The Miami Dolphins addressed plenty of roster weaknesses in the 2026 NFL Draft, whether that was the offensive line, the pass-catching room, or the defense. It is still early in the offseason, but I thought it’d be fun to predict the Miami Dolphins’ starters and rotation for next season. Let’s start with the projected Miami Dolphins offense.
Quarterback: Malik Willis
While last year’s 7th-round pick Quinn Ewers showed flashes last season after starting in place of the inconsistent Tua Tagovailoa, the Miami Dolphins signed Malik Willis to be the starting quarterback for this team, and I expect him to win the starting job early in the offseason. That said, Willis is still unproven as a starter, with only 6 starts under his belt, and the first 3 as a Tennessee Titan were nothing to write home about. Still, he did a solid job as a spot starter for the Green Bay Packers whenever Jordan Love went down with injuries, showing significant improvement compared to his days as a Titan. The rushing and scrambling ability is unquestionable. It will be interesting to see whether the Dolphins take advantage of option plays with Willis and fellow backfield member De’Von Achane.
Running Back: De’Von Achane
While he is still in the midst of a contract negotiation with the Dolphins, De’Von Achane will be the focal point of this offense. Coming off a 2025 campaign with 1838 scrimmage yards and 12 total touchdowns, the now 1-time Pro Bowler will be asked to shoulder even more of an offensive burden as the team shifted around him. He cemented himself last season as a top 10 running back in the NFL, and his contract extension should be a top priority for the Fins. Fortunately, general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan has shot down any potential trade talks for Achane, so hopefully the extension will happen before the 2026 season begins.
Running Back Platoon: Ollie Gordon and Jaylen Wright
Achane doesn’t have to carry the rushing game alone, as 2025 6th round pick Ollie Gordon and 2024 4th round pick Jaylen Wright both contributed last season as solid rotational running backs. Last season, the two had 70 rush attempts apiece and rushed for a combined 487 rushing yards. The Dolphins utilized Gordon mainly as a power back and Wright as the Achane replacement whenever he went down with injury or needed a breather, so both of them should still find carries for the Dolphins. Wright was at the center of a couple of trade rumors going into the NFL Draft, but those never came to pass. So for now, expect business as usual for the running back room.
Wide Receiver 1: Jalen Tolbert/Chris Bell*
Ordinarily, I simply would have put Chris Bell as a starting outside receiver, but I decided to add an asterisk due to his ACL rehab. The standard time table for recovery projects him as fully ready to go in October at the earliest. While he could contribute in the latter half of the season, he would have limited opportunities during the preseason to acclimate to the NFL level. Stranger things have happened, and Bell’s recovery is ahead of schedule so far, so the Dolphins could potentially see him contribute earlier than expected, though I wouldn’t be surprised if he is shelved for most, if not all, of the 2026 season.
Outside of Bell, the two main receivers expected to contribute on the boundary are fellow third-round rookie Caleb Douglas and free agent signing Jalen Tolbert. Tolbert has experience as a trusted receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, but only at best as a wide receiver 2 behind the fantastic CeeDee Lamb. Tolbert put up 610 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns in 2024, but his production took a back seat last season when the Cowboys traded for George Pickens. The Dolphins desperately need receivers to step up, and with Tolbert’s size lending him to the outside, he should be an initial outside receiver for Miami.
Wide Receiver 2: Caleb Douglas
3rd round pick Caleb Douglas is harder to pinpoint. Douglas was a top 75 pick in the draft, but wasn’t projected by many analysts to go that high due to him not really playing like the “X” receiver his size and speed would suggest. His main trouble lies in consistency, as he struggled with 6 drops last season and with contested catch situations, which will certainly need to be fixed for him to see consistent time as an X. Still, you can’t teach size or speed, and Douglas has both in spades when the rest of the Dolphins receiver room lacks typical boundary receiver size. 2025 undrafted receiver Theo Wease Jr. came on late last year as a steady hand for Quinn Ewers, and with how barren the wide receiver cupboard is, he should get a bump in snaps as well, potentially being the day 1 starter as Douglas develops.
