{"id":708163,"date":"2026-06-01T16:40:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/708163\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T16:40:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:40:09","slug":"how-miami-dolphins-went-from-flashy-to-no-frills-in-just-three-months-under-jon-eric-sullivan-jeff-hafley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/708163\/","title":{"rendered":"How Miami Dolphins went from flashy to no-frills in just three months under Jon-Eric Sullivan, Jeff Hafley"},"content":{"rendered":"

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — For four years, under then-coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier, the Miami Dolphins<\/a> were a reflection of the city\u2019s reputation — flashy, star-driven, expensive.<\/p>\n

Their players were household names, even their coach wore designer clothes and jewelry.<\/p>\n

There were highs: scoring 70 points against the Broncos in 2023, erasing a three-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Ravens in 2022, making the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in more than 20 years.<\/p>\n

Like the city they represent, the Dolphins teemed with star talent — but with those stars came star-sized egos, which led to accountability issues within the locker room, consecutive losing seasons, and ultimately led to this offseason\u2019s complete teardown.<\/p>\n

Over the past three months, Miami, under new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley, has undergone an extensive identity change. Gone now are nearly all players who defined the previous four seasons of Dolphins football. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa<\/a>, wide receiver Tyreek Hill<\/a> and linebacker Bradley Chubb<\/a> were all released, while safety Minkah Fitzpatrick<\/a> and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle<\/a> were traded. In their place lies an incomplete roster and an unprecedented $179 million of dead salary cap money.<\/p>\n

Outside expectations for the Dolphins in 2026 are low. DraftKings set their win total to 4.5 and Miami is one of five teams that weren\u2019t scheduled a primetime game this season. The Dolphins own the longest playoff win drought in major American professional sports at 26 years. That streak is unlikely to end this season, but that\u2019s not what this offseason is about.<\/p>\n

Right now, this team is a construction zone — one still waiting for its foundation.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou start from ground zero and you\u2019ve got to build things up,\u201d tight end Greg Dulcich<\/a> said, before citing the youth and hunger of the players currently on the roster.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think everyone\u2019s kind of checked their ego at the door … this offseason is a time to grow together and just learn as much as you can and really just kind of be a sponge for football and for technique.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Dolphins added 13 players in April\u2019s draft, the first layer of the new foundation Sullivan referenced. Thanks to a series of one-year agreements in free agency, Miami now employs a plethora of players who Sullivan says have a chip on their shoulders.<\/p>\n

But chips don\u2019t always lead to Super Bowls. Team owner Stephen Ross was patient with his previous front office; a front office source told ESPN that there was interest in the Dolphins\u2019 general manager job in part because of former GM Chris Grier\u2019s 10-year tenure with the team despite never winning a playoff game. But Ross has made it clear his ultimate goal is to bring a championship to a city that hasn\u2019t celebrated one since winning back-to-back titles in 1972 and 1973, and has shown a willingness to make changes if he doesn\u2019t see steps toward that goal.<\/p>\n

Since Ross bought the team in 2008, no head coach has lasted more than four seasons in the role.<\/p>\n

If Miami\u2019s new groundwork doesn\u2019t breed results, players may not want to spend their prime on a team stuck at the bottom. Speaking Wednesday on former Dolphins teammate Terron Armstead<\/a>\u2019s podcast, \u201cThe Set,\u201d running back De\u2019Von Achane said Miami\u2019s goals remain the same as they\u2019ve always been.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody keeps talking about this rebuild year — I ain\u2019t got time for that,\u201d Achane, who signed a four-year, $64 million extension earlier this month, said. \u201cI\u2019m not trying to hear no \u2018we rebuilding for two years,\u2019 I\u2019m not trying to do that.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost definitely I want to win the division, we\u2019ve got to win a playoff game. I\u2019m not saying we\u2019ve got to win a championship but we\u2019re trying to get those things first. We haven\u2019t done either of those things since I\u2019ve been here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rebuilding the Dolphins will be methodical, but Sullivan has stuck to his plan so far, starting with getting the team younger and cheaper before fortifying the physical run game and replenishing its young core.<\/p>\n

All while echoing Achane\u2019s sentiments, fighting the notion that this is a rebuild to begin with.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo understand all the R words — retool, rebuild, refocus — I don\u2019t like that,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cI think that gives the connotation of, \u2018hey, look, we\u2019re mailing it in this year.\u2019 That\u2019s 100% not what\u2019s going on. We\u2019re here to compete and play our ass off and try to win football games as we build this thing out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the culture we want to be. We want people that embrace that underdog mentality.\u201d<\/p>\n

