The Miami Dolphins are no longer a mess, well, not like they were the last nine years. New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley's "vision" of what they want the team to be like is quite clear.
The Dolphins have a plan, and they executed that plan during the draft. It was a dramatic shift from years of poor drafts. There is no guarantee that the 2026 draft will yield different results, but they all fit within the same mold of what the Dolphins have been preaching since the new regime was brought in.
That doesn't mean they will be competitive, however. This year, they will be far from it. In order to facilitate the changes they desired, they had to get rid of the players who didn't fit the concept. The gutting of the roster wasn't lost on the media either. The Athletic ranked the 32 NFL teams' post-draft rosters. We don't need to say out loud what you already know.
Miami Dolphins roster ranking sits squarely at the bottom of the entire NFL
O.K., we had to say it. The Dolphins are ranked 32nd. Their roster isn't, as we said, a mess; it's in transition. They are the youngest team in the NFL, with an average age of 25.8 years.
The Dolphins will have 13 drafted rookies and another 11 undrafted heading toward training camp in late July. They also have a slew of one-year contracted players who haven't been in the league long.
In addition to the 11 UDFAs and eventual 13 draft picks (after they sign), Miami also has 12 players with one year of experience, 12 players entering their second season in the league, and 10 players entering their 3rd season.
NFL teams are allowed to carry 90 players on their offseason roster. These three levels of players account for 58 roster spots, again, once the draft picks are signed to the official roster. 32 players on the roster have more than three years of experience. The player with the most seasons is punter Bradley Pinion, who has 12.
"Outside of running back and linebacker, they rank 24th or worse at every position group, and they're in the bottom five at quarterback, wide receiver, tight end, offensive tackle, interior defensive line, cornerback, and safety."
It's hard to argue the reasoning for this ranking. Everything points to a complete overhaul, but the difference that no one is giving this roster is that they are young. For most of these players with less than four years of experience, they don't know what losing is, not entirely at this level. In other words, they haven't given up, but instead are looking to prove doubters wrong.
Miami's roster looks bad now, but if Sullivan hits on his draft class and Hafley can develop the players as he thinks, this roster is going to look really good in about three or four years.
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