There are still plenty of "what-if" questions surrounding Mike McDaniel. What would it have been like if he had stuck around with a better quarterback behind center? What could he have done with a better general manager?
These can all be filed in the folder "We will never know" and tucked neatly in the back of the cabinet. That being said, there are players who played under McDaniel and are now getting a bigger shot with Jeff Hafley at the controls.
Only 24 players who were on the team last season are still on the active roster now. They include the 2025 draft class, but for some of those 24, the change in coaching staff has created a new opportunity to impress and earn reps. These players have turned McDaniel's departure into an opportunity.
Miami Dolphins are giving holdovers from the 2025 roster a chance to shine
Malik Washington is taking a big step forward
In his first two seasons with the Dolphins, Washington was targeted 101 times, but he only caught 72 passes. He has started just nine games and has only scored 3 touchdowns. His rookie year saw him on the field for 45% of the offensive snaps and 57% in his second season.
Washington is now the longest-tenured WR on the Dolphins roster, and under Bobby Slowik, he could see a significant increase in his playing time. Under McDaniel, Washington had to contend with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. After Hill was lost in week four, Washington didn't see a huge increase in targets. That may not be the case this year under Slowik. Washington will get a chance he didn't have in the first two years.
Jason Marshall, Jr. will get a chance to earn a starting job
Marshall took just 32% of the Dolphins' defensive snaps last season. He missed five games, however. Marshall showed promise, but Anthony Weaver stuck with the veterans on the roster at the expense of the youth. That has been the Dolphins' way of operating for years.
With the new regime, Marshall is going to get plenty of opportunities to prove he deserves more playing time. Miami actually needs him this year. Can he step up? He almost has to.
Jonah Savaiineaa may have saved his career
It's hard to imagine Savaiinaea turning around the train wreck that was his rookie season last year. The scheme wasn't a fit, the coaching wasn't good, the play designs didn't fit his ability or skill set; everything that could have gone wrong last year did.
Savaiinaea has looked like a completely different person through camp and preseason. The second-year player is getting better coaching and is in a scheme that fits him better. He will be under the microscope for quite a while, but the first impressions of 2026 are good ones.
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