Three Stories to Follow During Training Camp

Three Stories to Follow During Training Camp

We are just one day away from the beginning of training camp for the new-look Miami Dolphins, and I couldn’t be more excited. The expectations for Miami under first-year head coach Jeff Hafley are low to say the least. Many outlets ranked the Dolphins 32nd in the league ahead of the season. 

That doesn’t mean that Miami is guaranteed to be bad; plenty of teams looked dead in the water ahead of the season and surprised people by being competitive. Just last year, the New England Patriots went from having the 4th overall pick to making the Super Bowl in Mike Vrabel’s first year as head coach. Now I’m not saying that will happen for the Dolphins, but I am saying not to give up on the season before it has even started. Here are three storylines I’ll be following closely as training camp progresses. 

Is Malik Willis the Guy? 

This is probably the biggest question surrounding the team headed into 2026. Have the Miami Dolphins finally found their quarterback of the present and future in Malik Willis? Many of us thought Tua Tagovailoa was the guy, myself included; unfortunately, after 6 seasons that featured some of the highest highs and lowest lows, the team moved on from the former 5th overall pick. 

In his place now stands Malik Willis, a former 3rd round pick out of Liberty who the Tennessee Titans briefly viewed as their own future. The reason Willis found himself in South Beach is his familiarity with Jeff Hafley, as the two spent time in Green Bay together, where Willis filled in for Jordan Love whenever he was needed. He proved that he was capable of keeping the ship steady when called upon. He won both of his starts in 2024 and played well in 2025 in relief of Love. Can he be the lead guy? We’ll start to get an idea once training camp begins. 

Will Any of Our Wide Receivers Become True Number 1s? 

It’s difficult to believe that just a year ago Miami had one of the best receiving duos in the league in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Now both of them are gone; Hill might never play again after suffering a brutal leg injury last season. While Waddle was traded earlier this offseason to the Denver Broncos. 

While looking at the current wide receiver depth chart, there are more questions than answers. Can veterans like Tutu Atwell, Jalen Reagor, Jalen Tolbert and Malik Washington emerge as top targets? None of them have managed to do so thus far in their careers. Or will the rookie class of Chris Bell, Kevin Coleman Jr., and Caleb Douglas become the stars of the future? There’s certainly a lot of potential in the wide receiver room, but the difficult part is reaching that potential. 

Can Jeff Hafley and Jon-Eric Sullivan Change the Culture? 

The Mike McDaniel and Chris Grier era was a lot of fun when things were going well, but it was equally painful when they weren’t. It will be remembered as an era of flash over substance, defined by the acquisition of star players and the inability to turn that talent into sustained success. We’re all well acquainted with the whispers of players not taking their jobs as seriously as their contracts demand, so I won’t go over it all again here. To put it simply, the Dolphins just weren’t much of a cohesive unit. 

So, Hafley and Sullivan have their work cut out for them; they’ve already begun to reshape the roster by moving on from big-name players with huge contracts. They then began to sign key players to new deals, with Aaron Brewer, De’Von Achane, and Jordyn Brooks all getting extensions. I will be watching closely to see what players have to say about this new regime as camp progresses. 

What are you most interested in following during training camp? Let me know in the comments.

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