The Miami Dolphins had a very busy offseason, which has now been given a surprising grade.
The Miami Dolphins' offseason was full of twists and turns, as Jaylen Waddle and Minkah Fitzpatrick were traded, and Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, and Bradley Chubb were all released.
Following the addition of new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, he got busy filling the roster with low-cost veterans. Despite what could be a nightmare season for the Dolphins, they have been given a surprising offseason grade.
Per ESPN's Seth Walder, Miami has received an "A-" due to their intentional rebuild and the addition of Malik Willis.
"I think the Willis signing makes a world of sense for a team that's starting over. While he comes with clear red flags -- a tiny sample size, inability to rise up the depth chart in hist first two seasons in Tennessee -- I believe Willis is well worth the risk. His numbers in Green Bay were unbelievable -- an 86.3 QBR, 9.2 yards per dropback and a plus-7% completion percentage over expected, per NFL Next Gen Stats," Walder wrote.
Willis is a big risk for the Dolphins, but he did showcase some elite skills when taking over for Jordan Love. He can throw the ball downfield and use his legs to punish defenses as well.
Should he put that all together for Miami, the organization may not need to hit the drawing board again in 2027 to find a new passer to bet on.
Walder also indicated that just because the Dolphins released and traded many of their playmakers, their "intentional" rebuild is what allowed them such a grade.
"Considering the Dolphins rank third in 2027 cap space, per OverTheCap.com, could they have added a middle-class free agent at wide receiver, edge rusher, tight end, cornerback or safety to raise the floor? Sure. But it's hard to knock them too much considering how intentional they've been about their rebuild," Walder wrote.
One thing that Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley have done thus far is be transparent in what they are building. Hafley went so far as to not indicate the team has an identity yet, as training camp has not yet started.
Though the Dolphins could surprise many and be competitive in 2026, Sullivan also indicated he understood what he was getting into when he took over the front office.
The plan was to always plan for the future. The 2027 season will see a lot of the cap space come back to the team, along with getting younger, which is what Sullivan stated many times over needed to happen.
Walder's grade makes sense when you look at the grand scheme of things, and the future that the Dolphins are preparing for, which could be far more succesful if the rebuild continues to move in the right direction.
