‘It reminds me of what we were’—Few coaches understand Jeff Hafley’s rebuilding Miami Dolphins better than the one who just endorsed them
The Miami Dolphins’ 2026 reset offers shades of one of the league’s best…according to their own head coach.
When the Miami Dolphins decided to hit the reset button and hired head coach Jeff Hafley, the new man in charged offered some comparisons for what lied ahead for Miami. Hafley referenced his experiences with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco with the 49ers. That first season? 6-10 with an 0-9 start.
But that’s not the only rebuild that Miami can look to for inspiration. As a matter of fact, one of the other franchises who has walked in Miami’s shoes is going to line up across from them this Sunday. But don’t take my word for it…just ask Lions head coach Dan Campbell.
Dan Campbell sees plenty of his early Detroit Lions teams in the 2026 Miami Dolphins
“Coach Hafley’s done a good job in his first year. A lot of similarities — it reminds me of what we were when we came in. They’re young, they’re hungry, they’re active, they run, they hit, they hustle, they finish, try to play disciplined ball. And they’re playing that way.”
— Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell
Campbell’s rough start with the Lions was even more extreme than San Francisco’s 6-10 season under Shanahan. The Lions started 0-10-1 under Campbell in 2021 and the team needed a vote of confidence from team ownership early in 2022 after a 1-6 start in year two. In total, Campbell’s Lions started 4-19-1 in the first 24 games under his guidance before becoming a juggernaut team in years 3 & 4.
That’s certainly the kind of path Miami can hope for if all goes well under Hafley. Miami’s cap flush is certainly more extreme than what Detroit went through. But you can see the foundational pieces of the Lions’ roster added via the NFL Draft and see the road Miami wants to take. And Detroit’s first bet at quarterback was a castoff from Los Angeles in Jared Goff — it ended up being a good bet. Miami could only be so lucky with their own bet.
Sunday marks a great chance for the Dolphins to test their readiness against a team that’s walked in their shoes not that long ago. The team they’ve become on the other side of that foundational start? One to be reckoned with. That feels plenty far off for the 2026 Miami Dolphins — but Dan Campbell can see the vision. Can you?
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