What is the Best-Case Scenario for the Miami Dolphins in 2026-27?

There are many predictions already in place for the 2026-27 Miami Dolphins. One that I believe most of us can agree with is this: The Miami Dolphins are not going to win the Super Bowl in the 2026-27 season. If I’m wrong on this, feel free to revisit this and flame me to your heart’s content during the parade. I’ll be somewhere on a parade float, singing. Loudly.

The general consensus amongst those who make prognostications professionally (or some semblance thereof) is that there won’t be much success as measured in wins. Does that mean the season can’t be considered a success? Not at all. So what does success look like?

There are three things that I believe can be gauged independently of the Dolphins’ wins and losses in 2026:

1. The Quarterback

“So… I don’t know, but I know that I don’t know.” – Lloyd Dobler – Say Anything

The most important position in sports remains unsolved for the Miami Dolphins. Without waxing poetic, there have been flashes of brilliance over the past decade that simply didn’t work out. Can Malik Willis solve the more than quarter-century-old problem?

A developmental QB out of Liberty in 2022, Willis was drafted as a high-upside, developmental project by the Titans. In retrospect, I think I’d trust Shaggy and Scooby with a thermonuclear weapon before I’d trust the Titans’ front office with a developmental QB.

Anyway, the Titans gave Willis a couple of starts in 2022, drafted mayonnaise aficionado Will Levis in 2023, and then traded Willis to the Packers before he could develop for pennies on the dollar in 2024, where he flourished in limited action. 

“Limited action” is the key phrase. Can he continue climbing toward a truly astronomical ceiling leading an offense that is considerably less established than the Packers offense he shined with last year? It seems unlikely that he’ll continue the torrid pace he set in his handful of starts in 2024-25, but anything close to that should be considered a huge success.

The best-case scenario here is that Malik Willis shows enough growth and consistency to be considered the long-term starter in Miami. Regardless, he’s the presumed starter headed into the rebuild.

In the meantime, Will Levis is fighting to keep a spot on the Titans roster. He’s reportedly in danger of losing his spot to… Mitchell Trubisky.

2. The Coaching Staff

“I say what I mean, and I do what I say.” – Vincent Hanna – Heat

Jaded Dolphins fans (and you have every right to be jaded) and used to double-speak (McDaniel), bizarre press conferences (Gase), unusual and unfortunate phrases like “we drafted the Ginn family” (Cameron), and straight-up liars (Hi, Nick Saban!). But beyond the typical optimism inherent in a new staff, this feels different so far.

Hafley and Sullivan told us pretty much exactly what they planned to do this offseason…and then they did it.

Full stop.

As Vincent Hanna would say, “Cut and dried. That is it.”

They extended the players they identified as pillars of the team. They almost exclusively signed and drafted big, athletic players. They got rid of the future cap and seem to have a roster full of players who love football above everything else.

If you think a locker room doesn’t notice when a coaching staff follows through on a plan, you’re mistaken. There are reasons players like to play for Jeff Hafley, and that’s certainly one of them. 

Now, that’s all well and good, but does that mean this coaching staff will be good? We don’t know yet, but we should be able to determine that…even on what is most likely a sub-.500 team. Does the team show up prepared? Can they cut down on the per-snap penalties and mental errors that plagued the team in 2025? Will they play disciplined, smart football?

Even though the team won’t be as talented in Game 1 of 2026 as it was for Game 1 of 2025, a well-prepared team that executes plays on both sides of the ball in a sound, disciplined manner throughout the season will be a refreshing change, and that will tell us a lot about the coaching staff.

And yes, we have our eyes on you, Bobby Slowik. We remember the 2023 Texans and the 2024 Texans and are still kind of wondering what happened there.

3. The Culture

“Just because you are a character doesn’t mean that you have character.” – Winston Wolfe – Pulp Fiction

The 2023 Miami Dolphins were fun, until they weren’t. The cracks started to show late in that season. The 2024 Miami Dolphins were…less fun. The 2025 Dolphins were a car crash.

In 2024, Tyreek Hill quit on the team. Then, through the end of 2025, rumors started flying about a “Club Med” atmosphere. Players were showing up late. Players admitted they didn’t really know the playbook. Tua called out his locker room publicly. It seemed like a finger-pointing contest, and the entire thing ended disastrously.

Regardless of whether you liked Mike McDaniel and Chris Grier, it’s difficult to argue one specific point: There was a general lack of accountability under their regime. When the team performs and wins, that can be glossed over. When it doesn’t, it can’t.

To date, the 2026 Miami Dolphins seem to be a team that thrives on accountability. To a man, the emphasis is on showing up early, studying film and solid leadership. Will that result in wins in 2026? Maybe not, but it lays the foundation for a brighter, more sustainable future than we saw under McDaniel, Flores, Gase, and Philbin… and the more names I list, the more depressing it gets.

Regardless of how many games the Dolphins win this year, we hopefully should be able to tell by the end of the season if Malik Willis is the guy, if the coaching staff is fundamentally sound, and if the players are buying into what Hafley and Sullivan are selling. Will it be that or just another season headed toward an uncertain future, like most seasons over the past couple of decades? Time will tell, but I like what I see so far.

Now, if there’s just some way to accomplish all of this and get a certain Ohio State wide receiver into a Miami Dolphins uniform in 2027, this rebuild could accelerate very, very quickly.

Fins up.