Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be taking an in-depth look at the Bengals’ 2026 opponents. The Bengals head to South Beach to take on the Miami Dolphins in Week 5.
2025
The Dolphins finished third in the AFC East with a 7-10 record last season. They began 2025 losing six of their first seven games before winning five of their next six to scratch back within .500 at 6-7, but they lost three of their last four. Miami fired head coach Mike McDaniel at the end of 2025, his fourth season with the club. McDaniel went 35-33 with two playoff appearances during his time with Miami.
The Dolphins ranked 25th in points per game (20.4). QB Tua Tagovailoa started 14 games for Miami in 22025, throwing 20 touchdowns to 15 interceptions. Rookie QB Quinn Ewers started the remaining three games, including in Week 16 against the Bengals.
Miami’s offense was led by RB De’Von Achane. Achane ran for 1,350 yards, finishing fifth in the league in rushing. He also was the team’s second-leading receiver behind WR Jaylen Waddle, adding 488 yards through the air on a team-high 67 catches. Waddle had 910 receiving yards on the year.
Defensively, LB Jordyn Brooks led the NFL with 183 total tackles, but the unit struggled as a whole. Miami allowed 348.8 yards per game, the 11th-most in the NFL, were 24th in points allowed per game with 24.9 and ranked in the middle of the pack with 20 takeaways.
Offseason Changes
The Dolphins underwent wholesale changes this offseason, beginning with the firing of McDaniel and replacing him with former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. They also replaced general manager Chris Grier, who was fired in October, with Jon-Eric Sullivan, the former vice president of player personnel for the Packers.
On the field, Miami decided to move on from Tagovailoa after six seasons. The franchise signed QB Malik Willis to a three-year deal during free agency. Willis was drafted in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans, starting three games over two seasons there before going to the Packers. He started three games for the injured Jordan Love and played in 11 total over the past two seasons in Green Bay, throwing six touchdowns and zero interceptions.
The Dolphins also shipped Waddle off to Denver. Miami received picks in the first, third and fourth rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft in exchange for Waddle and a fourth-round pick. With the extra first, the team moved up a few slots to select San Diego State CB Chris Johnson at No. 27 overall after drafting Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor with the No. 12 overall selection.
Miami also moved on from Tyreek Hill this offseason. A five-time All Pro, including two with the Dolphins, Hill suffered a season-ending injury during the 2025 season.
The Dolphins brought in multiple receivers to fill the voids left by Waddle and Hill, including signing former Ram Tutu Atwell and former Cowboy Jalen Tolbert in free agency and drafting Texas Tech’s Caleb Douglas, Louisville’s Chris Bell and Mizzou’s Kevin Coleman Jr. in the third and fifth rounds of the draft. They also drafted Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez.