MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The Miami Dolphins are an underdog in all 17 of their games this season, according to ESPN's matchup predictor. They say they are not paying attention to any predictions, but are embracing the underdog mentality the low expectations have helped create.
The Dolphins' projected win total for the 2026 season is 4.5 games, and early mock drafts already have them earning the No. 1 pick in the 2027 draft.
First-year coach Jeff Hafley said there will be an increased focus on player development this season, but the goal is still to win games. Whether anyone else believes they're capable of doing so is none of Miami's concern.
"I don't think we have a choice [but to have an underdog mindset], honestly," linebacker Jordyn Brooks said. "I don't think there's one outlet on social media, anybody that's got us picked to win anything. Not that it matters, but that's just what it is. I don't think any of our opponents respect us. So, 100% underdog mindset, and I think that's always the best position to be in.
"We're going to carry that mindset into the season and have that 'us against the world' mentality and do our best to win football games."
Miami will field the youngest roster in the NFL this season, thanks in part to a 13-player rookie class -- all of whom made the initial 53-man roster, although seventh-round pick Max Llewellyn was waived and re-signed to the practice squad.
This was always the plan for the Dolphins, who will absorb an NFL-record $180 million of dead cap money in an effort to get younger and cheaper. That youth might not help the team win games right away, but Hafley said it will help build a foundation for the future.
"We knew we'd be a young team," he said. "And that's all along, we've talked about developing and I've talked about the process and I've talked about the foundation and I've talked about the culture. Usually, you start those things and you're pretty young. I mean, you can look at that and say, 'Oh, we're so young.' I look at that and I'm excited about that. We are excited to develop that. We're excited for the hunger that they have.
"You mix in some good vets in the pieces that I've said all along that we already have here, and I'm excited to get the process started. And again, that's with the intent to win games, right? I think everybody has misconstrued that with the end result, winning, but it's going to be fun to get these guys going."
One of Miami's 13 draft picks, second-round linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, progressed to a point this summer where the team felt comfortable making one of its surprise moves of the offseason -- cutting last year's starter, Tyrel Dodson.
Brooks called Rodriguez a "rookie vet" who has gotten "better and better" since OTAs. And Hafley said he's excited about where the former Texas Tech star is on the eve of his rookie season. Rodriguez said Miami's rookie class is tight-knit and ready to accept the responsibility of rebuilding a team that has turned in consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 2019.
"I think coming from college, we're all fresh. We all want to do the right thing," he said. "We're all close, we want to come together and try to play the best football we can. There's a lot of responsibility to that, but I think I just kind of mentioned it: You got a job to do. You got to be a pro about it and you got to come in and do the right thing.
"If you love football and don't love as much of what football can do for you and you're in here all the time, you're having fun, you're enjoying the people around you, I think you can start having fun with this and start playing well."
The Dolphins start the season next week with a two-game road trip against the Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco 49ers. Then they host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3 to round out the opening month. According to Mike Clay's season projections, their highest probability to win a game will come in their Week 12 home matchup with the New York Jets (33%).
Not that it matters to anyone in Miami's locker room.
"I don't pay attention to that stuff, I never have," defensive tackle Zach Sieler said. "I'm kind of an underdog story my whole life, my whole career. So, I really don't. The outside noise and all that stuff. There hasn't been a single snap of football played yet this year. So to do that, it's all off of last season's whatever. We've all seen guys and teams make massive jumps in a matter of a year.
"I'm very excited for this team and where we're going to go, and I think guys have the passion, the love and the 'know-how' to want to be the best, every day."
