The Miami Dolphins are still hoping that several teams in front of them will collapse and open the door for them to walk through. The playoffs are what teams are fighting for right now, but behind the scenes, someone needs to be mapping out the plan for 2026.
For now, that job falls on Champ Kelly. The interim GM may not make it to the next season, but he still needs to prepare as if he will.
The Dolphins need to get players who will be free agents under contract once the season ends. Whether those deals are done before the start of free agency or immediately in the weeks after 2025 ends doesn’t matter. Getting them locked in, even if for just one more year, makes sense.
5 Dolphins players that deserve to stick around beyond the 2025 season
Chris Grier made the mistake of adding too many players on one-year deals. Many of those players would not return, and some who deserve to come back did not. This year’s group is no different, but the person making the call will be.
Riley Patterson has earned the right to compete for the starting job
Patterson was on his couch watching television when the Dolphins called. Jason Sanders was hurt, and they believed he would miss at least four weeks. They put him on IR, and Patterson won the tryout to join Miami. Now, he has shown enough to warrant sticking around.
Patterson should, at minimum, be allowed to spend the 2026 training camp competing with Jason Sanders for the job. Sanders is set to count $4.58 million in cap space next year; Patterson would likely cost the Dolphins just over $1 million. It’s a good trade-off as Patterson has been excellent this year, and Sanders is too expensive.
JuJu Brents showed signs of development that shouldn’t be ignored
It was an incredibly small sample window, but the Dolphins should have seen enough to realize there is room for him to grow. Brents’ injury was at the worst time, but there was enough time with the coaching staff to see the potential.
Miami is likely to overhaul some of their CB room, including depth pieces and their starters, but Brents is one of those guys who can be a reliable piece in the system, whether he is starting or not.
No need to stop with Brents, Rasul Douglas has been everything the Dolphins needed
Douglas stepped onto the Dolphins’ field having missed all of training camp. Yet, he didn’t miss a beat on the field. The team’s most important position on defense was given a raw deal by Chris Grier, but the signing of Douglas was not one of those mistakes.
The Dolphins need to start looking at an extension. Douglas has at least another year or two on the boundary, and if Miami can get him under contract without having to compete with other teams, they would be ahead of the curve before free agency begins in 2026.
De’Von Achane has proven his value to the Dolphins so there is no reason to wait
Achane will enter his contract year in 2026. The Dolphins would be smart to not let him play out the rest of 2025 on his current rookie contract. Achane is going to command a good amount of money and interest after the 2026 season. The Dolphins could tag him, but why?
There have been many occasions where Grier waited too long, and it eventually cost him more money. That doesn’t have to be the case with Achane. Either at the end of the season or before it begins, the Dolphins could get him under contract for less than what they will pay if he breaks out further next season.
Daniel Brunskill has made the Dolphins offense better, and there is no hiding it
Fans don’t have to look far to see why and when the Dolphins’ offensive system became a run-first oriented playbook. The minute Mike McDaniel opened with the “Jumbo” package, their fortunes began to change.
Brunskill moved outside of the right tackle position to become the 6th down lineman on that side of the ball. So far, it is working without any second-guessing. The Dolphins need to realize that even if opposing teams figure out Miami’s offense, and they will, the best remedy is to have quality players and pieces on the team to help combat that. Brunskill is one of those players.