The Miami Dolphins’ roster for their first season under new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan will begin to take shape in earnest this week.
Free agent negotiations across the NFL start at noon Monday before those players can officially sign with new teams at the start of the new league year, at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
As Sullivan inherits a dire cap situation, while still needing to find a resolution with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and his guaranteed $54 million for 2026, the Dolphins aren’t expected to make many big splashy moves, like in recent years as former GM Chris Grier was trying to hold on to Miami’s win-now window that came and went.
Sullivan has said, since his introductory news conference in January, the Dolphins will build through the draft and become more aggressive in free agency once in a healthy cap situation.
So, what does that mean for the free agency approach for him as the first wave opens up?
He will still likely need to find veterans at several positions of need to fill out the roster. Many may just be stopgaps to bridge the Dolphins through what could be lean years before they’re ready to compete again once Sullivan has multiple draft classes to develop a core.
The biggest question comes at quarterback. Miami is likely bound to part ways with Tagovailoa. Sullivan, after saying “everything’s on the table” at the NFL scouting combine, is still trying to find a trade partner first before possibly releasing him with a post-June 1 designation to spread the dead cap hit over two seasons. A resolution would preferably be found by Friday, when an additional $3 million of his 2027 salary becomes fully guaranteed on the third day of the league year.
Tagovailoa was benched for the final three games last season to open the door for rookie Quinn Ewers to see playing time. Ewers figures to be in a quarterback competition with a passer to be named later, which could come in free agency.
The most coveted free agent quarterback this cycle is Malik Willis, previously the backup for the Green Bay Packers, where Sullivan and new coach Jeff Hafley hail from.
The question on Willis is how much he ends up going for and how much the Dolphins will be willing to spend. If Miami’s new brass can land him for a bargain — let’s say, less than or around $20 million — he may very well be the next starting quarterback in South Florida. But if the asking price gets closer to $30 million or more, it’s difficult to visualize the Dolphins getting into a bidding war.
So does it then become Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo or someone else as a veteran quarterback signing? Or just wait for a quarterback draft pick come late April?
Elsewhere, the Dolphins really need edge defenders.
They have Chop Robinson going into his third season, and he may be transitioning to putting his hand in the ground more often if Miami goes to more four-man defensive lines. The Dolphins, as Bradley Chubb has been informed he’ll be released, also re-signed outside linebacker Cameron Goode, a key special teams contributor.
They’ll probably eye a veteran available on an economical contract. Sullivan, Hafley and new defensive coordinator Sean Duggan had Kingsley Enagbare in Green Bay. Could it be former Miami Hurricane Al-Quadin Muhammad, coming off a strong year in Detroit? Maybe A.J. Epenesa from Buffalo? Or Haason Reddick, now a couple of years removed from his last double-digit sack season? Yetur Gross-Matos off injury with San Francisco? A reunion with Emmanuel Ogbah?
The Dolphins could be in line to revamp their secondary. All starters from last season at cornerback and safety could be gone, while they can develop rising second-year defensive backs in cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. and safety Dante Trader.
They should get opportunities to compete for starting jobs. Sullivan and new cornerbacks coach Jahmile Addae have previously worked with veteran Rasul Douglas, who was a standout for the team on his one-year deal last season. A return of Douglas and his work ethic would help establish the right culture in the building, while his coverage on the back end assists the pass rush.
The Dolphins also have to decide what to do with fellow veteran Jack Jones, nickel Kader Kohou, coming off a torn ACL and safeties Ifeatu Melifonwu and Ashtyn Davis, while possibly seeking a trade partner for Minkah Fitzpatrick.
As the Seattle Seahawks have two starting cornerbacks as free agents, could the Miami native Josh Jobe intrigue the Dolphins? Trevon Diggs is an option who was with the Packers last season. Would former Bills nickel Taron Johnson pique the interest of Miami’s new regime, as he has worked with Addae?
That only scratches the surface of Dolphins possibilities in free agency. They’ll need pass-catchers at wide receiver after cutting Tyreek Hill and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, as well as tight end. There’s bound to be an offensive lineman or two meant to provide depth or to infuse competition for starting guard spots.
As Sullivan has made his calls on many of the expected offseason moves and smaller signings early in his tenure, he will truly begin putting his fingerprints on the Dolphins’ roster this week.