The Miami Dolphins' process of evaluating players has started a little earlier than they had hoped, but with the playoffs no longer in the picture, it's clear that changes will be made this offseason, if not before.
The season is almost over, and nothing the Dolphins do now will change that. Miami is once again in a familiar situation that hasn't gone well for them in the last 15 years. Stephen Ross has to decide on his next general manager; they need to be involved in deciding what happens to Mike McDaniel, which inevitably all trickles down to the players on the roster.
The easy route is to keep Champ Kelly, keep McDaniel, and see what they can do with a semi-decent roster and one more year. Then again, fans are tired of watching Ross give coaches another season only to see him fire them midway through the next.
Miami Dolphins will make GM and coaching decisions, then it's on to the players who make up the roster
To be fair, December might be a little rushed for roster turnover. Miami decided to release Matt Judon so he could explore options in free agency. Releasing him when they did gave him a chance to land with a potential playoff team.
That isn't going to be the case for most of the players. Once the calendar turns to the new year, several players will have uncertain futures. Tyreek Hill, Austin Jackson, Bradley Chubb, and even Tua Tagovailoa are guys on the bubble, but others are likely playing or already have their final games for the Dolphins.
Jason Sanders opened the door for his own exit
It wasn't Sanders' fault that he injured his hip while warming up for a preseason game, but that injury paved the way for Riley Patterson. If Miami were smart, it would, at the very minimum, hold a competition this offseason. Or they could just release Sanders and give Patterson the job.
In 2026, Sanders will be set to count $4.5 million against the Dolphins' cap. Releasing him will carry a minimal hit of $663k versus a $3.9 million savings. The Dolphins need to trim their roster anyway they can because they will be nearly $11 million over the cap when the new league year begins in March.
Sanders returned to practice after the Dolphins' loss in Week 15, but there is no reason to bring him back now.
Tyrel Dodson has played well, but his contract may leave him without a job
Dodson has been fantastic most of the season next to Jordyn Brooks. The duo has been a force in the middle of the defense, but like Sanders, Dodson's contract will save the Dolphins money, and they are going to need it.
With only a $717k hit, the Dolphins will save $3 million in cap space by releasing him. They may find themselves hard-pressed to find equivalent talent and drive on the open market for that price. Still, they need to cut corners, especially if they are planning to eat a large chunk of cap space with other players.