MIAMI GARDENS — There will be a lot of firsts when the Miami Dolphins kick off the 2026 season against the Las Vegas Raiders.

It’s new coach Jeff Hafley’s first game as an NFL head coach.

It’s the debut of new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan’s first roster — or at least the one he could put together amid nearly $182 million in dead cap undoing the errors of previous GM Chris Grier.

It’s the first start for quarterback Malik Willis as “the guy” for a franchise.

For up to 12 rookies on the active roster, it’s their professional regular-season debuts.

A completely new era of Dolphins football begins in earnest in a 4:25 p.m. kickoff at Allegiant Stadium.

For Hafley, who has experience as the head man of a college program, Boston College, he said he anticipates there will be an emotional moment where he’ll reflect on his journey before his NFL head coaching debut.

“My guess is it will probably happen during the national anthem, when I finally can take a deep breath,” Hafley said, “because leading up to the game will be about the team. …. Probably during the national anthem is usually when I can finally take a deep breath for a few seconds and just reflect on important people that have helped me throughout my life and, usually in that time, I’ll think about them.”

Willis has six starts across four seasons as a backup with the Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers, but all of those were spot starts as a reserve. Sullivan and Hafley, who were with him in Green Bay the past two seasons, entrusted him with a three-year contract this offseason.

Willis gets his first true opportunity as a team’s starting quarterback, in a season that will go a long way in determining his future.

“Just go out there and have as much fun as possible,” a calm and cool Willis said before his big day. “I mean, this is an opportunity of a lifetime, bro. Not many people get to play and start football games in the National Football League. I just want to go in there and have some fun and obviously do what I can to make sure that our team is successful and we go out there and execute.”

The roster is the youngest in the NFL, with an average age of 25 years, 166 days, according to CBS, which also counted just 608 combined starts on the roster, the fewest for a team on the opening week since at least 2000.

The rookie class is loaded with players expected to make major contributions right away, with several starting.

Those rookies, led by top pick Kadyn Proctor, who is set to start his NFL career at left guard after playing left tackle in college at Alabama, will try to keep their emotions in check.

“I feel like they’ll be high,” Proctor said. “First NFL game, I know it. But just being where my feet are and, once we get there, we’ll see how it goes. I’ll probably cry a little bit. We’ll see.”

Dolphins Deep Dive: Keys to defeating Raiders, stopping Maxx Crosby | VIDEO

Fellow first-round selection and cornerback Chris Johnson has a key role of possibly switching inside and out from covering the slot in nickel packages to lining up on the boundary at times.

“It’s in preparation,” Johnson said. “I feel like just how prepared I am is going to help me be calm and confident on game day.”

Second-round pick Jacob Rodriguez, even as a rookie, may have one of the greatest responsibilities of any player, wearing the green-dot helmet to receive defensive calls from Hafley and relay them to the defense.

Third-round selections in wide receivers Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell, the latter of which made a nine-month recovery from a torn ACL in college to make his first NFL start, could start and be prime targets for Willis in the passing game. Tight end Will Kacmarek, also selected in the third round, could be a key cog in Miami’s run-blocking scheme.

Safety Michael Taaffe could start or at least play significant snaps rotating in defensively. Undrafted rookie DJ Herman, who made a switch from linebacker in college, is Miami’s only fullback on the roster and figures to play an integral role on special teams.

They can all lean on veteran leadership the Dolphins have amid the youth.

“Just go play football,” linebacker Jordyn Brooks said. “Nerves are going to happen. I still get nervous. I think you just got to go out there and trust your preparation, trust the process. I mean, we’ve been out here working hard, man. So trust everything that we’ve been doing during the week and then go let it fly on Sunday.”

Dolphins Deep Dive: Developing player who will make the most impact vs. Raiders? | VIDEO

Running back De’Von Achane, who said this past week he has a goal of going for the league’s rushing title this season, seconded that.

“Every game, I get nervous. It’s just being human,” he said. “Once I go out there and, once I get tackled, then I’m settled in. That’s how I am every game. Once I get tackled one time, then okay, I’m back to knowing I’m ready to play.”

The Dolphins offense can lean on Achane and the run game all year to facilitate things for Willis.

The Raiders start veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins in Week 1, with rookie No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza, a Miami native, set to back him up. Cousins will be without his top target, third-year tight end Brock Bowers, who is recovering from a knee injury.

“It’s going to change some things,” Brooks said. “He’s a dynamic player. We definitely had some things that we were going to have to game plan for him personally. So that’s kind of out the game plan now. But we still got to go out there, play great defense and win on all phases.”

The Miami offensive line will have to account for standout edge rusher Maxx Crosby, and left tackle Patrick Paul may have poked that bear this past week when he called him a “hothead” in saying the Dolphins will have to get him off his game, which could include some smack talk.

After the opener in Las Vegas, the Dolphins will stay out west, practicing in California ahead of their Week 2 game in Santa Clara against the San Francisco 49ers.

— The Dolphins elevated veteran edge rusher Clelin Ferrell on Saturday from the practice squad to the game-day roster.

Ferrell, the No. 4 pick of the 2019 draft by the Raiders, is back healthy after missing a majority of training camp and ending up on practice squad to start the season. He can help Miami’s edge-rushing group of Chop Robinson, Josh Uche, Robert Beal Jr. and Malik Herring.

Dolphins Deep Dive: Can Achane, Willis lead Miami to a win Sunday? | VIDEO