Week 16 shed a lot of light on the Miami Dolphins' 2026 roster. As the team prepared for its final three games, several players who were expected to play did not. One didn't even make it off the inactive list.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is under contract through the 2026 season, but if Week 16 was any indication, his future with the Dolphins will come to an end in March. His addition to the team has been a major disappointment, and it's hard to understand why.
The Dolphins receiver was signed with high expectations. He is fast, but not the fastest on the team. He runs good routes and has good hands. In Tennessee, in the previous five seasons, he scored 19 times. He has zero with the Dolphins.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine won't likely return to the Miami Dolphins in 2026, and he is probably thrilled
For Westbrook-Ikhine, the prospect of joining the high-octane Dolphins offense had to be incredibly enticing. He was getting a better quarterback, a head coach who is supposed to be an offensive genius, and when Tyreek Hill went down, the door opened.
Instead, he has stood on the sidelines watching or running routes that Tagovailoa wouldn't throw to. In Week 16, he was a healthy scratch. If he doesn't play another game this season, he will finish with 11 receptions on 20 targets and just 89 yards.
His receptions rank eighth on the team. He was surpassed by tight end Greg Dulcich, who joined the team midway through the season. Dulcich is sixth on the team. To be fair, Hill is still 4th and hasn't played since Week 4.
Miami won't get a lot back if they release him. His 2026 cap amount is $3.1 million, and if the Dolphins release him, they will split it nearly in half between dead money ($1.6 million) and cap savings ($1.59 million). For a team that will enter the offseason $11 million over the cap, every contract counts.
Fans have been disappointed in how Westbrook-Ikhine has been used. With the Titans, he was a deep threat receiver who punched in nine touchdowns last year. Fans expected him to take some pressure off the other receivers and give Tagovailoa another outlet. He didn't. In his 14 games this year, he has taken 47% of the offensive snaps. That isn't an invitation for another season.