Dolphins free agents weren’t told 2026 season is a ‘rebuild’
The Miami Dolphins’ top brass has maintained that 2026 isn’t a rebuild from Day 1.
“What I want to do is build a foundation,” Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said at the NFL Combine in late February. “That’s my responsibility. Something that’s sustainable over time. We’re not looking for quick fixes here.”
Added Sullivan: “All the r words — retool, rebuild, refocus — I don’t like that because that gives the connotation of like ‘Hey, we’re mailing it in this year.’ That’s 100% not what’s going on. We’re here to compete, play our ass off, try to win football games as we build this thing out. That’s the culture we want to be. We want people that embrace that underdog mentality.”
And according to at least two of the free agents who signed with the Dolphins, the dreaded “r-word” wasn’t used when Sullivan and others tried to lure them to South Florida. Regardless if the word was mentioned, however, wide receiver Jalen Tolbert wouldn’t care either.
“No, I wasn’t told that, and honestly it doesn’t matter to me,” Tolbert said. “I don’t think it would matter to a lot of guys in the locker room just because, like I said, we’re all competitors. We’ve all gotten here from hard work, and this was a goal of ours for a long time.”
The same goes for offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer.
“I was not told that,” Salyer said. “And truth be told, it doesn’t matter to me as a player. I mean, obviously I’m a competitor. I want to be able to go out there, put my all in and the idea would be for it to result in a win. Obviously that takes a team, and I’ve seen teams that have been rebuild teams go out and win.”
The rebuild chants surely got a bit louder last week. Early Tuesday, the Dolphins traded star receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a first-round pick, a third-round pick and fourth-round pick swap. It was a trade that created an opportunity for players such as Tolbert but also other receivers such as Malik Washington, Tutu Atwell, Tahj Washington, Terrance Marshall Jr., Theo Wease Jr. and AJ Henning.
“I could definitely say I was surprised,” Tolbert said. “We’re all competitors and honestly, like I said, I’ve been in this league for four years now, I do know that it’s always the next-man-up mentality. And like I said, that’s no knock on anybody or Jaylen at all. It’s just another opportunity for myself and the other guys in the room to get more opportunities, get more touches or whatever it may be, earn more playing time.”
For Salyer, a rebuild doesn’t even necessarily mean a lack of competition. He immediately brought up his new divisional rival New England Patriots, a team that went 4-13 in 2024, subsequently hired coach Mike Vrabel and proceeded to go 14-3 the following year en route to a representing the AFC in the Super Bowl.
“They kind of pulled their resources together, but then a lot of people didn’t think the Patriots were going to be who they were,” Salyer said. “Maybe not so much a rebuild team, but just a really good team. I think that really what matters is everybody coming together and having the same mission, having the same goal, no matter who’s on your roster. I’m not going to say that doesn’t matter, but I think that us being on the same goal and the same mission matters more. And so that’s my mindset going into this thing, getting to know the guys, getting know the coaches, understanding the culture of this thing so that we can all move in the same direction.”
That direction, however, appears more unclear following the Waddle trade. Of course, the Dolphins now have a treasure trove of draft picks, seven of which come in the first three rounds, yet it’s a tough ask for rookies to come in and be the guys from Day 1. That, coupled with the signing of quarterback Malik Willis, one of the most highly touted free agents of the 2026 class, make it difficult to understand what exactly the Dolphins want to do this season.
