The 2027 Miami Dolphins Could Look Very Different<\/p>\n
It\u2019s already been a frustrating season in Miami<\/a>. Yet despite the 0-5 record, it\u2019s not all doom and gloom. In fact, in my humble opinion, there have been far more positive signs than I envisaged up to this point.<\/p>\n However, nowhere has that frustration been more pronounced than at quarterback. Malik Willis has struggled to find his rhythm<\/a>, although the circumstances surrounding those struggles are far more complicated than many fans seem willing to acknowledge.<\/p>\n Operating without his two best weapons, he\u2019s trying to move the ball with Malik Washington<\/a> as his number one receiver \u2014 a player who would be a number three on some teams, and a number four on most others.<\/p>\n Those aforementioned positive signs have been there, though. Ollie Gordon<\/a> has flashed like the back of the 2023 Doak Walker<\/a> Award winner, and first-round guard Kadyn Proctor<\/a> has ranged from solid to excellent.<\/p>\n On defense, Chop Robinson<\/a> and Josh Uche have performed well, as has Jordan Phillips<\/a>, and the rookie trio of Jacob Rodriguez<\/a>, Chris Johnson<\/a> and Michael Taaffe<\/a> have all had more than their fair share of strong moments.<\/p>\n Perhaps, however, the brightest star in the constellation isn\u2019t on the field right now. It\u2019s the belief \u2014 one that I share \u2014 that this team isn\u2019t very far away from being extremely competitive in 2027 with a strong offseason.<\/p>\n As we know, Miami is operating on 40% of its budget, yet, astonishingly, it remains well in games into the 4th quarter. All this despite them paying out $183 million to players no longer playing their respective trades in South Florida.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve already talked a lot about the 2027 draft, but free agency is where the Dolphins could strike quickly and effectively to add genuine talent at key positions. There, GM Jon-Eric Sullivan will have almost $111 million to spend, according to Spotrac, which would be the second-most in the league. Their dead money number would fall from that $183 million to a far more palatable $56 million. And although Sullivan has consistently warned about the perils of overspending in free agency and relying on high-cost outsiders \u2014 or \u201ca bunch of mercenaries that are overpaid,\u201d to quote him directly \u2014 the quickest way to grow into a team ready and willing to challenge in the AFC is to spend some of that cash.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s then look at some key free agents Sullivan could target next year.<\/p>\n Of course, some will re-sign with their own teams before free agency starts. And some will be seen as too expensive. But some quality will still be out there, regardless of what happens between now and March. And although the new GM has been vocal about how he attacks the market\u2014 \u201cWe will be very, very selective in who we bring in here in free agency\u201d\u2014there are four or five potentially key moves that could quickly elevate this franchise and set it firmly on the right track.<\/p>\n And lest we not forget, for all his reservations, Sullivan has long been a part of a Green Bay culture that hasn\u2019t been afraid to go after two or three key free agents per year to push a Super Bowl run.<\/p>\n However, there are a few key tenets that he has already made clear. The main two are:<\/p>\n The importance of youth. He will not compromise on either.<\/p>\n Assuming they stick to the two-year plan with Malik Willis<\/a>, and with the running back room looking strong thanks to the one-two punch of a returning Achane and Ollie Gordon<\/a>, the focus must turn to the receiving corps. Because at wide receiver and tight end, Miami remains significantly below par.<\/p>\n The receiving group of free agents looks extremely strong, with a couple of players who may well reset the entire market in Rams All-Pro Puka Nacua<\/a> and Dallas star George Pickens<\/a>. Both turn 26 next year, the former in May and the latter two months earlier, in March. So a huge tick in that department for two of the very best in the league. The idea of adding Nacua to a room that could conceivably then add Jeremiah Smith to play alongside Caleb Douglas<\/a> and Chris Bell<\/a> is hugely appetizing. And with the Rams\u2019 cap situation, it seems extremely unlikely they will be able to pay him.