SULLIVAN SAYS HE\u2019S not trying to build \u201cGreen Bay south\u201d in Miami. But after spending 21 years with the Packers, there are some characteristics he\u2019d like to emulate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think in terms of player acquisition principles and philosophy … what [Green Bay has] always done is build through the draft and again, it\u2019s about culture,\u201d he said. \u201c[The Dolphins are] going to build through the draft. We\u2019re going to retain our own players, if at all possible, because of the culture piece of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Dolphins underwent a rapid rebuild when McDaniel arrived in 2022, trading for and extending stars such as Hill, Chubb and Jalen Ramsey<\/a>. They also supplemented their roster in free agency with players such as Armstead, a former Pro Bowl tackle, linebacker Jordyn Brooks<\/a> and center Aaron Brewer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Once the job began, Sullivan started shedding the team\u2019s bigger contracts — starting with Hill, Tagovailoa and Chubb.<\/p>\n

Those moves were expected; trading Waddle was more of a surprise.<\/p>\n

Sullivan said at the NFL league meetings in March that the Denver Broncos<\/a> approached him around the start of the new league year. He said trading Waddle for a first-round pick made sense for the Dolphins\u2019 timeline to compete.<\/p>\n

\u201cWaddle is 27 years old. We\u2019re in an era where the market for receivers is through the roof,\u201d he said in March. \u201cAnd eventually, the chickens are going to come to roost with that. And so when we hit our stride, I\u2019m not sure that all meshed the way that we needed to mesh — we\u2019re in a position with our roster where we need to get younger and cheaper.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miami also started working toward reestablishing the \u201cdraft, develop, re-sign\u201d model Sullivan said he wants to maintain, signing Achane to a lucrative extension. The former third-round pick made his first Pro Bowl in 2025, rushing for a career-high 1,350 yards and eight touchdowns while leading the league in yards per carry (5.7). He also caught 67 passes (sixth among running backs) for 488 yards and four touchdowns. <\/p>\n

Sullivan said in March the team will also attempt to work out extensions with Brewer and Brooks, who both made All-Pro teams last season, and hopes the Achane deal reverberates through the Dolphins\u2019 locker room.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it sends a good message when you have a player who is here on his first contract and has produced and had success, to reward that player with a second contract,\u201d Hafley said. \u201cI know that\u2019s important to [Sullivan] and I.\u201d<\/p>\n

ON MAY 19, shortly after their second OTA practice, the Dolphins\u2019 new starting quarterback squeezed between a crowd of reporters and an ivy-covered fence just outside the team\u2019s practice field.<\/p>\n

As he settled behind a white high-top table that doubled as his lectern for his second news conference since signing a three-year contract in March, Malik Willis<\/a> was asked how spring practice in Miami compared to Green Bay.<\/p>\n

He smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a weather issue, I think it\u2019s a little different,\u201d he said, referencing Miami\u2019s late-spring heat. \u201cI think the football is similar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Entering this offseason, the former Packers quarterback seemed like a potential fit considering the crossover with Sullivan and Hafley, but the Dolphins\u2019 roster was thin. Ideally, Sullivan said he wanted to build the team\u2019s support system first before spending valuable cap space, or a high draft pick, on a quarterback. He also said they wouldn\u2019t be big spenders in free agency this year, mostly because they couldn\u2019t afford to be.<\/p>\n

But Miami was able to trade Fitzpatrick before the start of the league\u2019s legal tampering period, clearing enough space to sign Willis to a back-loaded, three-year, $67.5 million deal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of great reasons to be here,\u201d Willis said. \u201c[Hafley and Sullivan] are the biggest ones, in my opinion, as far as what I see this organization and this team becoming. I can\u2019t see the future, but all I know is they\u2019re going to put in the work each and every day just as well as I will try to do the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever role, whatever leadership, whatever it is, they brought me in as a piece of the puzzle that they want to put here, and I\u2019m grateful and honored to be a part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dolphins staff members, including Sullivan and Hafley, have said the team plans to build around Willis and signed him to a three-year contract for that very reason. The former third-round pick\u2019s numbers popped in limited action with the Packers, completing 78.7% of his passes for 972 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions in 11 games (three starts). He also added 261 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.<\/p>\n

