FLSportsDesk · The Dolphins Journal

What the desk said. Dated.

Every call on the record. The words do not change after publication.

Thursday, September 24, 2026First edition · The read holds. Confidence 87/100.

What changed

Miami fell from 0-1 to 0-2 with a 35-13 loss at Levi's Stadium, adding a second regular-season result. Active space sits at $7,945,143, nine players are on injured reserve or out, and kicker tryouts and injury updates have surfaced through single-source reports. Confidence holds because the second loss reinforced the basement forecast.

Why it matters

Miami is 0-2, outscored 62-26 and alone in the AFC East basement after losses of 27-13 at Las Vegas and 35-13 at San Francisco. Head coach Jeff Hafley is sorting young talent around quarterback Malik Willis and running back De'Von Achane. The ceiling sits near four wins, the No. 1 pick is in play and this season is about finding starters, not chasing the playoffs.

What to watch

Watch the Sept. 27 home opener against the Kansas City Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium. Willis' completion rate and yards per attempt, Achane's workload and yards per carry, and any official lineup change will show whether the youth movement stays credible or starts sliding toward draft position.

What would change our mind

Efficient passing from Willis across multiple regular-season games, paired with clear improvement from at least two last-place units, would force a higher grade. One road upset would not.

The counterevidence

Collapsing protection and coverage set the hard ceiling. Miami has allowed nine sacks while recording none, surrendered a 78.8 percent completion rate and allowed touchdowns on 88.9 percent of red-zon
The offense stalls when the field shrinks. Miami is 9 of 25 on third down with a 20 percent red-zone touchdown rate, leaving Willis without a proven outlet in money situations.
Nine players are on injured reserve or out with no verified timetables. Dolphin Nation alone has reported possible lineup changes, and no replacement rotation is settled. That points to more churn, no

Evidence on record: 51 linked sources. Content id dolphins-journal-20260924-e1.

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