell, Ryan Miller
Breakdown: There's no two ways around it, the Dolphins aren't going to be nearly as explosive -or at least potentially explosive -after losing the most dynamic wide receiver tandem in team history. But it's also true that this new group offers a lot more options and a different styles of receivers. Verdict: 2025 better, but closer than it might seem
2025: Tanner Conner, Darren Waller, Julian Hill
2026: Greg Dulcich, Will Kacmarek, Seydou Traore, Justin Joly
Breakdown: The best impactful player among the two groups is Waller, and there should be no debate about that, but Kacmarek should be every bit as good in the blocking department as Hill, if not better, and the Dulcich and Joly tandem offers intriguing pass-catching possibilities. Verdict: Pretty even
2025: Patrick Paul, Aaron Brewer, Jonah Savaiinaea, Austin Jackson, James Daniels, Daniel Brunskill, Kendall Lamm, Kion Smith, Larry Borom
2026: Patrick Paul, Kadyn Proctor, Aaron Brewer, Jonah Savaiinaea, Austin Jackson, Andrew Meyer, Caedan Wallace, DJ Campbell, Chukwuebuka Godrick, Jarrett Kingston
Breakdown: Even without knowing that Daniels would last three plays before being done for the season, we'd still give Proctor an edge in the one difference in the starting lineup based on the former's physical attributes and great upside plus the fact that Daniels was coming off an Achilles injury. There's not nearly as much experience among the backups, though. Verdict: 2026 ever-so-slightly better
2025: Zach Sieler, Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips, Zeek Biggers, Matthew Butler, Benito Jones
2026: Zach Sieler, Jordan Phillips, Zeek Biggers, Keith Cooper Jr.
Breakdown:The important caveat here is Grant starting the season on IR, which helped give the 2025 group the edge on depth alone. Cooper is the wild card here, though he's not likely to be able to make up that kind of difference. In the end, it should be a wash, but for now ... Verdict: 2025 better
2025: Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, Chop Robinson, Cameron Goode, Matthew Judon
2026: Chop Robinson, Josh Uche, Robert Beal Jr., Malik Herring
Breakdown:There's no two ways around it, this looks like a pretty solid downgrade. It should be noted, though, that Chubb was coming off a full season spent on PUP and Judon simply wasn't the same player he had been earlier in his career. Still ... Verdict: 2025 clearly better
2025: Jordyn Brooks, Willie Gay Jr., K.J. Britt, Tyrel Dodson
2026: Jordyn Brooks, Willie Gay Jr., Jacob Rodriguez, Kyle Louis, Ronnie Harrison Jr. Jackson Woodard
Breakdown: In a flip from the defensive tackle spot, there are two more players here this year, though Louis might as well be listed as a safety at this point. This already has the look of an upgrade, but it could become a bigger one if Rodriguez delivers as hoped. Verdict: 2026 better
2025: Rasul Douglas, Jack Jones, Ethan Bonner, JuJu Brents, Jason Marshall Jr., Storm Duck
2026: Chris Johnson, JuJu Brents, Jason Marshall Jr., Marcellas Dial Jr., Reese Taylor
Breakdown: Experience is a valuable commodity in the NFL, and this is where Rasul Douglas made a difference, even though the reality is his impressive 2025 season with the Dolphins came after he underperformed with Buffalo the previous year. This is tougher to gauge because we don't know enough about Dial and Taylor yet, but Johnson is the key here regardless. Verdict: 2025 slightly better
2025: Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Ashtyn Davis, Elijah Campbell, Dante Trader Jr.
2026: Dante Trader Jr., Zayne Anderson, Michael Taaffe, Julius Wood
Breakdown: Fitzpatrick is the difference-maker here because Melifonwu and Davis came to Miami as free agents with something to prove. But the something to prove line most definitely applies to the group this year, with very little starting experience between the four players. Verdict: 2025 clearly better
2025: K Riley Patterson, LS Joe Cordona, P Jake Bailey
2026: K Riley Patterson, LS Tucker Addington, P Bradley Pinion
Breakdown:We'd have to go with Bailey over Pinion for now based on preseason performance, but we suspect it'll even out in the regular season. Verdict: 2025 better
To recap, we gave the edge to the 2026 team at quarterback, offensive line and linebacker, and called the tight end room even.
While the rest of the positions went to the 2025 team, the key point here is that in most instances the downgrade or drop-off isn't nearly as significant as one would think given all the dramatic predictions of doom.
Yes, the 2026 season has the potential to get off the tracks and go south very quickly, but that could be a byproduct of a team that lacks established stars.
Maybe the Dolphins are heading for a better season than expected. Or maybe their roster just wasn't nearly as good in 2025 as some perceived it to be.
As always, the answer probably lies somewhere in the middle.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/dolphins/onsi as Comparing the Dolphins Roster to This Time Last Year .
