Gone, hopefully, are those absurd one-year contracts for players the Miami Dolphins actually need for more than a season. The Dolphins' new GM, Jon-Eric Sullivan, has to do a better job of recognizing talent vs injury history.
While guys like James Daniels are on a contract longer than a season, many guys don't have that luxury. This offseason will be critical to identifying free agent players who can make Miami better, but it also has to be about how the Dolphins handle their own in-house free agents.
The first order of business for the Dolphins will be to evaluate the roster and identify those players they want to return. We already took a look and made the decision easier for them.
Miami Dolphins must retain these five producing players in 2026
Greg Dulcich
To say that Greg Dulcich exceeded expectations would rob him of what he actually has meant to the team. Dulcich is a cheap man's version of Greg Kittle with nicer hair.
Dulcich joined the Dolphins in October and quickly made fans forget about Darren Waller. The former Broncos and Giants tight end posted more than 300 yards in his shortened time with the Dolphins. A reliable target for both Tua Tagovailoa and Quinn Ewers, Dulcich has given the team every reason to bring him back for another year, and if they were smart, they would give him another year after that as well.
Kader Kohou
Kader Kohou has done everything the Dolphins have asked of him, but he still only generated one-year contracts. After his season ended in training camp, the best member of the Dolphins' secondary at the time suddenly saw giant question marks in his future.
Miami isn't likely to give him more than another one-year deal, but they need to bring him back. Kohou is one of those players you can't help but root for. His leadership on the team is an example. He is a "proved it" kid who defied the odds of making it in the NFL, and the Dolphins need to give him a chance to return.
Daniel Brunskill
Daniel Brunskill was an afterthought for most of the year, but then McDaniel found a way to make him useful. Brunskill has the talent, but he wasn't being used the way he should, as in playing. Miami's big problem was they invested in Jonah Savaiinaea. Once McDaniel moved him outside the tackle to play a sixth lineman role, the Dolphins' offense began to click.
The transition for Brunskill was as immediately good as it was for the Dolphins' run game. That brings us to another offensive lineman who deserves another year.
Cole Strange
They say one team's trash is another's treasure, and in the case of former Patriots lineman Cole Strange, it can't be more understated.
Strange was good when the Dolphins needed him. A solid performing backup who still has growth ahead of him. Miami needs to continue to keep linemen who are proving they can play; it's something they haven't had consistently throughout the Grier years.
Rasul Douglas
Rasul Douglas didn't join the Dolphins until training camp was over, and yet he started almost immediately. It's sad when the state of a defensive unit is so bad that you have to plug-and-play a street free agent. That was the case twice this year with Douglas and Jack Jones.
Douglas stood out. There is no denying that the success Miami had defensively was in no small part due to the play of Douglas. Miami can't afford to enter the 2026 season like they did last year, and there is no reason why Douglas shouldn't get another contract.