The Miami Dolphins are expected to be near the bottom of the league in 2026, after moving on from Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Bradley Chubb, Minkah Fitzpatrick and other talented veterans this offseason.
While they’ll likely struggle during the first year of this rebuild under new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley, there are still some areas where the Dolphins should find success.
In fact, ESPN’s Mike Clay identified the running back room as Miami’s biggest strength heading into the 2026 campaign.
“The recently extended De’Von Achane is the star of Miami’s offense, and it’s not close,” Clay wrote. “The 2023 third-rounder has scored either 11 or 12 touchdowns in each of his three NFL seasons and gained a career-high 1,838 scrimmage yards in 2025. Achane’s elite receiving production is nothing new (he has finished in the top five among backs in targets and receiving yards in each of the past two seasons), but he made another leap forward as a rusher in 2025, finishing fifth in rushing yards. His 5.62 yards per carry is best among qualified backs since he entered the league. Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon II add depth.”
Still, Miami will likely secure a top pick in the 2027 NFL draft, at least partially because of their biggest weakness, which Clay identified as their secondary.
“The Dolphins are in full rebuild mode and have several units that rank among the league’s worst,” Clay wrote. “That makes it hard to pick for this exercise, but we’ll go secondary. On paper, this is a worse group than the one that allowed a 58.3 QBR last season (fifth worst). First-round rookie Chris Johnson figures to immediately become an every-down starter, with Storm Duck, slot Jason Marshall Jr., Darrell Baker Jr., JuJu Brents and Alex Austin battling for substantial roles. With Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ashtyn Davis gone, 2025 fifth-rounder Dante Trader Jr. and journeyman Lonnie Johnson Jr. are strong candidates to start.”
2026 could be a long year for the Dolphins and their fan base, but they could be rewarded with a franchise quarterback or a cornerstone building block next year for their suffering.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: NFL analyst reveals Dolphins biggest strength, weakness for 2026
