Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley knew the job of a lifetime he took on came with some caveats. Yes, he had his buddy from Green Bay, GM Jon-Eric Sullivan, along for the ride to turn the Dolphins around, but their collective decision to take a sledgehammer to the roster this offseason meant the 2026 campaign was going to be an absolute slog.
That's proven true at least through the first two games. This past Sunday's 35-13 loss to the 49ers in San Francisco was harsh, hard evidence of just how far this team has to go to true relevancy, never mind playoff contention.
But there's a silver lining the Dolphins need to take from that agonizing, seemingly hopeless result, which should serve as a spiritual catalyst to endure this year's suffering for a brighter tomorrow.
Kyle Shanahan's early 49ers teams weren't far removed from the Miami mess Hafley inherited
Easy to forget now, but when Kyle Shanahan took the reins in San Francisco for the 2017 season, the iconic 49ers franchise was a complete disaster. They were coming off two one-and-done clown shows as head coach under Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly. The Colin Kaepernick controversy was raging.
Shanahan inherited a two-win team, got the Niners to six wins in his first year, only to backslide to a 4-12 mark in 2018.
But then everything changed. They traded for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo late in that second season, and Jimmy G played well enough to get them to the Super Bowl and a 13-3 record in Shanahan's third year in the Bay Area.
And because of the aforementioned housecleaning Jeff Hafley and Jon-Eric Sullivan pulled off, that's exactly the timeline they're on. Year 3 is when everything figures to pop.
As things stand right now, the Dolphins *might* have a cost-effective franchise quarterback in Malik Willis already in the fold. Tough to tell with how anemic his supporting cast is, but it's also only two games in. Assuming the coach, GM, and QB are all correct, that's huge.
CBS Sports' Pete Prisco put it pretty well here: The Dolphins aren't very good right now. And that's OK. He seems to believe Willis won't be the future at quarterback, though.
"[The 49ers] had a bye week this week. The Miami Dolphins are not very good." 👀@PriscoCBS #NFLPostgame pic.twitter.com/yE4vmleqfp
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 20, 2026
If Willis isn't the guy, the Dolphins will be drafting high enough in what promises to be a loaded 2027 draft class to get someone else. Ideally, they just race the card in for Ohio State superstar Jeremiah Smith to give Willis an elite WR1.
In any event, the Dolphins' cap space is due to be $96.8 million in 2027 and $195.3 million in 2028. They will have all the money in the world, plus high-leverage draft positioning, to either score loads of young blue-chip talent or maybe even trade some of those assets for high-priced, established stars. Then, of course, the no income tax in Florida, plus Miami being such an attractive destination in general, should lure plenty of top-tier talent.
As long as Hafley and Sullivan are building a strong culture in the meantime amidst a lot of losing, the Dolphins' epic turnaround will be here before we know it.
The 49ers are living proof that a drastic rebound is possible. They unfortunately inflicted their wrath on the Fins in Week 2. While that outcome would be enough to demoralize anyone affiliated with the Dolphins, it's also a glimpse into the juggernaut they should be on the same timeline as the Shanahan-led Niners' ascent.
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