Do the Dolphins have the worst roster in NFL history? A look at their cap space, signings, depth, experience — SkimNews
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- Miami Dolphins carry an NFL-record $183 million in dead salary cap this season, exceeding the $104 million allocated to their actual 53-man roster, with over 60% of their 2026 cap tied up in dead money — a figure no team has surpassed 45% of in tracked history.
- Tua Tagovailoa costs the Dolphins $55 million this year ($99 million over two years) despite playing for the Atlanta Falcons — more than Miami's entire active offense ($52 million), which ranks last in the NFL.
- Miami's roster has the fewest career games played (1,477), fewest Pro Bowls (1 — De'Von Achane in 2025), and fewest career starts of any team to open a season in recorded NFL history, with an average age of 25, 18 undrafted players, 14 rookies, and just two players aged 30 or older.
- Malik Willis headlines the QB room, but his backups are 2026 sixth-rounder Kyle McCord (no NFL snaps) and Brady Cook (0-4 as a starter, 57.5% completion, 2 TDs, 7 INTs); top wideouts include Malik Washington, a rookie Caleb Douglas, and Chris Bell coming off a November ACL tear.
- All offseason free-agent signings received one-year deals except Willis, and the Dolphins are favored to win only one game — Week 12 at home against the New York Jets — per the betting line.
- Miami opens the regular season Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, followed by the San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, and Cincinnati Bengals; CBS Sports has predicted a 0-17 finish, calling the team a 'dumpster fire' with a 'JV roster.'
- The Dolphins hold the NFL's longest active playoff win drought, without a postseason victory since 2000 — the season after Dan Marino retired.
Why it matters: Miami is allocating more cap space to players no longer on its roster than to the ones who are — an unprecedented financial imbalance that signals a deliberate teardown rather than a competitive rebuild. With every free-agent signing except Malik Willis on a one-year deal and a 53-man roster featuring 14 rookies, the franchise appears to be conceding 2026 to reset for 2027, potentially producing the first 0-17 season in the 17-game era.
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