The Miami Dolphins’ roster needs are…expansive.
Miami’s in the midst of a transition away from costly veterans, as has been vocalized by the team’s new management and leadership. Younger and cheaper is the current model. And so with the dominoes beginning to tumble for a team that has nearly 30 free agents from last year’s roster, where is this team most desperate for some help? The clues from earlier this week indicate some players, such as OT Austin Jackson, could possibly be back under the right circumstances as well. The picture is still a bit hazy. But as of the 2026 NFL Combine’s kickoff for workouts tomorrow, here are the five biggest team needs for the Dolphins’ roster.
Miami Dolphins top-five most pressing team needs as of the 2026 NFL Combine
Dec 21, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Quinn Ewers (14) runs the ball during the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
(Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)1. Quarterback
Names currently under contract: Tua Tagovailoa*, Quinn Ewers, Cam Miller
Life comes at you fast! Tua Tagovailoa put pen to paper on a four-year contract extension and things just…kind of…fell apart. All around. It went about as poorly as you could have drawn up. And so here we are entering the league calendar opening in 2026 mulling whether or not the Dolphins are going to pay $54 million to the quarterback to simply go away this season.
And it’s probably going to happen.
I’d expect Miami adds two quarterbacks to their ranks this offseason. I’d bet at least one of them comes in the draft, too. As Sullivan says “it all starts with the quarterback”. You either have one or you don’t — and the reporting around the team this winter seems to suggest this new leadership group doesn’t think they do. By default, it jumps to the top of the list, no matter how likely a successful pivot is to find this offseason.
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Aug 23, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins linebacker Chop Robinson (44) reacts after sacking Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback John Wolford (not pictured) during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
(Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)2. EDGE Defender
Names currently under contract: Chop Robinson, Derrick McLendon, Seth Coleman, (Bradley Chubb — Pending Cut)
Speaking of life comes at you fast…this time last year, the Dolphins were looking at Robinson, Jaelan Phillips, and a healthy Bradley Chubb anchoring their front…and then the team signed veteran Matthew Judon in the summer for more depth. Pretty much the whole room was a catastrophe. Chubb was generally fine, but Phillips got traded midway through the season, Robinson regressed severely in his second season, and Judon was cut mid-year. Chubb is now in limbo waiting for the start of the league year before the team processes his cut, presumably as a Post-June 1 designation. I do think McLendon can be an NFL player but Chop Robinson better figure out how to play like a first-round pick in a hurry…
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Nov 30, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins guard Jonah Savaiinaea (72) takes the field prior to a game against the New Orleans Saints at Hard Rock Stadium. Rich Storry-Imagn Images
(Rich Storry-Imagn Images)3. Offensive Guard
Names currently under contract: Jonah Savaiinaea, Kion Smith, Josh Priebe
Savaiinaea was a rough watch in 2025. He got progressively better in the back half of the season but he generally looked as though he was drinking through a fire hose too often as a rookie. Miami would benefit from getting competition in place for a starting job there. But the opposite starting guard position is bare unless young former undrafted rookie Andrew Meyer can play guard. We haven’t seen that yet.
Priebe and Kion Smith probably aren’t ideally 53-man roster players in 2026, either. So guard has one unestablished starter and not much else.
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Sep 18, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Miami Dolphins free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (29) tackles Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) in the first quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
(Mark Konezny-Imagn Images)4. Safety
Names currently under contract: Minkah Fitzpatrick*, Dante Trader Jr., Omar Brown
The fine print here is, of course, that the team is reportedly shopping Fitzpatrick in hopes of finding a good return on investment for the veteran safety. They’ll probably find a taker for a mid-round draft choice, although Sullivan said “everything is on the table” for an outcome here. That includes possibly Fitzpatrick coming back? I’d bet against it. But until a trade is announced, he serves as a powerful cornerstone for the safety room. Without Fitzpatrick? I like Dante Trader Jr. but he would presumably be in line for a starting job without a lot of contention in 2026. The depth needs work either way and the best player sounds like he’s halfway ushered out the door.
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Aug 17, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New York Jets tight end Zack Kuntz (81) during pregame warm ups against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
(Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports)5. Tight End
Names currently under contract: Zack Kuntz, Jalin Conyers, Cole Turner
This room really is a spectacular marvel. There’s no proven commodity here at all. Miami does have young tight end Julian Hill lingering as a restricted free agent this offseason but will the team commit more than $3 million to retain his services? This room could be started from scratch. And while there’s other, more important positions on the roster that are clearly incomplete (cornerback and offensive tackle), the fact that there is no proven NFL player in this group earns it a nod on the top-five most pressing needs.
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This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Feb 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.