The Miami Dolphins have roster questions aplenty entering their first training camp under new head coach Jeff Hafley, but some position groups are more vulnerable than others.
While cornerstones like De'Von Achane and Aaron Brewer have secured contract extensions, they can only do so much to ensure Miami is competitive in 2026. It'll take a lot of young, unproven players and dubious vets stepping up to make this season anything close to resembling a success.
With that backdrop established, let's dive into some of the most concerning aspects of this rebuilding Dolphins team.
These positions will be the talk of Miami Dolphins training camp
Miami Dolphins have question marks all over the wide receiver room
Malik Washington's historic inefficiency is enough of a red flag as is. If he weren't the only incumbent among the Dolphins' top six or seven expected top wide receivers, it wouldn't be such an issue. That's the hand Miami is dealing this year, though.
A couple of one-year stopgap solutions should headline the receiving corps in ex-Cowboy Jalen Tolbert and past Rams second-round pick Tutu Atwell. Tolbert is more of a contested catch guy, whereas Atwell is the diminutive, downfield speed threat.
Both Tolbert and Atwell fit well with new quarterback Malik Willis' downfield throwing prowess. That said, neither has been asked to shoulder a WR1-caliber workload.
Never mind the not one, not two, but three rookie wideouts the Dolphins may or may not be depending upon. OK, it's really two, because Chris Bell — easily the most intriguing among the triumvirate of himself, Caleb Douglas, and Kevin Coleman Jr. — is recovering from a torn ACL.
So yeah...this position group? Not great, Bob.
Who will take command of a suspect Miami safety group?
Texas Longhorns All-American safety Michael Taaffe somehow fell into the Dolphins' laps in the fifth round of the draft. The rookie has plenty of reps of high-stakes football and could easily beat out Lonnie Johnson Jr. as the primary starting free safety.
Beyond Taaffe and sure-tackling box guy Dante Trader Jr. entering his second season as a pro, there's a whole lot of nothing at this position in Miami.
This is where Hafley can really work his magic. Much of his background is in coaching the secondary. Hafley will need every ounce of that expertise to elevate this crew of no-names.
To reiterate, I'm high on Taaffe and believe he could be one of the biggest steals in the entire NFL Draft. If you're counting on a fifth-round rookie as a saving grace at a position of dire need, however, you're probably not in a great spot entering training camp!
Who can the Dolphins truly count on at cornerback?
Yours truly is buying all the Chris Johnson stock available. The San Diego State cornerback was one of my favorite prospects in the draft, and the Dolphins stole him at 27th overall if you ask me.
Johnson has the coverage chops to be a legit CB1 in the NFL. As touched on before, if anyone knows defensive backfield play, it's Hafley. I'm sure he must've pounded the table for Johnson, who excels in zone coverage in particular, which is the type of scheme Hafley likes to lean on.
But the NFL learning curve can be steep for anyone. Johnson is making a big jump in competition from San Diego State to the pro ranks. Quinyon Mitchell did that with aplomb for the Eagles coming out of Toledo. Can Johnson pull off a similar feat? It'll be a taller task with a far inferior roster around him.
And beyond Johnson, who else is Hafley trotting out there? The Dolphins made no meaningful additions at the position outside of their second first-round pick. JuJu Brents has intriguing potential, yet he's not proven he can stay healthy to date.
The Johnson-Brents combo could give Miami a legit duo on the boundary. If one or both of them gets hurt, or if Johnson isn't ready to roll right away, it could get ugly fast.
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