The Phinsider
The Miami Dolphins are 6-9 on the season, with nothing to play for but pride and preparation for the 2026 season. The season has been a rough one for Miami in every aspect, from coaching, personnel decisions, on-field execution, injuries, and leadership. The Dolphins have already moved on from general manager Chris Grier, they have benched starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and the flames underneath head coach Mike McDaniel’s chair continue to grow.
The offseason will be one of change for Miami, with new executives, potentially new coaches, and likely widespread player decisions to be made. The Dolphins will also have to reset their salary cap, where they are currently projected to be $11.5 million over the cap – and that is before any decision on the future of Tagovailoa, who could cost the team millions in dead money if they make an attempt to move on from their 2020 fifth-overall pick.
The Dolphins fell out of playoff contention in Week 15 when they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. In Week 16, they were once again handed a demoralizing defeat from an AFC North team, this time the Cincinnati Bengals. The loss completed a Dolphins sweep by all four teams from the AFC North, and all by double digits. Miami lost 31-6 to the Cleveland Browns in Week 7, 28-6 to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9, 28-25 to the Steelers last week, and 45-21 to the Bengals yesterday.
While the AFC North dismantling of the Dolphins is egregious, the entire year has been one of disappointment and embarrassment for a team that should have been in contention for a position in the AFC playoff picture. Miami led the league in points scored in 2023. Two seasons later, they are 22nd, having scored just 317 points. They are -52 in point differential, and they cannot get out of their own way.
The Dolphins’ latest loss dropped their season record to 6-9 and moved them into a top-ten draft position for 2026. With two games remaining, a home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday and a road game just after the new year against the New England Patriots, there will still be plenty of movement in the draft order, both for Miami and for everyone around them, but as of Week 16, the Dolphins are looking like they will be picking fairly early in April’s college prospect selection process.
1 – New York Giants (2-13, .530 strength of schedule)
2 – Las Vegas Raiders (2-13, .545)
3 – Cleveland Browns (3-12, .490)
4 – New York Jets (3-12, .539)
5 – Arizona Cardinals (3-12, .575)
6 – Tennessee Titans (3-12, .575)
7 – Washington Commanders (4-11)
8 – New Orleans Saints (5-10, .496)
9 – Cincinnati Bengals (5-10, .516)
10 – Miami Dolphins (6-9, .492)
11 – Los Angeles Rams (via Atlanta Falcons (6-9,...