Beyond Willis\u2019 deal, Sullivan stayed true to his word; no other player signed longer than a one-year contract with the Dolphins this offseason.<\/p>\n

Miami\u2019s free agent signees included veteran journeymen and once-starters, like Josh Uche, Jalen Tolbert<\/a> and Jamaree Salyer<\/a>. Hafley admitted that there isn\u2019t a clear veteran leader among every position group; in those situations, he\u2019s looking to his staff and even second-year players like safety Dante Trader Jr.<\/a> to lean into leadership roles.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, he believes the lack of an obvious leader doesn\u2019t mean one doesn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in too many places where a coach comes in and says, \u2018We don\u2019t have any leaders around here,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cI think that\u2019s a bunch of B.S., right? You can develop leaders, you can teach leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hafley said acts of leadership can include hosting teammates for dinner and even pulling them aside privately to offer constructive advice. Whichever leaders emerge will have to help inspire this team to play greater than the sum of their parts; there are no All-Pros saving the day on either side of the ball.<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean there won\u2019t be, eventually.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally, it\u2019s about what people in the building think,\u201d defensive line coach Austin Clark said. \u201cAnd I think ultimately as a coach, you got to develop guys and that\u2019s what I\u2019m trying to do and I know that\u2019s what Jeff [Hafley] wants to do. We need to develop these players we have and I think ultimately that one day they\u2019ll turn into those guys that somebody deems stars.\u201d<\/p>\n

IN HIS INTRODUCTORY news conference, Sullivan said the Dolphins plan to draft, develop and re-sign their homegrown talent; the first step in doing so came in April\u2019s NFL draft.<\/p>\n

The morning of Sullivan\u2019s first draft as the Miami Dolphins<\/a>\u2019 general manager was serene; he didn\u2019t expect that.<\/p>\n

He made his way to the Dolphins\u2019 facility well ahead of the 8 p.m. start time, met with team staff and found time for a workout — which he said helped clear his head.<\/p>\n

Then, he said, there was an \u201ceerie calm\u201d in the facility, which is a far cry from how he felt the week before the draft.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be perfectly honest with you, the last two nights in a row, I\u2019ve woken up in the middle of the night, literally with my hand [raised], like dreaming that I\u2019m taking a tag off the board,\u201d Sullivan said before the draft. \u201cI\u2019m not even trying to be corny, like that happened. And then you lay there for like an hour and a half, it\u2019s three o\u2019clock in the morning and I\u2019m just laying there thinking about, \u2018What if this pops up? I\u2019m going to do this,\u2019 so yeah, I\u2019m excited. I\u2019m fired up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got 11 picks, seven in the top 100. If we do our job right, and we will, it\u2019s an awesome opportunity to lay the foundation for what we\u2019re building.\u201d<\/p>\n

The serenity ended once the first round began, and Sullivan made multiple splashes.<\/p>\n

Dallas and Miami agreed to swap first-round picks in exchange for Dallas\u2019 two fifth-round picks. The Cowboys selected Ohio State safety Caleb Downs<\/a>, while the Dolphins took the player they\u2019d been targeting all along, Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Miami traded up again at the end of the first round, moving up three spots to take San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson<\/a>. In all, the Dolphins finished the weekend having made 13 picks, several of whom will challenge for early playing time — like linebackers Jacob Rodriguez<\/a> and Kyle Louis<\/a>, tight end Will Kacmarek<\/a> and wide receivers Caleb Douglas<\/a> and Chris Bell<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sullivan called Rodriguez a \u201cgreen dot guy,\u201d saying the second-round pick will call the Dolphins\u2019 defense on the field in time. He also had high praise for Kacmarek, the blocking tight end from Ohio State who Sullivan believes is already among the league\u2019s best at what he does.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s an unsung hero. You know, he\u2019s a grimy, dirty, bite your face off type of dude,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s going to be a difference-maker for us in the run game, which allows your offense to do so many different things … I think he\u2019s elite as a blocker. When you watch the league and see tight ends block, I think this guy, Day 1, is on the upper echelon of that and will only get better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sullivan said the theme among the players they targeted was \u201cgood football players who can do different things,\u201d but there was another commonality among Miami\u2019s 13 draft picks — physicality.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Physicality is] always a priority,\u201d Hafley said. \u201cI think we\u2019ve talked about from the jump just what we\u2019re trying to build here — the culture, the competition — and then on top of that, the play style … I can tell you from the moment that we started working together back in Green Bay, [Sullivan] says that word or that phrase quite a bit, and the players adhere to it. Play style, physicality is a big part of what we\u2019re trying to accomplish and build here.\u201d<\/p>\n

