Although the new Miami Dolphins regime more or less tore the roster down to the studs this offseason, multiple core leaders from the 2025 team like De'Von Achane, Jordyn Brooks, Zach Sieler, and Aaron Brewer are still around. They know how to dig deep and rally from bad starts.
Look no further than last season. The Dolphins lost six of their first seven games. Alleged incapable leader of men Mike McDaniel was so bad at leading men that the men he led never recovered, as Miami skidded to a 1-16 record and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Just kidding. Nothing in that last lengthy sentence ever happened. The merits or lack thereof of McDaniel's leadership aside, the players executed well enough to salvage a 7-10 mark.
So if, in theory, the Dolphins' roster purge netted them a better quarterback in Malik Willis, and if Jeff Hafley is indeed a better head coach than McDaniel, why should this team's expectations be in the gutter? If GM Jon-Eric Sullivan does indeed know so well what's best for the franchise, why should we dismiss all 13 of his draft picks as anything but ingenious, bang-on selections?
To be clear, I'm also being a little facetious here. Sullivan's draft class is shaping up really well from what we've seen so far. Hafley seems like an absolute stud of a head coach. I'm more bullish on this Dolphins team than maybe anyone on planet Earth.
I can hold all those things and still defend Mike McDaniel. If he can make Tua Tagovailoa the NFL's leading passer, imagine what he might do with Justin Herbert whilst calling the plays for the Chargers.
But I digress. That's a long-winded setup to say that the Dolphins' bye is the perfect antidote to what should be an absolutely unforgiving kickoff to this new era for the organization.
Week 6 bye is divine timing for Miami Dolphins' brutal start
Whether Miami has a brutal start or not remains to be seen. However, the schedule does look rough on paper. Three road trips in the first four weeks, beginning with Week 1 in Las Vegas.
That first contest is gettable, but then comes a duel against the 49ers at San Francisco, followed by the home opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. Then comes another away game in Minnesota, where Willis and the offense will be subject to the whims of Vikings hyper-aggressive defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
Finally, the Fins return to Hard Rock Stadium for Week 5, only to face the Cincinnati Bengals, who hung 45 points on them in the last meeting they hosted in December.
For such a young, inexperienced team and a first-time head coach, that opening stretch will feel like drinking out of a fire hose. That said, Hafley will have a great opportunity for a hard reset and some self-scouting before he even plays a single game in the AFC East.
Another hidden advantage: some members of Miami's youth movement might've hit a rookie wall with a later bye. This should combat some of that inevitable wear and tear and fatigue. Their bodies are fresher, too, by nature of not being in the NFL for as long. They can catch a second wind of sorts that can last for at least the next six ensuing weeks or thereabouts.
Miami's slate through November features spoiler chances galore
Now, check out what's on deck for the Dolphins' post-bye schedule:
- Week 7: at New York Jets
- Week 8: vs. New England Patriots
- Week 9: vs. Detroit Lions
- Week 10: at Indianapolis Colts
- Week 11: at Buffalo Bills
- Week 12: vs. New York Jets
You couldn't ask for a better road trip than to take on the rival Jets. I mean, MetLife Stadium is a Murphy's Law injury curse waiting to happen, but in terms of the caliber of opponent.
No disrespect to Gang Green. Well, some. Their roster is markedly improved. I just wonder if it'll all gel together into something meaningful in 2026. There's a lot of organizational scar tissue and dysfunction to overcome, not to mention a ravenous, relentless major media market. The Jets bookend this six-game stretch of the schedule as Miami's most feeble foe.
Then we have the New England Patriots. They're the reigning AFC champs, yes, but that team has combustion written all over them. A.J. Brown had to read books on the sideline to prevent himself from a physical confrontation with his last QB, Jalen Hurts.
How might Brown's antics play with Drake Maye in Foxborough? Maye's new WR2, Romeo Doubs, showed diva tendencies in Green Bay as well. He even left the team outright for a spell. Not great?
Not sure if anyone heard about this, but Mike Vrabel had a pretty distracting off-field scandal. Maybe it's nothing. Maybe the locker room already moved on. I'll tell you one thing: Opposing fans will not have moved on.
If the Pats don't live up to the hype and have a Super Bowl loss hangover, though, things could get real weird, real quick.
Ah yes, then another home game against a supposed juggernaut in the Detroit Lions. It looks to me like they're trending in the wrong direction. From 15-2 in 2024 to 9-8 last year. Star defensive backs in Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch are both currently injured. Offensive line in flux.
The Lions are aided by Sharp Football's easiest strength of schedule. Hitting the road to square off with the Dolphins after a bye and two heated NFC North home clashes against the Packers and Vikings? That is the epitome of a "trap game."
Before wrapping up the Jets season series, the Fins travel to Indy and Buffalo.
Does anyone really fear the Colts right now? I don't.
And the Dolphins have absolutely nothing to lose against the mighty Josh Allen and the Bills. If they get blown off the field, even in the midst of a midseason resurgence, it wouldn't be a total shock. All the pressure is on Buffalo. Zero margin for error in their quest for a Super Bowl. Talk about a pressure cooker.
If you're not buying into this trajectory, I don't know what to tell you. If Malik Willis is The Guy, Hafley can elevate the defense ever so slightly, and Achane can run wild like he's wont to do, the Dolphins have enough pieces to be friskier than anyone realizes.
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