The Miami Dolphins are also one of the top NFL teams that have been linked to free agent wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who would provide some much-needed size for the Dolphins and could slot in as the X or Z receiver for the team if he does happen to get signed by Miami.
Slot Receiver: Malik Washington
Of all the receiver positions, slot is the most contested. I gave the nod to Malik Washington since he played in this position last year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if 5th-round rookie Kevin Coleman Jr. wins the starting spot early in the season. Washington saw a lot of schemed up touches down the stretch on gadget motions and other quick passes, so with him being technically the longest tenured Dolphin receiver on the roster, we’ll see if he’s able to evolve past simply playing in a gadget role. Free agent acquisition Tutu Atwell isn’t a traditional slot, but he should find himself in an undersized deep threat role like the one he had for the Los Angeles Rams.
However, Missouri rookie Kevin Coleman Jr. should be able to contribute within the slot in a big way. He fell a bit based on his size profile and a lack of elite speed, but he was productive as a Tiger and showed good route running and a surprisingly good contested catch ability for a player listed at 5’10” and 179 lbs. He also had only 2 drops last season and zero career fumbles. Coleman Jr. should slot in somewhere, whether that is the slot receiver of the future or as an undersized WR2.
Receiving Tight End: Greg Dulcich
Dulcich returned to the Dolphins this season after his second-most productive season as a pass catcher. The new Dolphins staff has sung the praises of the tight end, so it sounds like Miami will start Dulcich as their primary tight end for the 2026 season, which is a position Dulcich hasn’t actually been in. Dulcich’s 355 receiving yards last season came in more of a rotational role, as he played in 10 games and only started 3 of them, so it’ll be interesting to see how he does in a more full-time role. The Dolphins did notably draft international pathways tight end Seydou Traore in the 5th round, who also projects to be in the mold of a receiving-first tight end, but while the measurables for Traore are great, he still needs time to truly develop as a tight end before meaningfully contributing in that role.
Blocking Tight End/H-Back: Will Kacmarak
While new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik isn’t expected to run the same offense as former head coach Mike McDaniel, the Shanahan offensive scheme blueprint does appreciate a second, more blocking-oriented tight end. As one of the Dolphins’ three third-round picks, Ohio State’s Will Kacmarak fits the mold of a great blocking tight end that functions almost like a 6th offensive lineman. The Dolphins lost their designated blocking tight end, Julian Hill, in free agency to the New England Patriots, so Kacmarak could find himself with early playing time in this role. The Dolphins also signed Ben Sims to potentially fill this role, but with the Dolphins being in full rebuild mode, I expect them to try to give the younger Kacmarak more playing time. Still, a rotation between these two, or even two tight end packages with both of them on the field, is fairly likely.
Left Tackle: Patrick Paul
While the offensive line is a concern for the Miami Dolphins’ offense, they at the very least have two players penciled in as immovable starters for next season. 3rd year left tackle Patrick Paul is one of them. The 2024 second-round selection showed great promise in his second year as the starting left tackle of the future for Miami, and he should remain entrenched in that spot heading into the 2026 season. That said, with new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik most likely bringing in a slightly different offense that will require more time to throw, Paul’s development as a pass blocker will be under more of a microscope than it was under Mike McDaniel’s quick passing scheme.
Left Guard: Kadyn Proctor
What to do with Kadyn Proctor? The 2026 first-round pick will most likely start somewhere, and with the two tackle spots taken up by more established starters, he’ll most likely end up playing at guard. Him playing guard first will help him adjust to faster NFL rushers and could soften the blow as he develops better foot speed, which is the biggest issue in his game right now. Since he played left tackle at Alabama, I figured keeping him on the left side would help him transition better to the NFL. Plus, I really like the idea of Proctor playing in between Patrick Paul, another mountain of a man, and second-team All-Pro Aaron Brewer. Still, he could potentially play on the right side instead, since the long-term plan for him seems to be for him to replace Austin Jackson after his contract expires at the end of this season.
