Part of the Miami Dolphins ' rebuilding project of 2026 involved not only jettisoning a bunch of high-priced, high-profile players but also filling the vacancies with a slew of one-year, prove-it contracts.
Now that the regular season is here, a lot of those new players no longer are here to prove it.
As a result, the Dolphins find themselves with a modest 12 players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next offseason, a number that pales in comparison to the 25 players signed through 2028 or beyond.
The list of 12 pending UFAs consists of WR Jalen Tolbert , TE Greg Dulcich , T Austin Jackson , EDGE Josh Uche , EDGE Robert Beal Jr., EDGE Malik Herring , LB Wille Gay Jr., LB Ronnie Harrison Jr., CB JuJu Brents , S Zayne Anderson , K Riley Patterson and P Bradley Pinion .
Additionally, the Dolphins have three players scheduled to become restricted free agents with WR Ryan Miller , and offensive linemen Andrew Meyer and Jarrett Kingston , along with six players scheduled to become exclusive-rights free agents, players the Dolphins can retain merely by offering a qualifying tender.
Tenders to retain restricted free agents vary depending on what type of compensation a team would get if it declined to match an offer and starts at $3.5 million.
UFAs, though, can start negotiating with any team around the NFL a couple of days before the start of the new league year in mid-March and officially can sign at the start of the league year.
The Dolphins can keep UFAs from hitting the market by signing them to an extension beforehand or by re-signing them after the fact, as they did with Patterson and Dulcich this year.
So who among those dozen pending UFAs is most likely to get a new contract from the Dolphins?
Trying to predict who will be kept around for most than one season usually relies on two factors, the player's edge and the rest of the roster at his position.
In terms of age, five of the pending UFAs were 27 as of September 8, with two each at 26, 28 and 29, and Pinion the oldest at 32.
This is how we would group the pack:
TE Greg Dulcich -The mere fact the Dolphins gave him $3 million to return in 2026 -with four void years to increase his signing bonus -when every other free agent got around the minimum salary tells you what the organization thought of his potential.
CB JuJu Brents -If Brents can prove he can be durable, which has been missing so far in his NFL career, it says here the Dolphins have a potential quality starter here.
S Zayne Anderson -His familiarity with Jeff Hafley is part of the reason he was signed with a chance to start at safety, and he'll likely get another look if he can deliver.
WR Jalen Tolbert -The presence of three rookie draft picks at his position and Tolbert failing to earn a starting job probably doesn't bode well for his long-term outlook in Miami.
T Austin Jackson -The Dolphins' selection of Alabama tackle Kadyn Proctor probably was a bad omen for Jackson's long-term future in Miami because Proctor projects as a high-end NFL tackle and the Dolphins also have Patrick Paul already in place.
P Bradley Pinion -This might be more about Pinion's age than anything else.
It's pretty wild that the Dolphins' four edge defenders include three players signed to one-year contracts with Beal, Uche and Herring, and it could be a season-long competition as to which one, if any, can earn a new deal from Miami.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/dolphins/onsi as Examining the 12 Pending Dolphins UFAs (And Who's Most Likely to Stick Around) .
