The Miami Dolphins are rebuilding their roster in the image of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, head coach Jeff Hafley, and their Green Bay Packers background. They took a huge step this year with the addition of 13 draft picks, 11 UDFA additions, and new quarterback Malik Willis.
Fans know this isn't a one-year fix, but there is a roster problem that goes beyond the additions, beyond the players' names, and even beyond the future of Jordyn Brooks. It's a problem Chris Grier created, and Sullivan is tasked with fixing.
The Dolphins and their GM will need to make decisions on 42 potential free agents after the 2026 season, and it could lead to another busy offseason that rivals this year's.
Miami Dolphins GM's 2027 offseason could be harder than his first
42 seems like a lot of free agents. On the surface, it is. Players like Jordyn Brooks, Austin Jackson, and Tyrel Dodson are all entering the final year of their contracts. They are veterans who have been in Miami for more than a season or two.
The list of players on one-year deals continues to grow. This was a big problem for Chris Grier, who continually supplemented his roster with cheap deals so he could afford the overpaid contracts of a handful of veterans.
This is something Sullivan needs to fix if the Dolphins are going to have sustained success. NFL rosters will always have a laundry list of one-year contracts, but the Dolphins have relied on them for too long.
Sullivan's roster is built the way it is because of Grier's mistakes and not necessarily of his own doing. It will be interesting to see what his 2027 and 2028 rosters look like. A quick look at the number of players under contract in future years proves he has already made strides to fix those issues.
- 2027: 52 players under contract
- 2028: 39 players under contract
- 2029: 20 players under contract
Rosters will dwindle from year to year, but the Dolphins are setting themselves up with a core roster of young players whom they hope they can develop. It's the first small step in a larger plan. Of course, the 2029 list of players includes the 13 players drafted in last April's draft. It's still a good start.
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