The Dolphins Lack Talent, But Here’s Who I’m Expecting to Step Up
Another day, another article coming out about how much the Dolphins’ roster lacks talent. This time, ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports, has chimed in by way of an article ranking the 2026 NFL rosters. At the top, you have teams like the Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens. All franchises that will likely look to make a championship push this season.
Near the bottom, you have the Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, and all the way at 32 overall, our Miami Dolphins. I believe we all knew that the 2026 season was likely to be bleak, but seeing Miami ranked at the bottom of the league was certainly an unpleasant way to begin the week. The post is predictable in its content; it lists running back as the biggest strength and Secondary as the biggest weakness. From the article.
“Biggest weakness: Secondary. The Dolphins are in full rebuild mode and have several units that rank among the league’s worst. That makes it hard to pick for this exercise, but we’ll go secondary. On paper, this is a worse group than the one that allowed a 58.3 QBR last season (fifth worst). First-round rookie Chris Johnson figures to immediately become an every-down starter, with Storm Duck, slot Jason Marshall Jr., Darrell Baker Jr., JuJu Brents, and Alex Austin battling for substantial roles. With Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ashtyn Davis gone, 2025 fifth-rounder Dante Trader Jr. and journeyman Lonnie Johnson Jr. are strong candidates to start.”
Just brutal stuff.
But hey, this is DolphinsTalk, a place where we try to build excitement for the season, rather than wallowing. So here’s who I’m watching closely this season, players I expect to outperform their 2025 stats.
Jaylen Wright
Am I the last person on the Jaylen Wright bandwagon? Perhaps. Though I’ll be riding it until the wheels come off. Let’s be brutally honest, Wright has failed to impress in his two seasons in the league. In 25 games, he has carried the ball 138 times for 537 yards and two touchdowns, both coming last season. So you might be wondering why I still have faith in the Tennessee product. Well, it comes down to him being 23 years old and his performance against the New York Jets last year, where he carried the ball 24 times for 107 yards and a touchdown.
We’re going to be a team that relies on our running game this season, which means we either split the load more evenly or Wright is highly likely to be thrust into action due to injuries. I think what held him back in his first two seasons was that he simply wasn’t given many opportunities to run the ball. His attempts in games he played last year are 0, 9, 5, 1, 3, 24, 1, 9, 5, and 13. Those are ridiculous, if he gets an honest chance he will succeed.
Chop Robinson
Talk about a sophomore slump. Robinson showed such promise during his rookie season, recording 6 sacks while consistently pressuring the quarterback. This led to Robsinon coming in 5th for Defensive Rookie of the Year voting and set the stage for what many hoped for: a breakout season in year 2.
That breakout never came as Robinson struggled mightily, recording only 4 sacks and becoming a complete afterthought. With Bradley Chubb and Jaelen Phillips both gone, it is a make-or-break season for Robinson. I believe that, much like Wright, he will show with more opportunities that he was worthy of the 21st overall pick Miami spent on him.
Malik Washington
Washington had a slow start to his career during his rookie season, only recording 26 receptions for 223 yards. Those stats are about what you can expect from a 6th-round pick. However, 2025 showed that Washington was somebody who could contribute. He posted a stat line of 46 receptions for 317 yards and 3 touchdowns as the third and then second option behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
I expect Washington to take a leap in year 3 in the absence of Hill and Waddle. He will be competing with the likes of Tutu Atwell, Jalen Tolbert, and rookies Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell, and Kevin Coleman Jr. I believe he has the opportunity to be the number 1 guy for new quarterback Malik Willis.
So who are you expecting to break out in 2026? Let me know in the comments.
The Dolphins Lack Talent, But Here’s Who I’m Expecting to Step Up
The Dolphins Lack Talent, But Here’s Who I’m Expecting to Step Up
Another day, another article coming out about how much the Dolphins’ roster lacks talent. This time, ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports, has chimed in by way of an article ranking the 2026 NFL rosters. At the top, you have teams like the Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens. All franchises that will likely look to make a championship push this season.
Near the bottom, you have the Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, and all the way at 32 overall, our Miami Dolphins. I believe we all knew that the 2026 season was likely to be bleak, but seeing Miami ranked at the bottom of the league was certainly an unpleasant way to begin the week. The post is predictable in its content; it lists running back as the biggest strength and Secondary as the biggest weakness. From the article.
“Biggest weakness: Secondary. The Dolphins are in full rebuild mode and have several units that rank among the league’s worst. That makes it hard to pick for this exercise, but we’ll go secondary. On paper, this is a worse group than the one that allowed a 58.3 QBR last season (fifth worst). First-round rookie Chris Johnson figures to immediately become an every-down starter, with Storm Duck, slot Jason Marshall Jr., Darrell Baker Jr., JuJu Brents, and Alex Austin battling for substantial roles. With Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ashtyn Davis gone, 2025 fifth-rounder Dante Trader Jr. and journeyman Lonnie Johnson Jr. are strong candidates to start.”
Just brutal stuff.
But hey, this is DolphinsTalk, a place where we try to build excitement for the season, rather than wallowing. So here’s who I’m watching closely this season, players I expect to outperform their 2025 stats.
Jaylen Wright
Am I the last person on the Jaylen Wright bandwagon? Perhaps. Though I’ll be riding it until the wheels come off. Let’s be brutally honest, Wright has failed to impress in his two seasons in the league. In 25 games, he has carried the ball 138 times for 537 yards and two touchdowns, both coming last season. So you might be wondering why I still have faith in the Tennessee product. Well, it comes down to him being 23 years old and his performance against the New York Jets last year, where he carried the ball 24 times for 107 yards and a touchdown.
We’re going to be a team that relies on our running game this season, which means we either split the load more evenly or Wright is highly likely to be thrust into action due to injuries. I think what held him back in his first two seasons was that he simply wasn’t given many opportunities to run the ball. His attempts in games he played last year are 0, 9, 5, 1, 3, 24, 1, 9, 5, and 13. Those are ridiculous, if he gets an honest chance he will succeed.
Chop Robinson
Talk about a sophomore slump. Robinson showed such promise during his rookie season, recording 6 sacks while consistently pressuring the quarterback. This led to Robsinon coming in 5th for Defensive Rookie of the Year voting and set the stage for what many hoped for: a breakout season in year 2.
That breakout never came as Robinson struggled mightily, recording only 4 sacks and becoming a complete afterthought. With Bradley Chubb and Jaelen Phillips both gone, it is a make-or-break season for Robinson. I believe that, much like Wright, he will show with more opportunities that he was worthy of the 21st overall pick Miami spent on him.
Malik Washington
Washington had a slow start to his career during his rookie season, only recording 26 receptions for 223 yards. Those stats are about what you can expect from a 6th-round pick. However, 2025 showed that Washington was somebody who could contribute. He posted a stat line of 46 receptions for 317 yards and 3 touchdowns as the third and then second option behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
I expect Washington to take a leap in year 3 in the absence of Hill and Waddle. He will be competing with the likes of Tutu Atwell, Jalen Tolbert, and rookies Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell, and Kevin Coleman Jr. I believe he has the opportunity to be the number 1 guy for new quarterback Malik Willis.
So who are you expecting to break out in 2026? Let me know in the comments.
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