2026 Miami Dolphins in Three Players
The offseason is upon us. Let's take a look at all 32 teams.
The 20th edition of our offseason series is here!
Instead of reviewing all 32 drafts and adding casual commentary, I will be doing this instead.
We will go through every single team, in alphabetical order, and quickly discuss three players:
a favorite free agent signing
a favorite draft pick
and a player already entrenched on the roster
Not necessarily the best, or the top, or the one's who will play the biggest role, just one of choice.
Onto the Miami Dolphins.
Free Agent Signing
EDGE Josh Uche
Uche is a former 2nd round pick of the Patriots who had an 11.5 sack season in 2022. He was traded to Kansas City in 2024, and signed with Philadelphia in 2025. He played in just 9 games in 2025.
Here is a cut-up of the good from Uche's 2025.
This entire Miami team, but particularly defensive end room, is filled with guys like Josh Uche.
David Ojabo was a 2nd rounder of the Ravens in 2022, who suffered a torn achilles and ACL within his first two seasons.
Clelin Ferrell was the 4th overall pick in 2019 who has bounced around the NFL. While he did not live up to his draft day billing, he has had good seasons, most notably in 2023 in San Francisco.
And Robert Beal Jr, another former 49er, is also in that room. A 2023 draftee out of Georiga, he never really saw the field in SF.
And of course, Josh Uche. Who has had the best numbers out of this group, and the guy I believe has the best chance to be a legitimate impact player across from Chop Robinson.
Uche is listed at just 6'2, 226lbs, but he moves like it. Coming out of college he was also used in an off-ball role, and never really added weight since then. If anything, he's dropped weight. It'd be nice for Uche to be closer to 240lbs.
Regardless, Uche moves like his weight, in a positive sense.
He is incredibly quick, and can be hard to touch at times when rushing the passer. His get-off is marked at 0.92 seconds, which is not elite, but really solid for a stand up edge rusher.
He has the bend to test the edge, athleticism to stunt inside, and a solid swipe move in his bag. The strength not being great limits him on inside stunts and pass rush counters, but Uche can still be effective.
Uche's effort and motor is something to appreciate as well. Even when he is stuffed, or can't over power an offensive lineman, he does not quit on the play. He'll continue to chase and take a good pursuit angle.
The footspeed Uche has, combined with his effort, gives him a legitimate chasedown ability. Whether for helping the run game or going after the QB, it's a true addition to the defense when he's on the field, not just a "thanks for trying" footnote.
Uche's size obviously limits him in the run game. He doesn't hold the point of attack well.
But he can defeat lead blocking TEs and FBs. He has enough reach and power to handle those smaller blockers. Uche will hit them swiftly and sideswipe to get vision on the ballcarrier, who he can swallow up.
If Uche steps up, and Robinson continues his positive track, alongside some interior pieces that I like, the Dolphins might be able to have a more than competent front seven of their defense. Zach Sieler is a 10 sack DT. They had a pair of interesting rookies, in Kenneth Grant and Jordan Phillips. And the LB room has All-Pro Jordyn Brooks, and drafted Butkus Award winner Jacob Rodriguez in the 2nd round.
Don't expect Josh Uche to be some breakout Pro Bowler, but he may be able to contribute on a weekly basis. Uche's performance can be what takes Miami's defense out of the gutter, especially if he is able to capitalize on his one-on-one opportunities.
Draftee
WR Caleb Douglas
Douglas was the 75th pick of this years' draft out of Texas Tech. He spent the final two years of his career at TTU, transfering in from the University of Florida, where he made just 2 starts in his two seasons there.
Douglas was 2nd team All-Big 12 in 2025 after posting 846 yards and 7 TDs on 54 receptions.
Here is a cut-up of Douglas against Kansas State, courtesy of @BengalsBrews on Twitter/X.
Here is the state of the Dolphins WR room:
Jalen Tolbert - 18/203/1 in Dallas last season
Tutu Atwell - 6/192/1 in Los Angeles last season
Malik Washington - 46/317/3 in Miami last season
Chris Bell - 3rd round pick out of Louisville (on PUP for ACL recovery)
Kevin Coleman Jr - 5th round pick out of Missouri
And Caleb Douglas.
