If you look hard enough, you can find positives from the Miami Dolphins amid their bye week, even if their winless record is enough to write off their season completely.
The Dolphins have fought through adversity, including critical injuries and some of the NFL's best opponents, just to get to their bye week. It might be lost on some how young and inexperienced this roster and coaching staff are, but they've still battled against top-tier talent like Kansas City, Minnesota, and Cincinnati.
Now, they get a week off to rest and recover before a trip to New York to take on the Jets. Miami is still searching for its first win, but a few positives could help them get the job done sooner rather than later.
Anyone who had doubts that Aaron Brewer was not worth the three-year, $52.5 million contract extension is running out of reasons to doubt. All in all, Brewer has been near-flawless to start this season and should be considered one of the best centers in football.
Having clocked 292 snaps, he's been responsible for zero sacks against Malik Willis and has committed only three penalties. Pro Football Focus has given Brewer an overall grade of 68.2 - the eighth-best out of 34 qualified centers.
What makes Brewer truly stand out is his ability to run block, being a key creator of space for Ollie Gordon II and Miami's ensemble of running backs. His PFF run grade is a 76 flat - the third-best in the NFL. His most impressive performance came against Minnesota - no QB hits, sacks, or penalties, and only one pressure on 39 snaps.
Even more surprising than Brewer, however, has been the resurgence of Jonah Savaiinaea. Many fans were ready to give up on him following a disastrous 2025 season, but switching him back to right guard has helped him grow exponentially.
Clean is the name of the game for Savaiinaea - he's committed no penalties and is responsible for no sacks so far this season on 244 snaps. His performance against San Francisco was as close to perfect as you can get - zero pressures and hurries on 59 snaps.
That said, Savaiinaea suffered an ankle injury in Miami's loss to Cincinnati, and the week off might be just what he needs to recover, but even MORE surprisingly, his replacement was just as effective. Jarrett Kingston came in and held his own, including a noteworthy pancake block on Dexter Lawrence II on his second snap.
There are some fans who might not agree with the decision to draft Kadyn Proctor in the first round, but Proctor has done nothing but justify his selection. It hasn't always been perfect, but you can't deny that only three penalties and one sack through 292 snaps isn't fantastic for a rookie playing left guard for the first time since his freshman season at Alabama.
The major rookie sensation, however, has been linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. Through Week Five, he leads the NFL in tackles (57). He's also recorded three tackles for a loss, a pass deflection, and is one of 25 linebackers with an interception. These are first-round numbers being done by someone who was picked 43rd overall, and justify consideration for the Defensive Rookie Of The Year Award.
Chris Johnson might have had a shaky start to the season, but he's ramped up his play since Week Three. When playing in man coverage, he's allowed seven receptions (sixth least in the NFL), 29 receiving yards (third least), and 4.1 yards per catch (second least).
Caleb Douglas was looking like the answer the Dolphins needed at wide receiver following a stellar performance against Las Vegas in Week One, racking up 94 yards on five receptions. Unfortunately, an ankle injury he suffered the following week has sidelined him up to this point, and for Miami's sake, they'll want him back as soon as possible.
Douglas, alongside Chris Bell and Michael Taaffe, has been part of a rookie core that has shown potential for years to come, and the Dolphins still have Kyle Louis and Trey Moore in the stash. All in all, general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan did a solid job finding rookie talent in his first season for the Dolphins, which is raising expectations for Miami in a possible make-or-break 2027 Draft.
It would have been easy to write off Miami's running game following De'Von Achane's ACL injury that he suffered against Kansas City. It admittedly looked shaky the rest of the way against the Chiefs, but they got things under control not long after.
The credit goes to the aforementioned offensive line alongside Ollie Gordon II, who has turned into a reliable starter for the Dolphins with 236 rushing yards and three touchdowns, leading the team in both categories. Since becoming Miami's starter, he's averaged 5 rushing yards per attempt, which is the eighth-most in the NFL.
He's been a drive extender, responsible for nine first downs and seven explosive runs, which are runs that net 10 yards or more. He had a brief scare in the Cincinnati game, going to the blue medical tent midway through the game, but returned not long after.
It hasn't all been perfect, however. Jaylen Wright hasn't been an effective backup, with Willis having to do more with his legs to partially compensate. We'll see if the Dolphins continue to stick with Wright as the second option in the backfield or look somewhere else - they missed their opportunity with Jerome Ford, who had a tryout for Miami but ended up signing with Arizona's practice squad.
At the end of the day, the Dolphins average 126.6 rushing yards per game, the 11th-most in the NFL. It could have been much worse considering the loss of Achane, but Gordon has done more than enough to carry the offense on his back at times.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/dolphins/onsi as Three Reasons for Optimism at the Bye for the Dolphins .
