No NFL team has ever gone winless since the league introduced the 17-game season in 2021. The last team to end the year without a single win was the 0-16 Cleveland Browns in 2017. The Miami Dolphins could be next, however, and make the wrong kind of history this season.
The Dolphins' problems are multi-layered, from paying players who aren't on the team, to the makeup of their roster and their lack of star power or experience. And while it doesn't count, going winless in the preseason doesn't help their case either.
They begin their regular season on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, perhaps their best chance to avoid a winless season. They will then face the San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals to close out their first five games.
The Dolphins look like they're tanking, despite their new head coach Jeff Hafley saying they aren't. CBS Sports predicts the Dolphins will finish last in the AFC East. CBS Sports also predicted the 'Fins to go 0-17 as a "bold prediction," calling the team a "dumpster fire" with a "JV roster."
Here's a look at what makes this Dolphins team stand out for the wrong reasons:
Salary cap and spending
The salary cap is one of the more shocking elements of this Dolphins team. They have an NFL-record dead salary cap hit of $183 million this season, meaning they're paying that much for players not on their roster. The dead cap space is more than they are paying for players who actually made the 53-man roster ($104 million). You don't need an economics degree to know that's not the best business model.
Over 60% of their 2026 salary cap is tied up in dead money, which is unheard of. According to Spotrac, dating to the beginning of this stat tracked in 2011, no team has ever gone over 45% of its roster in dead money. It's another example of the Dolphins breaking records no team wants to break.
The dead money comes from Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Jalen Ramsey, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Bradley Chubb and Terron Armstead. Those releases and trades cost them. They are currently paying more for Tagovailoa, ($55 million this year and $99 million over the next two years), who plays for the Atlanta Falcons, than they are for their entire offense ($52 million). Yes, you read that right, for their entire offense. But more on their roster below.
The $52 million is last in the NFL in active salary cap on offense. Great players want to get paid, so this being a low number gives insight into the level of their roster.
Experience
Let's start with Hafley, who could prove to be great, but having no experience as an NFL head coach until now means there will likely be some growing pains and adjustments. An inexperienced coach on a proven team can still run into trouble, but as we will explore, this is no proven team.
The roster is filled with players yet to establish themselves. In total, their players have played the fewest games in the league (1,477), have the fewest Pro Bowls in the league (1, De'Von Achane in 2025) and have the fewest starts by any team to open a season in recorded NFL history (since at least 2000).
They had a league-high 13 players drafted and while many rookies take time to learn on the sidelines, many of their first years are expected to have to jump in right away due to the lack of options.
First-round guard Kadyn Proctor, first-round cornerback Chris Johnson, second-round linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, third-round rookie Caleb Douglas and fifth-round safety Michael Taaffe could all see early playing time. When the Dolphins step on to the field on Sept. 13 for their first regular-season game of the year, many of them will be doing it for the first time. The lack of experience doesn't exactly fill you with confidence that the season will be seemless.
Miami has the youngest active roster with an average age of 25, the most undrafted players with 18, the most rookies with 14 and the fewest 30-year-olds with just two.
A strong veteran presence is important on any team and even when there is a lot of talent, which is debatable here, experience is crucial.
Lack of depth
The team added Malik Willis this offseason, but behind him, their quarterback room is thin. Kyle McCord, a 2026 sixth-rounder, is listed as QB2. He has not been on a team outside of being an offseason or practice squad player and the 23-year-old has yet to take a snap in the league.
Brady Cook is listed as the third-stringer. He went undrafted in 2025 and spent last season with the New York Jets, where he played in five games, starting four and going 0-4 in those starts. He has a 57.5 completion percentage, two touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Malik Washington, Douglas and Chris Bell are all listed as their top options at wide receiver. Washington, who is in his third year, has yet to break 350 yards in a season, while Douglas and Bell, who is coming off an ACL injury suffered in November, are rookies.
Pass catchers aren't the only glaringly porous position. Their secondary is not strong, once again relying on rookies and players who have yet to be labeled as reliable.
Tanking
The free agents the team signed this offseason were all given one-year deals except for Willis. These moves show that the Dolphins are not bulking up their roster for the long term and seem to be riding out this year to start fresh heading into 2027.
It would not be surprising if more major changes happen during the next offseason. While it may seem too early to already be talking about the 2027 offseason, considering the 2026 season just began this week, for the Dolphins hopefuls, accepting this year as a wash now may make it sting less down the road.
The Dolphins are currently only favored to win one game: Week 12 at home against the New York Jets.
Miami currently holds the longest active playoff win drought in the league, going without a postseason win since 2000, the season after Dan Marino retired. It's hard to imagine this will be the year they snap that streak.
