For those who believe the Dolphins are tanking in 2026, one trend contradicts that conclusion: They’re kicking as much cap space as they can into future years.
Case in point, and as first noted by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald: The Dolphins recently restructured the contracts of running back De’Von Achane and center Aaron Brewer, lowering their cap charges for the current year.
Achane is in the last year of his rookie contract, at a salary of $5.7 million. Via Spotrac.com, Miami added four void years to the deal, allowing the bulk of the contract to be paid as a signing bonus and pushing $3.6 million into future years.
As to Brewer’s deal, the Dolphins converted $5.25 million into a signing bonus, creating $4.2 million in cap space.
That said, the can-kicking was more necessity than luxury. Cutting Tua Tagovailoa will result in $99.2 million in dead-money charges over the next two years. For that and other reasons, the Dolphins are currently in the worst shape of all 32 franchises, as it relates to the 2026 cap.
The recent trade of receiver Jaylen Waddle added to that burden, given that pre-June 1 trades trigger full acceleration of all prorated guaranteed payments.
As to Achane, who is now on the books for the minimum salary of $1.145 million, it makes the price for any potential trade more expensive for his new team, since Miami has already paid the bulk of Achane’s 2026 pay. (And, yes, the team has gotten the word out that Achane is “not available.” As recently explained, however, he’s surely not among the handful of truly untradeable NFL players.)
The bottom line is that the new regime in Miami inherited a mess. Both as to the roster and as to the cap. The only good news is that these dynamics push the bar even lower for the Dolphins in 2026. Neither G.M. Jon-Eric Sullivan nor coach Jeff Hafley will be facing serious scrutiny regarding the performance of the team until 2027.
And if the Dolphins somehow contend for a playoff berth this year, they’ll both be regarded as heroes.
When the Dolphins signed Jalen Tolbert last week, he was in line to complement Jaylen Waddle at wide receiver but those plans changed this week.
Waddle was shipped to the Broncos in a trade that continued a major overhaul of the roster in Miami by new General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. The move left Tolbert, fellow new arrival Tutu Atwell and Malik Washington at the top of the receiver depth chart for the Dolphins.
The makeup of that group hasn’t led to a lot of positive feelings about the team’s outlook for the fall, but Tolbert said he already saw joining the Dolphins as a chance to expand his offensive role and it has only gotten bigger in the last few days.
“Obviously, all we ever can ask for is opportunity,” Tolbert said, via Ryan Mackey of WPLG. “I felt like this was the best opportunity and I’m excited about it.”
Tolbert only had 18 catches with the Cowboys last season, but he should have a good chance at picking up a lot more touches in his current situation.
Free agent defensive tackle Christian Wilkins did not play last season. He intends to play in 2026.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Wilkins continues to rehab his foot injury from 2024 but has heard from 26 teams about interest.
“Wilkins is expected to have a new home as soon as he wants,” Schefter wrote on social media.
Wilkins, 30, played only five games in 2024 because of a Jones fracture in his left foot. The Raiders voided the remainder of his $35.2 million in guaranteed money on his contract and cut him last July reportedly for how he treated his rehab.
An incident involving a teammate reportedly may also have played a factor.
Wilkins missed only two games in his first five seasons before landing in Las Vegas. He has totaled 372 tackles, 22.5 sacks and 56 quarterback hits since the Dolphins made him a first-round pick.
Wilkins, who signed a four-year, $110 million deal with the Raiders in free agency in 2024, now is faced with having to prove it again.
It’s been more than four years since Brian Flores filed his landmark race discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and various teams. The case remains stuck at square one.
The six teams that are the subject of claims made by Flores, Steve Wilks, and Ray Horton — the Dolphins, Giants, Broncos, Texans, Cardinals, and Titans — continue to seek a stay of the proceedings, pending multiple different appeals. This week, the presiding judge declined to stay the litigation.
Currently, the Giants, Broncos, and Texans have a petition for appeal pending before the U.S. Supreme Court on the question of whether the claims made against them require mandatory arbitration. A ruling is expected within the next month or so. (The Supreme Court first has to accept the appeal before resolving the issue.)
The Dolphins, Cardinals, and Titans more recently had their efforts to force arbitration denied. That will inevitably be the subject of another petition for appeal to the Supreme Court, based on the broader conclusion that the NFL’s entire system of arbitration controlled by the NFL has been struck down.
Like most defendants to civil litigation, there’s value in slowing the process down as much as possible. Flores, Wilks, and Horton want to move the case along.
While, like all parties in civil cases, appeal rights can be exercised as to certain issues before the case has ended, there’s a point at which justice delayed becomes justice denied. It has been more than four years. At some point, it’s time to start addressing the merits of the case, and to stop spinning the wheels of the court system on the threshold question of where and how the case is going to be litigated.
As to the notion that the case would have moved faster if the plaintiffs had accepted the league’s arbitration procedures (even if the process is inherently rigged against them), consider this — the league’s designated arbitrator (according to the plaintiffs) did nothing with the claims for more than a year.
A defendant to a civil case can run, but it cannot hide. Unfortunately, the NFL and the six teams that have been sued have managed to run an ultramarathon in the effort to avoid having to answer the specific claims that Flores, Wilks, and Horton have made.
Common sense suggests that, if the NFL and the six teams had any real confidence in its arguments on the merits, they would eventually stand and fight instead.
The Dolphins have added a new long snapper to their roster.
They announced the signing of Taybor Pepper on Thursday. It will be Pepper’s second stint with the team as he was also in Miami during the 2019 season.
Pepper moved on to the 49ers the next year and remained with the team until being released last March. He did not play for anyone during the 2025 season.
Pepper also played in four games for the Packers in 2017 and he has been credited with two tackles over the course of his career.
The Dolphins also signed Tucker Addington this month, so they have a pair of long snappers to evaluate heading into head coach Jeff Hafley’s first season.
