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The Miami Dolphins are a testament to how quickly the winds of change can blow in the NFL. Three years ago, the Dolphins were riding high. They finished with an 11-6 record, their most wins in a league season since 2008, and had one of the best offenses in the NFL with Tua Tagovailoa at the helm and Mike McDaniel calling the plays. The ceiling felt exceedingly high for the Dolphins, even after a heavy loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs.
However, back-to-back seasons in 2024 and 2025 have rendered the Dolphins without hope. The team moved on from Tagovailoa two years into his four-year, $212.4 million contract this offseason and fired head coach Mike McDaniel. With one of the worst rosters in the NFL, the Dolphins are building from the ground up with the hopes of revitalising a team that’s struggled to make a real impact in the postseason, and in the NFL as a whole, in the past 20 years.
First on the docket for the Dolphins was hiring a general manager and head coach, and the Dolphins dipped into the Green Bay Packers well both times, hiring Jon-Eric Sullivan to replace former general manager Chris Grier before hiring Packers’ defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to be the team’s next head coach. The goal for the Dolphins was to be something they’ve failed to be in recent seasons: tough.
McDaniel’s offenses were some of the best in the NFL in his four seasons in charge, but they could never be accused of being able to put their hands in the dirt and take the game by the scruff of the neck. Finesse and speed were the modus operandi, not grit and toughness. And that cost the Dolphins at times, especially in the postseason. Now, with Hafley leading the charge and Sullivan building the team, there’s a clear indication that the Dolphins want to be a team that other teams won’t enjoy playing.
The team brought in former Packers’ quarterback Malik Willis to replace Tagovailoa on a three-year contract with an eye on the vaunted 2027 NFL Draft class, which features some top college quarterbacks. Regarding his long-term viability under center, Willis’ leash will likely be short, but he’s a tantalising player in his own right, just with a limited sample of work to prove it. There’s every chance that Willis does enough under center to earn another crack at the job in 2027, but he’ll need a hand from one of the worst supporting casts in the league.
The Dolphins lack real talent at the pass-catching positions, but could be a team that pounds the rock. The offensive line has the bodies to be an imposing unit, and De’Von Achane is top running back in the league. That edge will exist on the defensive side of the ball, too. Hafley and Sullivan have built a unit, on paper, that has some exciting talent, including with 2026 NFL Draft picks Chris Johnson Jr., Jacob Rodriguez, and Kyle Louis—as well as former All-Pro linebacker Jordyn Brooks. The reality, though, despite some intriguing names, is that the 2026 NFL season is going to be a slog for the Dolphins. They’re on the ground floor of a rebuild.
Miami Dolphins Super Bowl Odds
The Miami Dolphins aren’t going to win a Super Bowl in 2026. That comes as no surprise to anyone inside or outside the organization, and winning a Super Bowl in 2026 shouldn’t be close to the Dolphins’ goal. Right now, the aim for the Dolphins is to lay the foundation. There’s not a lot of known young crucial talent on the roster right now, but the Dolphins invested heavily into the 2026 NFL Draft. Identifying the talent from this class that they believe can make an impact on this team for the next four years and into their second contracts is key. First-round picks Kaydn Proctor and Chris Johnson will need to show some promise in year one, as well as Rodriguez, who is set to be one of the leaders of the defense in 2026 and beyond. Will that translate into Super Bowl success in 2026? No, nor should it. The Dolphins currently have the second-lowest odds—ahead of only the Arizona Cardinals—to win a ring this season.
Bet: No
2026 Miami Dolphins AFC Championship Odds
It’s been a long time since the Dolphins were in the AFC Championship, let alone winning it. The last time the Dolphins were within touching distance of a Super Bowl was in 1992 with legendary coach and quarterback duo Don Shula and Dan Marino. Since then, the Dolphins have reached the Divisional Round of the playoffs four times. The Dolphins, naturally, have the longest odds of winning the AFC Championship in 2026 at +15000. It’s a bet the dreamers and most die-hard Dolphins’ fans would make, but there’s little rationale involved. The Dolphins could be a fun and exciting team that is hard to play against, but the chances of them besting the AFC powerhouses in 2026 are slim to none.
