Nobody wants to be a one-hit wonder.
For some of the newest members of the Miami Dolphins, that’s the very label they intend to escape.
Several recent free agents chose the Dolphins in an attempt to recapture the magic of single season. Sure, Miami provided opportunity — a lack of designated starting spots certainly offers that– yet the desire to show that they have more than one exceptional season could be considered the driving force for multiple players expected to contribute in 2026.
“It’s not unreasonable to say I need to get back to that point in time,” Josh Uche said. “Sack wise, the numbers haven’t been the same, but pressure wise, win percentage rates, all these different specific analytics are still at that high rate, which shows I’m getting to the quarterback efficiently. I think I just need to close off those home runs by getting there and getting there a step quicker.”
No player exhibits that more than Uche. A South Florida native by way of Miami Columbus High, the edge rusher turned heads with the New England Patriots in 2022, racking up 11.5 sacks to go along with 14 quarterback hits and two forced fumbles, all of which were a career high. In his three seasons since with the Patriots, then subsequently the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, Uche hasn’t come close to his 2022 totals. The former Michigan standout, in fact, has yet to eclipse that career year if one combined his sack (six), quarterback hits (12) or forced fumbles (zero) during his last three seasons.
“I just know more reps equals more production for me,” Uche said.
The same goes for wide receiver Jalen Tolbert. Having spent the first four seasons of his career with the Dallas Cowboys, Tolbert has shared the field with some talented receivers including five-time Pro Bowler CeeDee Lamb, one-time Pro Bowler George Pickens and six-time 1,000-yard wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Tolbert’s career numbers – 91 catches, 1,093 yards and 10 touchdowns — bear the weight of sharing the field with greatness.
Dig and little deeper, however, and it’s clear why the majority of Tolbert’s career totals came from his 2024 season in which he snagged 49 balls for 610 yards and seven touchdowns: injuries.
“When Brandin Cooks went out, he was the [number] two [receiver], I had about seven to eight games where I could really get touches, get targets, get involved more in the offense,” Tolbert said. A quarterback change also helped after Dak Prescott partially tore his hamstring. “Obviously Dak went down that year as well, and I had built some chemistry with [Cooper Rush]. ‘Coop’ trusted me. CeeDee went down that year, so it was just a lot of stuff that kind of happened around me that put me in positions to be able to get more targets, get more opportunities, get more touches.”
After an impressive 2024, Tolbert expected to take on an even bigger role in the offense the following season. Then the Cowboys landed Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers via trade. The offense shifted primarily to the Lamb-Pickens show with the latter having a career year (93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns) en route to his first Pro Bowl appearance.
“Everybody wants to get involved,” said Tolbert, who only amassed 18 grabs for 203 yards and a score in 2025. The veteran receiver has already put in time with new quarterback Malik Willis. “Everybody has a role. And so my role wasn’t last season touching the ball the whole time, that was more so Cee’s and GP’s role and I was doing the dirty work and kind of just opening up and getting what I could get.”
Both Uche and Tolbert will have a chance to prove their career years wasn’t an anomaly. At edge, the starting position opposite of 2024 first-round pick Chop Robinson is certainly up for grabs. And following the trade of Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos, the receiver room needs somebody to step up.
The opportunity will certainly be there. Hopefully Uche and Tolbert will step up.
Miami Herald
C. Isaiah Smalls II is a sports and culture writer who covers the Miami Dolphins. In his previous capacity at the Miami Herald, he was the race and culture reporter who created The 44 Percent, a newsletter dedicated to the Black men who voted to incorporate the city of Miami. A graduate of both Morehouse College and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Smalls previously worked for ESPN’s Andscape.