It was a tough week for Jeff Hafley and the Miami Dolphins. After looking like they had made progress in the first half of the game, they completely imploded in the second half. They are lucky they didn't play that badly through the first two quarters.
Presnap penalties are still a problem that needs to be addressed, as is staying in their respective lanes. This team preaches doing their "1-11th," but maybe they should concentrate on being "1."
Unlike our winners and losers look-after each week, our trust index can roll beyond just a week's worth of play. For some players, the 49ers game proved they can't be trusted.
The Week 2 trust report
- How we comprise the trust report heading into Week 3
- Tier 2 - Making positive strides
- Tier 3 - trust decreasing
- Tier 4 - fading or gone
- Players that have dropped off the tiers and why
How we comprise the trust report heading into Week 3
Entering the second week, we looked at a variety of situations to determine what players are at and their level of trust. We took injuries into consideration, snap counts, positive vs. negative plays, impact plays, and week-to-week developmental growth.
The top of the class, or the elite players that have earned the trust of the coaches and the full faith of the fanbase, will not change regardless of a bad game. If their play warrants a change over the course of several games, we will make that adjustment, as well as if an injury becomes a problem.
Only four players made the Tier 1 "Top of the class" list. No one joined them in Week 2, but none of the four did anything to suggest they couldn't be trusted.
- Jordyn Brooks - LB
- Jacob Rodriguez - LB
- Patrick Paul - LT
- De'Von Achane - RB
Tier 2 - Making positive strides
Last weeks second-tier players
- Kadyn Proctor - LG
- Caleb Douglas - WR
- Chris Johnson - CB
- Malik Willis - QB
Following the second game of the year, Proctor is the only player who keeps his spot. Despite a couple of bad penalties, the left guard continues to show physicality and speed. He handled his blocks well, but he needs to clean up the penalties.
Michael Taaffe - S: Taaffe had another physically productive game. It wasn't perfect, but it was good progression from the first game. Taaffe is giving Jeff Hafley the kind of play that the coach can rely on. That's improvement. He now has 13 tackles this year after posting nine on Sunday. He is definitely trending in the right direction.
Malik Washington - WR: Washington had a rather surprisingly quiet game against the Raiders despite being targeted eight times. He hauled in three. Against the 49ers, he caught four of his five targets for 43 yards. With Chris Bell vanishing on Sunday, Washington climbed onto our list.
Tier 3 - trust decreasing
Last weeks tier 3 players
- Austin Jackson - RT
- Aaron Brewer - C
- Riley Patterson - K
Brewer is the only player to remain on this list. Brewer was given a PFF grade of just 65.7. Good enough to rank as one of the five highest-graded players from Sunday, but it wasn't enough to move the needle upward. Joining him this week are a few others who need to turn it around.
Chris Johnson - CB: For the second week in a row, Johnson didn't look good. While not being graded in the bottom five, Johnson has yet to show fans a reason why he was coveted enough to trade up for. After having 11 tackles in Week 1, Johnson posted just one against the 49ers. One game was a pass; in two, we have to keep an eye on him.
Jonah Savaiinaea - RG: The oft-maligned guard wasn't horrible against the 49ers. PFF gave him a 65.9 grade, which was higher than they gave Aaron Brewer. We moved him up a tier, but no one trusts him yet.
D.J. Herman - FB: Despite his 18-yard reception, Herman missed blocks and assignments that should have been handled. Herman has to be more consistent, especially against teams with quality edge rushers. On Sunday, he was far from it.
Tier 4 - fading or gone
Last weeks tier 4 players
- Chop Robinson - Edge
- Chris Tabor - ST coordinator
- Jonah Savaiinaea - RG
We addressed Savaiinea, but we are leaving Tabor on the list. There is no trust in Tabor at the moment. The punt team and the kickoff team gave up big yards to the 49ers; players were not in their lanes, and Riley Patterson missed another kick. Add the humiliating Bradley Pinion dropped snap, and it was another bad outing for the STC.
Austin Jackson - RT: Trust is fading - The Dolphins can no longer trust Jackson. He was bad enough against the Raiders, but he was absolutely atrocious against the 49ers. It doesn't matter if he was up against Joey Bosa or not; his job is to open running lanes and keep Willis upright. He was one of the lowest-graded players in week two, and he deserves to drop a level.
Riley Patterson - K: Trust is gone - In 2025, Patterson only missed two kicks the entire season. Two games into 2026, and he has already matched that number. Patterson has to be on a short leash at this point, and frankly, I don't see how the Dolphins will trust him to make pressure kicks.
Players that have dropped off the tiers and why
Chop Robinson - Edge: Robinson is in the concussion protocol, he will get a pass this week.
Caleb Douglas - WR: After a solid opener, Douglas was well-covered by the 49ers. That normally wouldn't impact his tier ranking, but given the uncertain injury, we need to wait until we know more.
Malik Willis - QB: Willis was neither good nor bad on Sunday, but he is still taking too long to make decisions with the ball, and he has to learn when to throw the ball away. The loss of five on a 2nd-down and goal scramble is unacceptable. He needs to throw the ball away.
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