Bet: No
2026 Miami Dolphins AFC East Odds
The Dolphins have had to sit idly by for the last 18 years and watch the New England Patriots, and then the Buffalo Bills, run the AFC East. The Dolphins have rarely been the worst team in the division, finishing last in the AFC East just twice since 2008—the last time they won the division—and have finished second seven times, but they just haven’t been able to usurp the stranglehold of the Patriots and Bills. That likely won’t change in 2026. The Dolphins have +4000 odds to win the AFC East and to stand any chance of seeing success, they’ll have to beat both the Patriots and Bills. A tall, tall task for a young team looking to find its feet. Stranger things have happened, but there’s too much talent around the division to bank on it.
Bet: No
Miami Dolphins Win Total Odds
The odds are that the Dolphins will be one of the worst teams in the NFL in 2026. A young team without a lot of star talent, the Dolphins are going to rely on a potentially strong running game and hope that Willis can turn his small sample size of excellent play into something long-term and tangible. It can happen. Willis led the league in EPA per play (min. 50 plays) in 2025 per Sumer Sports, while completing 30-of-35 pass attempts for 422 yards and three touchdowns, adding two more on the ground. Willis and the offense will be a driving force of the team if they can find their groove, while the defense will be a tough-tackling unit. The Dolphins’ current win total is set at 4.5 wins, and there’s a chance this team could eclipse that total. However, they face the second-hardest schedule in the NFL, and though they could earn the benefit of the doubt as the season goes on, there remain too many question marks for this young team. It could be tight, though.
Bet: Under 3.5 (+120)
2026 Miami Dolphins To Make The Playoffs Odds
Dolphins fans will be sick of reading it, but the 2026 season isn’t going to be one full of success. At least not conventionally. There’ll likely be plenty of positive takeaways from the season, but it won’t look like a team winning 10 games, making the postseason, and challenging for the Super Bowl. It’ll be small moral wins, the ascension of young players, and silver linings throughout the hardship. It could still be a fun season for the Dolphins. There are a lot of players worth paying attention to, but don’t expect this team to be challenging for the postseason. The AFC is stacked full of teams capable of winning 10 games or more, but the Dolphins aren’t one of them. The playoffs won’t beckon in 2026.
Bet: No
2026 Miami Dolphins MVP Award Odds & Contenders
- De’Von Achane
- Malik Willis
The Dolphins’ top two MVP candidates in 2026 are their two most exciting offensive players. Willis comes to the team looking for a chance to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. There’s no doubt about his talent. Willis is an elite athlete, has an excellent arm, and has proven—albeit in small sample sizes—that he can lead an offense to success. What will be the real test is how he performs outside of Matt LaFleur’s offensive system.
If Willis can continue to show the NFL how good of a quarterback he can be, and somehow lead the Dolphins to a winning season, he could firmly be a fringe MVP candidate. If not Willis, then it could be Achane. A running back hasn’t won the MVP award since Adrian Peterson in 2012—the last non-quarterback to win the award. Achane could see the largest workload of his career in 2026, and he’s already proven to be one of the most explosive running backs in the NFL and incredibly efficient. Could a magical season from him put him in position to steal the award?
Bet: No
2026 Miami Dolphins Schedule
- Week 1 – at Las Vegas, 4:25 p.m. – FOX
- Week 2 – at San Francisco, 4:25 p.m. – FOX
- Week 3 – vs. Kansas City, 1:00 p.m. – CBS
- Week 4 – at Minnesota, 4:05 p.m. – FOX
- Week 5 – vs. Cincinnati, 1:00 p.m. – FOX
- Week 6 – BYE
- Week 7 – at NY Jets, 1:00 p.m. – CBS
- Week 8 – vs. New England, 4:25 p.m. – CBS
- Week 9 – vs. Detroit, 1:00 p.m. – CBS
- Week 10 – at Indianapolis, 1:00 p.m. – CBS
- Week 11 – at Buffalo, 1:00 p.m. – FOX
- Week 12 – vs. NY Jets, 1:00 p.m. – CBS
- Week 13 – at Denver, 4:05 p.m. – FOX
- Week 14 – vs. Chicago, 1:00 p.m. – CBS
- Week 15 – at Green Bay, 1:00 p.m. – FOX
- Week 16 – vs. LA Chargers, 1:00 p.m. – FOX
- Week 17 – vs. Buffalo, 1:00 p.m. – CBS
- Week 18 – at New England, TBD
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Photo Credit: REUTERS