Center: Aaron Brewer
Along with Paul, Aaron Brewer is an immovable starter on this offensive line, with Brewer being even more unquestionable than Paul. Last season saw Aaron Brewer take his game to new heights in South Beach, becoming at the very least a top 5 center in the NFL. He graded out as the 2nd-best center per PFF, earning himself a second-team All-Pro selection and being named a finalist for the new Protector of the Year award. Even with the new regime change, Brewer should remain an offensive cornerstone in the middle of the offensive line. The only question regarding Brewer is whether he will remain a Dolphin after this season, and fortunately, it sounds like all parties involved want that to be the case.
Right Guard: Jonah Savaiinaea
This is probably the biggest positional battle to watch for over the preseason. Last year, Jonah Savaiinaea, put simply, could not hack it at left guard. It was trial by fire for the first-year, second-round pick, as he started every game for the Dolphins last year at left guard, leading the offense with 983 snaps. By PFF score, Jonah graded out as the worst among the 81 qualified guards in the NFL last season. Perhaps a move back to the right side that he played at Arizona could help him out a little. Hopefully, with a year of development under his belt, Savaiinaea figures it out at the NFL level. It will be interesting to see if the Dolphins opt to move him back here to right guard or keep him at left, but either way, Savaiinaea has to show development in order to keep his starting spot.
Right Tackle: Austin Jackson
The final starter of the Dolphins’ offensive line is the most tenured, but also one of the bigger questions on this team. When he’s on the field, Austin Jackson is a steady enough presence as a serviceable right tackle. He won’t blow anyone away, but he has also been a steady hand since obtaining the starting spot. The problem is his availability and his contract situation. Jackson has missed time due to injuries in 4 of his 6 professional seasons, including 20 total games missed over the past two seasons. He is also on an expiring contract, and it is clear with the Kadyn Proctor selection that the Dolphins don’t expect to resign him after this season. Don’t be surprised if Kadyn Proctor gets reps at right tackle this season.
Rotational Linemen: Jamaree Salyer, D.J. Campbell, Charlie Heck, Andrew Meyer
Rotational offensive linemen are unsung heroes on a roster: they are often asked to plug up offensive line holes due to injury or simply as a rotation to avoid stamina issues in games. Under former GM Chris Grier, the Dolphins struggled mightily in this facet, and Jon-Eric Sullivan had his work cut out for him in rebuilding this unit. He was able to bring in some solid offensive line depth, as 3 of the 4 players I expect to contribute in the rotation are new acquisitions. The lone returner, Andrew Meyer, will act as Aaron Brewer’s backup at the center position.
You can really make a case that the first two players, former Los Angeles Charger Jamaree Salyer and 6th round pick D.J. Campbell, can start week 1 at right guard instead of Savaiinaea. However, I think moving Savaiinaea back to his natural right side will help with the struggles he faced last year at guard. He also has another year under his belt. Still, the rookie Campbell can slot in as the left or right guard if injuries occur. Charlie Heck functions in a similar role as a swing tackle with some more veteran experience. Jamaree Salyer, however, should be the MVP of this rotational unit. In his four years in Los Angeles, Salyer played all around the line, with 21 games at left tackle, 28 at right guard, and 3 at right tackle.
General Outlook
Overall, the Miami Dolphins’ offense certainly looks to be one in transition. There are still question marks regarding who plays where and the overall durability of some players, so the offense isn’t expected to light the world on fire. However, some players should be cornerstones of the offense for the foreseeable future, and others could reach that level down the line. It’s more a matter of savvy development and maybe just a bit of luck. Still, while Miami is rebuilding, the new staff seems to be on the right track towards building a solid offensive unit.
