An Important OffSeason for the Dolphins

An Important OffSeason for the Dolphins

A typical off-season is mostly uneventful, with no contact permitted and a limited number of offensive versus defensive drills.

For the 2026 Miami Dolphins, this offseason is different.

Coach Jeff Hafley needs to instill his expectations and establish a brand-new culture on this team.

Beginning with the May 8-10 rookie camp, Hafley will set the standard players must meet to make the team.

Starting May 18 and running off and on through June 11, there are OTA’s, or On-The-Field Activities.

There is a mandatory veteran minicamp from June 2-4, but I would expect full participation for the OTAs, given a new head coach and a new system.

During OTAs, there are 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, so this should be a huge test for the new players and a great opportunity for the coaches to begin their on-field evaluation of the team.

As fans, we will micromanage every play, as will the local media, even if the players are not wearing pads and no contact is permitted.

For the players themselves, especially the rookies and undrafted free agents, there will be an opportunity to impress the coaching staff in hopes of eventually becoming contributors to the roster.

This is the time when the opinions of the draft experts and the NFL pundits become irrelevant because, for the player, it doesn’t matter who you are or when you were drafted; only how you perform.

We have yet to see Coach Hafley in action, but from what we have heard, he is going to give his players a shot and every opportunity to show the coaches what they can do.

So, as uneventful and meaningless as prior camps have been, the 2026 camp will be an exciting one for players, coaches, the media, and fans.