ESPN senior NFL analyst Mel Kiper Jr. gave the Dolphins a \u2018B\u2019 grade for their draft haul, noting that \u201ca lot of these players are going to see the field in 2026, whether they\u2019re ready or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miami has struggled to develop and retain its homegrown players over the past 10 years; since 2016, it has extended 11 of its 55 eligible drafted players — although linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel<\/a> and running back Myles Gaskin<\/a> signed one-year deals and Gaskin was released five months after signing.<\/p>\n

Their moves led to consecutive playoff appearances but came at the cost of draft picks. Miami drafted eight total players in 2022 and 2023; two of whom remain on its roster. For context, the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks<\/a>\u2019 roster last season featured 33 homegrown players, including 15 from the 2022 and 2023 draft classes.<\/p>\n

The Dolphins hope this class not only contributes on the field this season, but also helps replenish their homegrown core.<\/p>\n

BRINGING THE PLAN together on the field will be Hafley, whose lone head coaching job prior to Miami was a four-year stint at Boston College. There, he compiled a 22-26 record with a win over SMU in his lone bowl appearance in 2023. But he surprised people outside the program when he voluntarily left Boston College to take the Packers\u2019 defensive coordinator job in 2024.<\/p>\n

The basis of his decision was a desire to get back to just coaching football.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople questioned it, but to be very truthful, I loved my time there,\u201d he told Rich Eisen in February. \u201cThe first two years, without the portal, without NIL — it was so pure … When the portal hit and NIL hit, it turned into a different job.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to get into it to coach football, to help change people\u2019s lives and I just love the pure game of college football. All of a sudden, I wasn\u2019t coaching football anymore … I didn\u2019t like the person I was becoming and I wasn\u2019t doing the job that I dreamed of.\u201d<\/p>\n

In essence, the Dolphins\u2019 offseason mirrors that; it\u2019s a return to basics, to just football.<\/p>\n

Defensive tackle Zach Sieler<\/a> said when a team undergoes the level of change the Dolphins have over the past few months — 20 new coaches and more than 30 new players — you have no choice but to check your ego, like Dulcich suggested.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s really cool he said that,\u201d offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said of Dulcich. \u201cI think any time you want to get better … the only way you can do that is you\u2019ve got to be able to tell the truth. We got to be able to tell the truth to the players. They got to be able to tell the truth to us. It\u2019s a two-way street. We got to have real conversations. They\u2019ve got to have real conversations with each other, and so far early on, I think that\u2019s been evident with this whole group.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll anybody here cares about is growing themselves as much as they can, getting as good as they can as an individual. They don\u2019t care if it\u2019s positivity, they don\u2019t care if it\u2019s criticism; they want to use it to become better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sieler, who is entering his eighth season with the Dolphins, said that \u201ccandid truth\u201d feels different this offseason compared to years past.<\/p>\n

Eight months from now, we\u2019ll know whether that candid truth will help Miami outpace the preseason expectations sportsbooks have bestowed upon it. Since 2022, six teams paired a first-time general manager with a first-time head coach. The New York Jets<\/a> (4-13), Carolina Panthers<\/a> (5-12) and Arizona Cardinals<\/a> (4-13) all finished well below .500, but the New York Giants<\/a> (9-7-1), Minnesota Vikings<\/a> (13-4) and Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a> (13-4) all made the playoffs.<\/p>\n

But with three months remaining until their season opener, the Dolphins care more about their Week 1 road game against the Las Vegas Raiders<\/a> than what the casinos down the street from Allegiant Stadium think of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t mean anything. I mean, that\u2019s just shooting a number out there. I mean, sure, you could say, \u2018Hey, they got this guy, they got this today, they lost this guy, their salary cap.\u2019 It doesn\u2019t matter. You go out there and play ball, you can win with anybody.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to win — we want to win now,\u201d Sieler said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to say, \u2018Oh, hey, Vegas says this.\u2019 We don\u2019t care about that. Let\u2019s go out there and play our game.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — For four years, under then-coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier, the Miami…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":708164,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[436],"tags":[49,48,75201,514,82],"class_list":["post-708163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-miami-dolphins-sports-football-team-team-statscom-345","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=708163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/708164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=708163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=708163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=708163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}