Miami Dolphins Retooling Must Revolve Around the Trenches

The Miami Dolphins look likely to retool their roster in 2026, and any efforts to reshape the team must begin in the trenches.

Jaelan Phillips was the only player traded by the Dolphins ahead of the 2025 trade deadline, and it looks like the team will look at making moves that strengthen the existing core rather than seeing wholesale changes.

The team is searching for a new general manager, and it may make sense for whoever takes over from Chris Grier to spend the 2026 season assessing the roster as a whole and looking at how best to build a championship-contending team.

Coming in and clearing house early on could make life difficult for whoever takes charge, and giving them time to understand the issues with the Dolphins’ on-field product truly could go a long way to helping the team overcome the struggles seen throughout the 21st Century.

But before any big decisions can be made, the Dolphins need to build a solid foundation across the trenches on both sides of the ball in order to have a strong starting point if any future rebuild is to begin or be successful.

The Miami Dolphins have plenty of talent at the skill positions across the team, highlighted by the likes of Jaylen Waddle, De’Von Achane, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Chop Robinson, but it’s along the offensive and defensive lines that need the most attention in the off-season.

Miami Dolphins need to invest more in the offensive line

For many years, the Dolphins have struggled to build an offensive line that can protect the quarterback consistently week-in, week-out, and ensuring whoever is in the pocket can remain on their feet and have adequate time to make passes is still a top priority.

Tua Tagovailoa, the team’s current QB1, sports a 17-game career average of 30 sacks against him. This year, he has been sacked 18 times, just three less than last season’s total in two fewer games. By comparison, Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks has been sacked just 10 times – almost half the amount of Tagovailoa.

The Dolphins’ struggles along the o-line were noticeable at times during the team’s 30-13 victory over the Buffalo Bills, where Tagovailoa was pressured into making throws before he was ready. Things could have gone wrong, but the team’s overall performance kept its AFC East rivals at bay.

Being able to keep their quarterback, whether it’s Tagovailoa or not, standing upright and able to make plays through the air is something that Miami desperately needs to invest more in.

One of the big criticisms of the outgoing Chris Grier was that he did not invest enough high Draft capital in the offensive line, selecting just two players, Austin Jackson and Laremy Tunsil, in the first round of the ten Drafts he was in charge.

The Dolphins do have some talent on the offensive line, most notably in tackle Patrick Paul, who has elevated his game in 2025 and has been one of the bright sparks on the team. Adding more high-level talent alongside him would go a long way to aiding the Dolphins in their retooling efforts, developing a solid foundation to build around.

Defense still reeling from Calais Campbell’s departure