Dolphins could face 'tough road' early on
Mike Florio highlights how the Dolphins' new culture will be tested early on in the 2026-27 season, where the new roster and schedule could quickly present obstacles.
Video Transcript
I'm fascinated by the Dolphins for a couple of reasons.
Under Stephen Ross, they have been one of the more dysfunctional teams in the NFL.
It's the Dolphins, it's the Browns, it's the Cardinals.
They're the top three.
The Jets, throw them in there as well.
Teams that stay bad, where the common link, all due respect, is ownership.
But I feel like the Dolphins have finally gotten away from that.
Now, that may have something to do with Stephen Ross taking a step back.
But however it plays out, may have something to do with Troy Aikman helping them hire a GM and a coach.
They have a coach and a GM who are fully aligned.
They are committed to creating a culture that can win under any conditions, and that failing on a cold day is just a manifestation of a team that doesn't have the fundamental grit and toughness and resolve to go out there no matter what the situation is.
Because the other team has to deal with the same thing that you have to deal with.
And they've developed this narrative, and the narrative has been proven true repeatedly that they can't play well in the cold.
So they're trying to get a culture there where they don't care about that stuff.
They're gonna show up no matter what the situation is and play their best.
But they sure seem to be overmatched.
And Jordan Brooks, one of the guys who the new regime has identified as a guiding light, the kind of player they needed, the kind of player they didn't have enough of, who will hold players accountable and get everyone on the same page.
He recently acknowledged that they are the underdogs, and that's how they're viewed, and that's how they're perceived.
And there's value in that because you can catch teams napping.
They're gonna look at you on their schedule and say, "That's a win."
They may not be as focused, as prepared as they would otherwise be.
They view it as a de facto bye week, and none of your players are ever gonna get a big head.
They're not gonna see any articles talking about how great they are.
If anything, they see articles calling them bad, and that gets them motivated to go out and prove themselves in any given week and every given week.
So it's a useful mindset, but the, the issue is, do they have enough talent to make a difference?
Youngest team in the NFL.
Will it make a difference?
And when you look at their schedule, you know, the over under win total, and I don't put a whole lot of stock in that, but it is what it is at three and a half.
You look at it on the surface and you say, "Oh, well, they should easily win four games."
But beyond Miami and the Jets twice, I don't know how easy it's going to be.
And the schedule starts with at the Raiders.
Opportunity, opportunity to steal a win and get players to fully buy in to what new coach Jeff Hafley is selling.
If they don't win that one, it's at the Forty-Niners, Chief's at home, at the Vikings, and then Cincinnati at home before a bye week.
They could be one in four going into the bye week.
And coming out of the bye, they are at the Jets, so that's a good one for them, but then they have the Patriots and the Lions after that.
But it could start off poorly for the Dolphins.
Now, there's a lot riding, I believe, on that Raiders game and at San Francisco.
The one benefit you're getting, it's their first game after the Australia trip, and because they're going for so long.
Chris Simms said when he was with the Buccaneers his rookie year and they played a preseason game in Japan, it took them weeks to recover from that.
So maybe they can catch the Forty-Niners flat-footed and unprepared and not adjusted from their time in Australia.
I, I'm encouraged for the Dolphins because I think they finally found a formula, front office and coaching staff, that is going to work.
There's not gonna be infighting.
They have a shared vision.
They're gonna build a team that they believe can be competitive.
But the other side of it is the players that they've compiled may simply not be good enough, especially when you're, you're dealing with a one hundred million dollar dead money charge over the next s- two seasons, thanks to the very ill-advised Tua Tagovailoa contract.
But the Dolphins are a team to just study.
I'm not saying they're a team to watch.
I'm not predicting they're going to be good.
I think they'll finish higher than the Jets when it's all said and done this year.
But there aren't a lot of Ws lurking on that schedule when you look at it, and it could be a tough road, and that's what sets the tone for the season.
And they could be one in four.
Hell, there's a chance they'll be 0 and five going into the bye week.
If they're two and three or better after the first five games, they should feel very good about where they're heading.
And maybe after that two weeks, you, you beat the Jets in New York, you build some momentum, hang around five hundred, and who knows?
With seven playoff spots in each conference, who knows?
If you're lingering around five hundred out or around Thanksgiving, stretch run, who knows?
Maybe it all falls your way.
