The Miami Dolphins made some moves this offseason, most notably signing Malik Willis to a three-year, $67.5 million contract and trading Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos. Then, they followed up by making 13 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, the most by any team.
What are the realistic expectations that Dolphins fans should have this upcoming season?
Besides Willis, some notable signees this offseason include wide receivers Jalen Tolbert and Tutu Atwell. The Dolphins have shown a commitment to giving Willis more weapons and protecting him. They showed it early in the draft when they passed up on star safety Caleb Downs to trade back and draft Kadyn Proctor with pick No. 12 instead. Then, in the third round, the Dolphins double-dipped at wide receiver with Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell. Later in the fifth round, they drafted a third receiver, Kevin Coleman Jr., from the University of Missouri.
These new receiving acquisitions are meant to challenge Malik Washington and the free-agent signings, creating a competitive wide receiver room for Willis.
As much as the Dolphins focused on offense, they came away with two of the most intriguing players in the draft. They used the Broncos’ pick from the Waddle trade to move up and draft Chris Johnson with pick No. 27. With that selection, they added a cornerback with speed and ball-hawking ability, which the Dolphins were craving in the secondary.
In the second round, the Dolphins selected Jacob Rodriguez, a linebacker with big playmaking ability and upside, at No. 43. Expect Rodriguez to be a contributor from Day 1, and he could become a future top-five player at his position.
However, the Dolphins’ defense still needs more pieces in the secondary and along the defensive line, but this is a step in the right direction.
All that being said, the Dolphins are still a young, rebuilding team with a brand new general manager and head coach.
With Waddle, Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb, Darren Waller and Minkah Fitzpatrick all out the door, this is the start of a true rebuild, and the expectations aren’t very high. However, a young team with no expectations can be dangerous, especially down the stretch when they could play spoiler.
A realistic floor for this team is two wins, with a ceiling of five, similar to the Cleveland Browns this past regular season.
Final record prediction: 4-12
More Dolphins: NFL analyst says Dolphins draft pick has skills to be elite
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Predicting the Dolphins record for the 2026 season after the NFL draft