Three ways to assess Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley’s work in 2026 beyond the win column
Miami Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley is going to be laying foundational bricks for his team in 2026. How can we assess his work beyond the win column?
The Miami Dolphins‘ on-field product in 2026 is going to be working with some limitations.
Miami’s salary cap accounting sits somewhere around 60% locked up with dead cap charges. The roster, once cut to 53 players, will be among the youngest in all of football. Sweeping changes are afoot. So with all of that in mind, how can we assess the work that Jeff Hafley is doing? The win column is the obvious judgement for any team. But the finer details of Hafley’s work may (or may not!) need to be found a little deeper in 2026. Here are three ways we can judge Jeff Hafley beyond the win column.
Three ways to assess Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley’s work in 2026 beyond the win column
Finding the right roles for his ‘tweener’ players
Hafley has spoken often this offseason about the value of versatility. Then, the team came out and drafted several versatile defenders for his defense. Cornerback Chris Johnson profiles as someone who can play both inside and on the perimeter. Jacob Rodriguez is a three-down player with a knack for the football — but the team’s next two defenders drafted could play a number of different roles.
Linebacker/EDGE Trey Moore and linebacker/safety Kyle Louis blur the lines between levels of the defense. Hafley’s got them both, plus obviously Johnson. How clear was his vision for those players when the Dolphins made them the picks in April? If players like these can perform well, it should be considered a strong mark for Hafley.
It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish
The draw on the schedule looks, for now, to be very unforgiving. That, plus young players and a new scheme, could be a daunting cocktail of challenges. But what the Miami Dolphins can’t afford is what happened to the New York Jets last season. In Aaron Glenn’s first season, a year in which the team stripped down the star power for draft picks, the Jets 1-7 in their final 8 games. That’s tough. But it’s HOW they played that has left Glenn twisting on the hot seat all offseason after just one year.
The Jets were outscored 262-105 over those final 8 games, posting an average margin of defeat of nearly 20 points per game. There’s a 1-7 record, and then there’s a 1-7 record while you’re getting whitewashed every week. Hafley’s team needs to be playing their BEST football at the end of the 2026 season, not their worst.
Ensuring the team doesn’t beat itself
This is a big one. Is this team getting penalized a ton? Can the team get their play calls in on time? Are there too many men on the field? What does the communication look like? Is everyone on the same page and understanding the concept?
What about Hafley himself? Things like timeout usage and challenges can afford him a chance to establish himself as someone who can manage the game. Former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel struggled in this area. He won just four of his 21 career challenges as the Dolphins head coach. And many situational moments, like clock management, were questionable, too. If Hafley can get his team to play smart and efficient with their logistics, it’s a win. And if Hafley can effectively manage game situations on top of that? It’d be something to be excited about.
Miami Dolphins News