When the Miami Dolphins finally start to make their roster decisions ahead of the 2026 season, several players are going to have their names mentioned and discussed. None of them will be easy.
Free agency is going to be an interesting time for the Dolphins' decision makers. They will be nearly $11 million over the cap, depending on how much the annual increase is this upcoming season. By March 11th, regardless of what it is, they have been under it.
The biggest decisions this team faces are tied to that cap in some way. Decisions could be made that increase dead cap space, while others could be made to clear some. No matter what happens, these four decisions will be tough ones to make. This now falls on the shoulders of new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan.
Miami Dolphins will have little choice but address these elephants that are sitting on their roster
Tyrel Dodson contract
Dodson is the second-leading tackler on the defense behind Jordyn Brooks. He has more than 120 tackles on the season. He is also under contract for the 2026 season. The Dolphins have three avenues they can go down; only one of them makes sense.
Dodson will count $3.7 million in cap room, something the Dolphins need to trim as mentioned. He will save the team $3 million if he is released. The problem? The Dolphins will need to replace him, and the current rate of under $4 million is good value. The Dolphins could keep him, cut him, or, better yet, restructure and extend him for another season. They would save money this year and keep a core player.
Tua Tagovailoa's future
This is the biggest elephant in the entire Dolphins organization. Keeping him makes sense given the amount of money he will count against the Dolphins' salary cap. The problem is he isn't good enough to be a reliable starter. In 2026, he will need to compete for that job.
Miami has to decide how much money it is willing to eat to get him out of South Florida. The options are not simple, as whatever they do will have significant ramifications. Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel put the Dolphins into this mess, and now it will be Brandon Shore's job to get them out of it.
Bradley Chubb's future
Chubb is set to count $31 million against the Dolphins' salary cap. He took a huge pay cut last season and earned some of that lost money back in incentives. He didn't get all of it back, and it's hard to imagine he will do so again this year.
Miami can't release him outright; it would cost them $23 million in dead money with a mere $7 million savings. A post-June 1st release makes more sense if they go down that road. On that avenue, Chubb's dead money drops to $10 million, and the savings increase to $20 million.
Chubb is a leader in the clubhouse and on the field, but he is getting older, and the Dolphins need money in a bad way. Chubb and Tyreek Hill being released would save Miami a combined $56 million that would become available on June 2nd. This is where Tagovailoa's decision could come into play, as the Dolphins will have an easier time swallowing that bitter pill.
Jaylen Waddle's future
It might seem as though there is no decision to make with Waddle. That isn't entirely true. The Dolphins were offered a little less than what they were asking for at the NFL trade deadline. The fact that they had an asking price should be a reason to consider that his future may not be as cemented as many think.
It's not impossible to believe the Dolphins may pivot away from him at some point. Salary isn't the problem, and frankly, production isn't either. If Waddle were to be moved, the buying team would have to eat his contract, but the Dolphins would need the compensation to be worth it. All of this ties back in some way to Tagovailoa's situation.
If Miami has to give up draft capital to move Tagovailoa, the domino effect is who can the move to replace those picks? These are not predictions; they are just decisions the Dolphins will need to address this offseason.