Miami

Dolphins

Oh, boy. Kelly giveth and taketh away. On the one hand, Kelly believes Tolbert “seems ready to handle the split end, possession receiver role.” On the other hand, Kelly thinks Tolbert is a replacement-level player. Tolbert has cleared 275 receiving yards just once in his four-year career. Kelly is probably right. If Tolbert can become the clear-cut No. 1 target, he might be able to return FLEX value, but he could be an extremely volatile producer.

Kelly published an offseason awards list today, and Willis’ review was not great. Kelly believes the coaching staff " needs to find a way to improve his processing speed.” He also thinks Willis “needs to spend the next month developing better chemistry with his weaponry.” The latter issue has been mentioned before by coach Jeff Hafley and OC Bobby Slowik. To be fair to Willis, Kelly notes that Willis never once attempted a scramble in practice open to media members because he is trying to refine his pocket passing. Unfortunately, Kelly believes Willis failed to put distance between himself and backup QB Quinn Ewers, whom Slowik complimented publicly earlier this month. Willis will score plenty of fantasy points with his legs this season, but he will need to produce at least somewhat reliably as a passer as well.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal includes $37 million guaranteed. At $17.5 million per year, Brewer now trails only Tyler Linderbaum and Creed Humphrey in annual salary among centers. Pro Football Focus graded him as their No. 2 overall center last year and he led the position in run-blocking grade. Brewer also has experience at both guard spots, giving him some extra versatility, even if he is best deployed at center.

“I think he’s looked as good as he’s looked since I met him,” Hafley told reporters Tuesday morning. This comes one week after Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said learning the team’s offense and getting comfortable with the team’s pass catchers has been an “ongoing process” for Willis, who last season led the NFL in EPA per drop back on a small sample size (58 plays) in Green Bay. He was 22 percent over his expected pass rate with the Packers in 2025, leading all quarterbacks. While the updates on Willis are not exactly wildly optimistic, it’s good for the Miami offense that he’s making progress as he prepares to start for a team with as little offensive talent as any in the NFL.

Responding to readers on social media this week, Kelly said he believes Coleman is the Dolphins’ best rookie wide receiver, and linked to an article of his from May 8. In the piece, Kelly argues that Coleman should be the team’s front-runner for the starting slot role. If Coleman can pull it off, he may only get on the field when the Dolphins are in three-wide receiver sets, giving him a limited upside.

Slowik is a big fan of his QB2. He told us so in February, and apparently Ewers’ play continues to draw Slowik’s favor. Slowik complimented Ewers’ newfound conviction, adding that when he just “reacts” to how the play is unfolding in front of him, “he does some really cool stuff.” That said, we fully expect QB Malik Willis to be the Dolphins’ starter in Week 1. Consider Ewers a worthwhile stash in dynasty formats, just in case.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter did not include Johnson’s contract details while breaking the news. Johnson should start right away. The Dolphins fielded a fairly beatable secondary last season. New, defensive-minded head coach Jeff Hafley made Johnson his very first draft pick, which likely gives Johnson the inside track to a role on the perimeter.

At the beginning of the Dolphins’ mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley described the passing offense as “a work in progress.” It doesn’t sound like Willis made many leaps in his development over the last three days. Slowik added that “it’s probably going to be an ongoing process up until the regular season starts, that’s how it always is.” Apparently, Dolphins coaches made more substitutions than they typically do during team drills, which can “throw chemistry off,” and Slowik at least complimented Willis’ improved confidence. Willis is a rushing quarterback with decent upside. If he can produce even moderately as a passer, he has a chance to be in the QB1 tier. Hopefully, we get some resoundingly positive news in the coming weeks.

The Dolphins are expected to employ a very run-heavy approach this season, so the Dolphins’ RB2 might get a handful of touches each week. Wright will have a tough time returning FLEX value on that workload but like Slowik says, “my man has some speed.” Perhaps Wright will be worth stashing on benches this year. We’ll see how training camp pans out.

More wideout talent headed to the AFC East. (/sourced reporter voice.) Reagor did not have an NFL snap last year and was released from the Chargers practice squad in October. The first-round bust has 1,037 receiving yards in five NFL seasons so far and is entering his age-27 season.