You can point to the first two names here and say, "well, they've had more productive seasons in the past, it's not fair to act like their 2025 production is 100% indicative of their talent."
This is true, but there is a reason two of the best passing offenses made them WR4s, and why they walked in free agency and signed for a combined $2.8m.
The point is, Caleb Douglas very well could be WR1 on this Miami Dolphins football team.
Douglas stands at 6'3, 206lbs and ran a 4.39 40 yard dash at the combine.
Despite this, Douglas was not a largely successful deep threat in college due to the fact that he struggles to win in contested catch situations. Douglas also had 7 drops in 2025, what many would refer to as "concentration drops."
He does have a strong pair of hands, often showcased when he reaches out of his frame and can snag passes out of the air. He uses his wide catch radius well.
Douglas can also deal with physicality, for the most part. Mostly because Douglas himself is willing to be physical. Whether at the line, or at the top of a stop route, or even blocking.
Douglas has the straight line speed, and acceleration, to have success in the NFL, but he won't necessarily blow by NFL CBs.
Douglas not being a great route runner, being a bit slower out of sharp breaks, and not truly running by defensive backs after his initial get-off, all have the possibility to contribute to Douglas' potential NFL struggles.
Caleb Douglas is an intriguing WR who should get plenty of reps in this Miami offense, an offense that could be built well off of play-action.
His speed and frame have the potential to help out new free agent QB Malik Willis, and give him a reliable target in this offense.
In-House Player
DT Kenneth Grant
Grant was the Dolphins 1st round pick in 2025 who totaled 2 sacks and 2 TFLs as a rookie.
He appears to easily be the most intriguing player to watch for Miami in 2026.
Here is a cut-up of the good stuff front Grant's rookie year.
This Dolphins team is in a rebuild, and Grant is kind of the first piece, although he was not selected by this regime.
It seems nearly everyone on Miami's roster is on a rookie contract, or on some sort of "tryout" or "prove it" deal. There are no players entrenched in this roster outside of Grant's fellow DT Zach Sieler and LB Jordyn Brooks.
Grant is looking to become one of these entrenched pieces, and I believe he will do so.
Grant was listed at 6'3, 335lbs as a rookie. Despite this, he did not align at a traditional nose tackle set very often. New HC and defensive play caller Jeff Hafley runs a similar amount of 5 man fronts as former DC Anthony Weaver, so I doubt Grant's role will change too much.
However, I do believe Grant would be an effective nose tackle. But maybe not as effective as he is as a 3 technique.
While Grant's strength is in the run game, he does not eat double teams like a traditional NT. Now, maybe that's because he was not asked to. But I think Grant thrived in his role because of his playstyle.
He's more upper body heavy, less of a guy who just sinks his anchor into the dirt and holds his ground.
Instead, Grant uses his upper body to displace offensive linemen. He holds the point of attack well with his reach and can throw the offensive line off their landmarks. Grant is also good at riding the flow of the run game, being able to move well with the offensive line. By doing so, he's more eligible to make a tackle, and with his strength, he can disrupt he blocking scheme along the way.
As a pass rusher, it was not all bad. But that definitely is not Grant's strength, which makes a move to NT reasonable.
His pass rush looks similar to how he blows up the run game. Grant uses his arms to try to throw and move the man in front of him. He doesn't really have a pass rush bag, or even a go-to move. But he can muck it up and occasionally cause havoc. This is not his main responsibility.
Grant should become a staple in Miami after his second season. The trick part is, he profiles like a nose tackle, but does not exactly play like a nose tackle. So if he makes the move, can he become one of the best in the NFL? Or does it become a situation where he occasionally makes some nice plays, but does not actually hold down the fort like a NT is meant to?
Regardless, I believe Grant is a good player who is only going to get better. His film at the end of 2025 was miles better than the beginning, that is always a good sign.
Thanks for reading through our 20th edition of previewing all 32 teams in 3 players! We are working our way to be completed by the time the preseason begins!
Let me know who else on the Dolphins is worth monitoring this season, good or bad!
Stay tuned for more NFL and 49ers articles, news, and opinions!
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