<\/p>\n However, both players have some off-field issues which Sullivan may struggle to countenance. But Nacua, in particular, is renowned as a strong worker, a tough player who will block and put his body on the line in big moments, and has consistently put the team on his back at critical points in games.<\/p>\n If the off-field concerns do prove too much for Sullivan, then perhaps the most intriguing target is already playing in Florida. At just 24, Jacksonville receiver Parker Washington<\/a> ticks an awful lot of boxes. The former sixth-rounder entered the final year of his rookie contract this season after breaking out in 2025, when he led the Jaguars with 847 receiving yards on 58 receptions and five touchdowns. This year, in just five games, he has 22 grabs for 352 yards and four touchdowns, and with each passing day, his price tag goes up. As the great Footballguys co-founder Sigmund Bloom wrote on Twitter after his monster game in London last weekend, \u201cThe difference between the contract that Parker Washington<\/a> would have signed before the season and what he is going to get will be in the 10s of millions.\u201d <\/p>\n He\u2019s not wrong.<\/p>\n Jacksonville is projected to be about $12 million over the cap in 2027, and if a deal for the former sixth-rounder doesn\u2019t get done, I would imagine Miami would be a prime landing spot.<\/p>\n Another option is Colts wideout Josh Downs<\/a>, who caught 68 passes for almost 900 yards last season but has been slowed by Indy\u2019s offensive ineptitude through the air so far in 2026. The brother of Dallas safety Caleb, he won\u2019t turn 26 until the start of next season.<\/p>\n Although there are some off-field issues dating back to his days at LSU, when he was, in his own words, \u201ca problem gambler\u201d, 24-year-old Kayshon Boutte<\/a> was excellent for New England last season during their Super Bowl run. Despite being traded to Houston just before the season, he feels like a one-year rental for the Texans, especially after the trade for Marvin Harrison<\/a> Jr.<\/p>\n At tight end, the Dolphins have struggled for traction. Rookie Will Kacmarek<\/a> has done a fine job as a blocker, both in-line and in space, but he needs a proper receiving complement, and that, alas, isn\u2019t free-agent-to-be Greg Dulcich<\/a>. The 2027 FA class has a lot of veterans, including Travis Kelce<\/a>, Evan Engram<\/a>, T.J. Hockenson<\/a>, Mo Alie-Cox<\/a>, Austin Hooper<\/a> and Dallas Goedert<\/a>.<\/p>\n But the jewel in the crown is Detroit\u2019s Sam LaPorta<\/a>, who will have just turned 26. And he isn\u2019t simply the best tight end potentially available. He\u2019s one of the best in the NFL, full stop. If not the Lions star, then Rams TE Davis Allen<\/a>, at just 26, has some upside, whilst Luke Musgrave<\/a> has struggled with injury but was drafted before Green Bay took Tucker Kraft<\/a>. Carolina\u2019s Tommy Tremble<\/a> is also just 26.<\/p>\n However, LaPorta would give Miami something special at the position: a seam stretcher with Pro Bowl-plus upside. ESPN recently reported that he and the Lions had \u201ccut off contract extension talks\u201d after failing to come to an agreement in the first four weeks of the season.<\/p>\n So imagine an offense with Pat Paul, Kadyn Proctor<\/a>, Aaron Brewer<\/a>, Ollie Gordon, De\u2019Von Achane, Chris Bell<\/a>, Caleb Douglas<\/a>, Puka Nacua<\/a>, Jeremiah Smith, Malik Washington<\/a>, Sam LaPorta<\/a> and Will Kacmarek<\/a> helping Malik Willis.<\/p>\n Looks pretty good pretty quickly.<\/p>\n On defense, it\u2019s a similar story. Miami needs help at edge and, much like receiver, there\u2019s some real quality here. Let\u2019s start with one of the youngest players potentially available, and one of the most underrated pass rushers in the NFL: Tuli Tuipulotu<\/a> of the Chargers, who won\u2019t turn 25 until the opening week of the 2027 season. The former second-round pick out of USC had 13 sacks last season, and although he\u2019s off to a slower start this year numbers-wise, his pressure percentage of 17.4 is eighth overall in the league.<\/p>\n A former fifth overall pick of the Giants, Kayvon Thibodeaux<\/a> had 17 sacks in 2023 and \u201924 but has struggled since then, and a change of scenery could be perfect for him. Two slightly older prospects well worth considering are Tampa\u2019s YaYa Diaby<\/a>, who turns 28 in May, and Rams stud Byron Young<\/a>, who\u2019ll turn 29 just before the draft. Diaby has had 7.5, 4, and 7.5 sacks over the last three seasons and is stout against the run, while Young has recorded 8, 7.5, and 12 sacks over the same span and has 3.5 already in 2026. Age will be a factor, but both have been consistently good since entering the league.