Key additions in free agency: G James Daniels, LB Tyrel Dodson, QB Zach Wilson, WR Nick Westbrook, CB Ifeatu Melifonwu. Also added CB Minkah Fitzpatrick in trade with Steelers, as well as TE Darren Waller after a year of retirement.
Key additions in the draft: DT Kenneth Grant, OT Jonah Savaiinaea, DT Jordan Phillips, CB Jason Marshall Jr., S Dante Trader Jr., RB Ollie Gordon II, QB Quinn Ewers, DT Zeek Biggers.
Changes from last year: On the surface, the Dolphins didn't change a lot from last year. The quarterback remains the same, the playmakers on offense are largely the same, despite the departure of RB Raheem Mostert, and the bulk of the coaching staff is still in place. But the changes they did make were big, and have been deeper into the summer.
On June 30, the Dolphins traded CB Jalen Ramsey and TE Jonnu Smith (plus a 2027 seventh-round pick) to the Steelers, in exchanges for S Minkah Fitzpatrick. This is a return for Fitzpatrick, who was drafted to Miami in 2018, but could never quite find his footing with the then staff. Now, he gets a second shot in a secondary that will need the veteran experience.
After trading Smith—who was the second leading receiving for Tua last season with 884 yards and a team-leading 88 receptions—the Dolphins needed some proven tight-end production. Given how late the calendar is into free agency, Miami had to get creative. That meant talking Darren Waller out of retirement. The tight end will technically come to Miami via a trade with the New York Giants, whom he last played for. A former Pro Bowler with eight years in the league, Waller had 52 receptions for 552 yards and a touchdown in 2024.