MIAMI GARDENS \u2014 The Miami Dolphins won, and that\u2019s the best thing that has happened for the team all season.<\/p>\n
Inevitably, though, a portion of the fan base will worry, if the wins start to become a trend after the Dolphins\u2019 28-25 victory over the New York Jets<\/a>, that it could be detrimental to the all-important draft position in 2027 for this franchise.<\/p>\n Could it cost the team a shot at Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, the South Florida product out of Chaminade-Madonna High who is largely considered the draft\u2019s top prospect regardless of position?<\/p>\n Or would it be Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons going elsewhere?<\/p>\n Or the draft\u2019s top quarterback, which started out as Texas\u2019 Arch Manning but the momentum has since shifted to Oklahoma State\u2019s Drew Mestemaker during the college football season?<\/p>\n Sure, adding any of these top prospects would boost the future outlook of the franchise, but shelve those thoughts for now.<\/p>\n We just watched the 2026 Dolphins \u2014 yes, as they fell from the No. 2 pick in the draft to No. 3<\/a> with the win \u2014 look as good as they have. That shows progress, still not even at the halfway point of the first season of the rebuild under new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley.<\/p>\n And progress now means there\u2019s less ground to make up in order to return to contending once next season comes around, or the year after. These Dolphins, if they continue to pull out wins, can establish a more advanced starting point for 2027. Having that, along with a still-very-good player to be selected a pick or two behind your favorite draft prospect, is more valuable than forcing said prospect, who still could turn out to be a bust, to build up a winner from scratch.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t bring any of that talk around Hafley, who after experiencing his first NFL head coaching victory, couldn\u2019t fathom any fan of his team perceiving the win as a negative.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a hard time even kind of grasping that, to be honest with you,\u201d Hafley said Monday. \u201cEverything we do and every move we make and, every day, we give everything we got to try to win a game. I hope they see that, and I hope they\u2019re happy we won the game. And, hopefully, we\u2019ll get more.\u201d<\/p>\n Earning that win back home in New Jersey<\/a>, Dolphins players released pent-up energy from an 0-5 start by dousing Hafley in water<\/a> when he got to the MetLife Stadium visitors\u2019 locker room after the game.<\/p>\n One of Hafley\u2019s key points in his postgame speech to his players was something he expressed in the media prior to facing the Jets, belief<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe in you guys!\u201d proclaimed Hafley, the way he believed in the offensive line and quarterback Malik Willis when he made the call to go for it on fourth-and-1 to seal the win.<\/p>\n As Hafley said he was going to give a game ball to all his players, Dolphins owner Steve Ross stepped in and presented Hafley with his own game ball. Sullivan and Hafley shared a hug, a symbol of how unified they are in the pursuit of this first win \u2014 and many more.<\/p>\n The Dolphins postgame locker room celebration video just dropped, and no one was exaggerating about how lit it was. pic.twitter.com\/wgS9wscPh4<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 David Furones (@DavidFurones_) October 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Throughout their five losses to start the season, the Dolphins had shown intermittent glimpses of a formula or a path to how they could potentially find wins in a rebuilding 2026 season.<\/p>\n