<\/p>\n On the surface, they seem pretty set at defensive tackle given the investment in the 2025 draft, but if Kenneth Grant<\/a> fails to train on and Zach Sieler<\/a> departs \u2014 there is a potential out on his contract after the season \u2014 then the group needs help. Eagles DT Moro Ojomo<\/a> is the next breakout star on that defensive unit that Howie Roseman won\u2019t be able to pay, (followed two years later by edge Jalyx Hunt<\/a>). Ojomo is cat-quick, long, and powerful, with a motor that never seems to stop.<\/p>\n The secondary is the other area that needs an injection of talent, although both Chris Johnson<\/a> and JuJu Brents have played well at times at corner, especially recently, and Michael Taaffe<\/a> and Dante Trader<\/a> have shown they\u2019re solid pieces at safety. Brents is a free agent, and if he can stay healthy \u2014 which has been an issue for him during his career \u2014 he\u2019s deserving of a longer contract.<\/p>\n What Miami does with Johnson moving forward will matter in free agency. Do they see him as a guy who can keep playing outside inside, as he has been doing, or would they rather he play on the boundary and employ a full-time nickel? If so, one of the league\u2019s best, Denver\u2019s Ja\u2019Quan McMillian, is out of contract at the end of the year and has just turned 26.<\/p>\n Last year, Arizona\u2019s Garrett Williams<\/a> tore his Achilles tendon, removing another of the game\u2019s best nickel options. He\u2019s back on the field this year and made his debut in Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers. As the primary fifth DB in almost 40 career games, Williams carries a lot of responsibility in defensive coordinator Nick Rallis\u2019 unit. The former Syracuse standout is also a year younger than McMillian, having just turned 25.<\/p>\n Elsewhere at corner in FA, you will have a revitalized Tariq Woolen, 27; Carrington Valentine<\/a>, Jeff Hafley\u2019s former #1 CB in Green Bay, who is just 25; and Denver\u2019s Riley Moss<\/a>, who turns 27 next March. All could be seen as viable options.<\/p>\n At safety, the biggest name is Detroit\u2019s Brian Branch<\/a>, who, like Williams, suffered a torn Achilles in early December but is expected back soon. He\u2019s been such a versatile piece for the Lions since being drafted, able to toggle from single-high on the roof of the defense to a more well-trodden nickel\/safety hybrid. At 24, he\u2019s the sort of movable matchup stud-piece Hafley will undoubtedly admire. Bengals pair Jordan Battle<\/a> and Dax Hill are nearly 26 and just 2,6, respectively, and Hill can do a little of everything, having started at safety, boundary corner and nickel. Atlanta All-Pro Jessie Bates<\/a> will be 30 before next season but has shown little sign of slowing down. He would be a gamble for Sullivan because of his age, but he also offers the sort of maturity and experience that the unit lacks.<\/p>\n There are a lot of names there and a lot of potential financial investment.<\/p>\n Much like the offensive possibilities I mentioned, you could also see a defense that has Phillips and Grant inside, with Chop Robinson<\/a> and Tuli Tuipulotu<\/a> on the edge. And then a secondary containing Brents, Johnson and Dax Hill at corner, with Brian Branch<\/a>, Taaffe and Trader at safety. Or perhaps Phillips, Grant and Ojomo inside, with Chop Robinson and Tuli Tuipulotu on the edge.<\/p>\n Then a secondary with Brents, Johnson, and Dax Hill at corner, with Taaffe, Trader, and Jordan Battle<\/a> at safety. And I understand this isn\u2019t Madden and a lot of this is hypothetical. But significant surgery is happening soon, and Miami will be front and center for some really good FA talent.<\/p>\n What\u2019s so fascinating about the Dolphins is that, apart from DJ Campbell and the injured duo of Trey Moore and Kyle Louis<\/a>, this rookie class is getting an extraordinary amount of playing time. And that experience will be invaluable next season. You\u2019ll be looking at guys like Proctor, Johnson, Rodriguez, and Taaffe, who will get 700 or 800 snaps each as rookies. Sprinkle a little free agent gold dust, and this team could look very different, very quickly.<\/p>\n Even two big investments on either side of the balt would fundamentally change how this team looks moving forward.<\/p>\n
\nSigning good people.<\/p>\n