How the Dolphins Roster Compares to Last Spring

The Miami Dolphins roster has undergone a drastic makeover since February with a new regime in place, and bringing in a lot of low-priced veterans and draft picks to replace some big-name players has made them a team with very low outside expectations for the 2026 season.

The biggest issue for the Dolphins at this time isn't a lack of talent as much as it is a lack of proven talent.

In a best-case scenario, most of the Dolphins' rookies and second-year players become success stories in the NFL, and above all Malik Willis proves to be the exact quarterback new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and new head coach Jeff Hafley believe he can be after watching him closely the past two years with the Green Bay Packers.

As the Dolphins continue to work their way through the offseason program, with the second week of OTAs kicking off Tuesday, let's examine the Dolphins' current roster and compare it to what it looked like at this time last year to see whether the talent base really is significantly lower, the way it appears from the outside.

THE DOLPHINS ROSTER COMPARED TO THIS TIME LAST YEAR

QUARTERBACK

New: Malik Willis, Cam Miller

Gone: Tua Tagovailoa, Zach Wilson

Breakdown: There's a big unknown here because nobody knows exactly how good Willis can become, no matter how impressive he looked in his three starts for the Packers the past two seasons.

Better or worse: The obvious answer here is too early to tell, though what's undeniable is that Tua as the starting quarterback had run its course.

RUNNING BACK

New: Donovan Edwards

Gone: Alexander Mattison, FB Alec Ingold

Breakdown: Mattison didn't make it to the regular season because of the nasty neck injury he sustained in the preseason, and the loss of Ingold could be negated by the arrival of tight end Will Kacmarek in a potential H-back role. Bottom line is this group has been and continues to be mostly about De'Von Achane.

Better or worse: Just because Ingold is gone and Kacmarek is a rookie, we'll call this is a very slight downgrade.

WIDE RECEIVER

New: Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell, Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell, Kevin Coleman Jr.

Gone: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Dee Eskridge, Erik Ezukanma

Breakdown: Hill and Waddle were the engines of the offense for the past four years, but this group should become a lot better balanced and that will help in the long run simply as a result of not being so dependent on just two players.

Better or worse: There is likely no way the Dolphins will be able to match the explosiveness they enjoyed with Hill and Waddle, but they still might be better off in the long run. But not for now.

TIGHT END

New; Greg Dulcich, Will Kacmarek, Seydou Traore

Gone: Jonnu Smith, Julian Hill

Breakdown: Smith stayed on the roster until he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, while Dulcich arrived before the start of the regular season, and it says here there's very little difference between the two. And Kacmarek should become a better blocker than Hill before long.

Better or worse: It says here the Dolphins actually are in better shape, particularly considering Smith was on his way out at this time last year.

OFFENSIVE LINE

New: Kadyn Proctor, Jamaree Salyer, DJ Campbell, Charlie Heck

Gone: James Daniels, Liam Eichenberg, Larry Borom

Breakdown: The Dolphins technically had Terron Armstead on the roster last spring until June, but that was only because of salary-cap purposes related to his retirement. James Daniels was the prized acquisition of last season, but we all know how that turned out. In any event, nothing can match the potential that Proctor brings.

Better or worse: The Dolphins clearly are better at this time.

DEFENSIVE LINE

New: Nobody

Gone: Benito Jones

Breakdown: The Dolphins are bringing back five of their six interior defensive linemen from last year and the loss of Jones is frankly not very significant.

Better or worse: This is the same group.

EDGE

New: Robert Beal Jr., David Ojabo, Josh Uche, Max Llewellyn

Gone: Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, Mohamed Kamara

Breakdown: The Dolphins have lost a lot of star power since last spring, turning what once was believed to be a team strength into a major question mark.

Better or worse: Until proven otherwise, this is a major downgrade.

LINEBACKER

New: Kyle Louis, Jacob Rodriguez, Ronnie Harrison Jr.

Gone: K.J. Britt, Channing Tindall

Breakdown: The additions of Rodriguez and Louis were universally lauded and they hopefully can become defensive cornerstones before long.

Better or worse: Based on the expectations for Rodriguez and Louis, this has the look of a major upgrade.

CORNERBACK

New: Chris Johnson, Alex Austin, Marco Wilson, Darrell Baker Jr., A.J. Green III, JuJu Brents

Gone: Jalen Ramsey, Kader Kohou, Cam Smith, Artie Burns

Breakdown: Ramsey was on the roster at this time last year, but everyone knoew he was as good as gone. Kohou figured to be headed for a big role, though that changed with his training camp knee injury. In this year are a whole lot of young unproven players, including first-round pick Chris Johnson and the promising-but-injury-prone Brents.

Better or worse: This verdict might depend on how you look at Ramsey because while the Dolphins had him last spring, they really didn't have him. In that light, this year's group would get the advantage.

SAFETY

New: Michael Taaffe, Lonnie Johnson Jr., Zayne Anderson

Gone: Ashtyn Davis, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Patrick McMorris

Breakdown: The situations are very similar with each group featuring one late-round pick and two lower-tier free agents. Anderson gives the added benefit of his special teams prowess.

Better or worse: It's not a significant difference, but we'll give this 2026 group a slight edge.