Kelly: Dolphins have plenty more tough decisions to come after gutting roster | Opinion
The tear down is the easy part in the early stages of a renovation.
Demo is short for demolition, which means to demolish.
Bring a sledgehammer and swing it, tearing stuff up. Rent a dumpster and toss it all in.
Rip everything to the studs if you like, but when the destruction is over, when all the demo is done, that’s when the real work begins.
Monday’s release of three players, which includes All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill, and the expected release of pass rusher Bradley Chubb was the first step of Miami’s expected, and much-needed rebuild.
Starting new is fun, even exciting.
But let’s not act like what new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and new head coach Jeff Hafley are embarking on won’t be painless, and hard to sell.
Rebuilding it won’t be easy, and won’t be done instantaneously because the Dolphins shelves are so bare it’s easier to name the positions that don’t need to be touched — tailback, unless Miami trades De’Von Achane demands a trade, and defensive tackle, where there are three solid second-year players and Zach Sieler — instead of the ones who must be addressed before the 2026 regular season kicks off.
If the Dolphins dump Tua Tagovailoa, either trading him to another team or releasing him before training camp and stomaching the massive cap consequences that come with that decision, Quinn Ewers and Cam Miller will be the only quarterbacks on Miami’s training camp roster.
Considering neither of these two late-round picks in 2025 have proven ANYTHING in the NFL, that should be a cringe-worthy thought.
And it doesn’t help that whatever quarterback Miami lures to replace Tagovailoa — maybe free agent Malik Willis, or a trade target such as Mac Jones or Will Levis — won’t have much to work with.
Exactly who willingly joins a franchise lacking weapons, one that possesses a shaky offensive line if that player isn’t massively overpaid?
That’s the question Sullivan and Hafley need to ask themselves as they continue to strip down the Dolphins roster, starting anew.
Receiver was a hot mess last season, especially after Tyreek Hill suffered his knee injury, and nothing has changed, despite the signing of Terrance Marshall Jr. (a journeyman) earlier this month.
Jaylen Waddle’s the only established starting receiver on Miami’s roster heading into free agency and the NFL draft, and we still don’t know if he can carry a passing attack as the No. 1 (he hasn’t the past two seasons).
None of the tight ends who contributed last season are under contract because Darren Waller and Greg Dulcich are free agents, and Julian Hill is a restricted free agent that Miami must decide if they want to tender for $3.5 million to bring back.
Waller, Dulcich and Hill will likely have options, so why would they willingly choose to be part of a franchise ripping things down to the studs?
The Dolphins have three viable starting offensive linemen — Patrick Paul, Aaron Brewer and Austin Jackson — under contract, and that doesn’t include Jonah Savaiinaea, who was one of the worst starting offensive guards in the NFL last season.
Miami should be focused on upgrading from Savaiinaea, finding his replacement like they did for Michael Dieter and Solomon Kindley after realizing those drafted offensive linemen were more duds than dudes. But that’s not how a roster reset works.
In a reset a team purging salaries and talent, making more holes, more problems, adding more positions that need to be addressed than they have ways to fill the voids.
The shelves are already bare on offense, and defense doesn’t look any better.
On defense, because of the impending release of Bradley Chubb, the Dolphins would only have Chop Robinson, who struggled last season, as the lone experienced pass rusher under contract.
And there is one experienced starting cornerback or safety (Minkah Fitzpatrick) on the roster, and his future in Miami isn’t guaranteed since the former Pro Bowl safety already turned his nose up at participating in a Dolphins’ rebuild during his first stint in Miami.
That means there’s four or five starting spots in the secondary to fill in one offseason, which won’t be easy, or cheap.
This seems to be a season where Miami’s going to be forced to pay off its credit card bill for past years of irresponsible spending.
That likely means the Dolphins are taking a conservative approach this offseason, which has been the case for all but one first season of a coach’s tenure under Steve Ross’ reign as the franchise’s majority owner.
That lone exception occurred under Mike McDaniel, when Miami traded draft picks for Hill, then Chubb at the trade deadline, and then Jalen Ramsey the next offseason. Miami also spent big on free agents for McDaniel the past three offseasons, and typically adjusted contracts to create to the spending room.
If we’re going to be honest, that’s exactly how Miami got in this mess in the first place.
