​MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – AUGUST 22: Head coach Jeff Hafley of the Miami Dolphins walks off the field following a pre season game against the New York Giants at Hard Rock Stadium on August 22, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) GettyAfter a drastic roster makeover this offseason, the Miami Dolphins don’t appear to have high expectations heading into the 2026 season.Following the 2025 season, the Miami Dolphins moved on from core players Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb, Tua Tagovailoa, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jaylen Waddle. Instead of addressing these departures in free agency, the Dolphins opted to go younger and added 13 players in the 2026 NFL Draft.While that may have potentially been smart and helped improve Miami’s long-term chances of contending, it will also mean that the team is likely to commit rookie mistakes. As a result, head coach Jeff Hafley has issued an honest assessment about his outlook for the Dolphins.Miami Dolphins Head Coach Shares Honest Assessment of 2026 TeamWhen asked by ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith to define what success would look like for the Miami Dolphins in 2026, Hafley said, “I think it’s, success is gonna be, it’s not going to be measured in wins and losses this year.And I know nobody wants to hear that. I want to see our team; I want to see where we end and how far we can take this thing and how much we develop these players and develop that image that I talked to you about. Success for me is going to be we go on that field, and we play so —- hard where even you turn it on and say, ‘Man, those guys are flying around. They’re playing together. They love each other. They’re in this thing together’, and we’re just growing and building and growing and building, and we’ll see where this takes us.”While fans may wish for the team to contend for the playoffs in 2026, Hafley seemed to push back against that goal, as he added, “I just, going to stay away from like, the win-loss total. I just think this year is so much about developing who we are as a football team, finding the right guys, and then just by the end of the year, saying, ‘You know what? We got something really powerful going forward’.”Miami Dolphins Expectations
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Hafley’s thought process seems to align with the expectations for the Dolphins. Around the NFL writer Nick Shook placed the Dolphins at No. 32 in his power rankings. Regarding the Dolphins, Shook wrote: “The NFL’s most obvious teardown happened in Miami this offseason, stripping the Dolphins of their best receiver (Jaylen Waddle), most of their other reliable pass catchers and an assortment of defensive contributors. It’s not an ideal time for Malik Willis to embrace his first opportunity as a full-time starting quarterback, but this is the hand new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan was forced to deal him. The pass-catching group lacks a legitimate threat, and while De’Von Achane returns as Miami’s b