The Miami Dolphins are in a tough spot. They just fired head coach Mike McDaniel, and Tua Tagovailoa is likely to follow.

So where do they go from here? They hired former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their new head coach, but a rebuild is on its way.

Using StickToTheModel, a general manager simulation, to rebuild the Dolphins and look for the answers to plenty of questions Miami has entering the offseason.

Who to Cut?

There’s a lot of work here. The Dolphins are currently sitting at $3 million in cap space and have a long way to go.

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First, we cut kicker Jason Sanders. The veteran kicker missed the entire 2025 season with an injury, and Riley Patterson filled in just fine for him. This move saves us $3.9 million.

We also made another decision on a long-term Dolphin, releasing Alec Ingold. This move could be a bit controversial, with Miami’s offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik even publicly saying he’d like to keep the veteran fullback, but $3.1 million in savings for a player that logged 61 total yards last season feels like the obvious move.

We make some more depth moves, moving on from Terrace Marshall Jr, Carter Warren, and Tyrel Dodson, saving $5.3 million total.

Trade!

This is the big move. We need to move on from Tagovailoa, preferably by trade.

We agree to a trade with the Indianapolis Colts, sending the veteran quarterback to Indianapolis and receiving a third and fifth-round pick.

Designating the trade as a post-June 1st trade allows us to save $56 million.

Who to Re-sign?

We resigned tight end Greg Dulcich to a two-year, $12.6 million contract. Dulcich played well in 2025 and has a high upside.

Next, we work on extending De’Von Achane. The breakout running back will be looking for a big payday that rivals other big-paid running backs. We keep Achane on a three-year, $42 million contract.

Free Agency

Facilitating the Tagovailoa trade opens up a lot of money for free agency. With all the moves made, we have around $80 million to spend in free agency.

We first start with wide receiver depth. We sign Christian Kirk to a one-year, $2.6 million deal and Treylon Burks to a one-year, $2 million deal.

Next is a move for a quarterback! We sign Tommy DeVito to a one-year deal for depth.

Now, to make more significant moves, we agree to a three-year deal with cornerback Tariq Woolen, worth $18.5 million a year. Woolen is an automatic upgrade to the secondary and has a high ceiling while being only 26 years old.

The final move was getting help in the trenches, adding guard Alex Palczewski to a two-year, $25 million deal.

The Draft

While we spent well in free agency, the draft will be our biggest move. After the Tagovailoa trade, we have six picks within the first three rounds.

1.11: WR Denzel Boston, Washington

Our first move of the draft is adding an offensive weapon. Miami has a desperate need to overhaul its wide receiver room, and the move to add Denzel Boston is a significant one. Boston is a 6-foot-4 contested catch merchant that has magnets for hands. He would be a perfect complement across from Jaylen Waddle and would see the field early.

2.43: EDGE Zion Young, Missouri

With the Dolphins’ release of Bradley Chubb, they need to add a pass rusher. Zion Young is a great fit. Young could play as a traditional edge rusher or move to outside linebacker. His 6-foot-5, bulky frame makes him the ideal size for an NFL pass rusher, but there is still some development to go.

3.75: TE Michael Trigg, Baylor

Adding another big playmaker, we draft tight end Michael Trigg. The Baylor tight end has tremendous upside and could be a star in the NFL. He’s a big play waiting to happen, and despite being a tight end, he practically doubles as a receiver.

3.78: CB Julian Neal, Arkansas

I would’ve loved to make a bigger cornerback move earlier in the draft, but that’s just not how the board fell. But that doesn’t take away from Julian Neal. The Arkansas cornerback has outstanding size and length and utilizes it fully.

Neal is a blanket over opposing wide receivers, and his length allows him to keep up on deep balls.

3.87: IOL Jake Slaughter, Florida

Beefing up the trenches, we add Florida’s Jake Slaughter. The 6-foot-4 interior lineman played center at Florida, but should have no problem sliding in at guard. Slaughter is a great pass protector and will help solidify the offensive line when we find our quarterback.

3.90: QB Drew Allar, Penn State

Our last third-round pick will go into adding a quarterback. Taking a shot on Drew Allar late in the third couldn’t hurt. The senior quarterback had a chance of being a first-round pick if he declared for the draft in 2025, but his decision to stay in school proved to hurt his stock.

Allar still has all the upsides he possessed when he was being considered as a first-round pick and could develop for the Dolphins.

Recap

Additions

• CB Tariq Woolen
• WR Christian Kirk
• WR Treylon Burks
• QB Tommy DeVito 
• IOL Alex Palczewski
• WR Denzel Boston
• EDGE Zion Young
• TE Michael Trigg
• IOL Jake Slaughter
• QB Drew Allar

Losses

• QB Tua Tagovailoa 
• WR Terrace Marshall Jr.
• K Jason Sanders
• ILB Tyrel Dodson
• FB Alec Ingold
• RT Carter Warren

The Dolphins are not in a good position. They have a new head coach and will be looking for a new quarterback. Bringing in a former college standout in Allar to compete with Quinn Ewers, who is also a former college standout, does make for a fun quarterback competition.

In our rebuild, we make moves to add young talent for our young signal callers while also surrounding them with veteran leadership.