Dolphins land in basement in latest 2026 NFL power rankings

It has definitely been an interesting offseason for the Miami Dolphins. 

After another disappointing season in 2025, the team cleaned house, both the coaching staff and the roster. Countless productive players were jettisoned to save money, and head coach Mike McDaniel was also shown the door. 

In response, the team made a lot of moves, but not many IMPACT moves. The team took a big gamble on quarterback Malik Willis in free agency, who doesn't exactly have the longest track record, and made a number of other just average signings. 

Most analysts did like what the Dolphins did in the draft, but again, most of the additions seem to indicate a desire to compete in the future, not necessarily in 2026. 

As a result, it's no surprise that pretty much every power ranking has the Dolphins near the bottom. Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr released his updated rankings and he has the Dolphins at No. 31, ahead of only the also-rebuilding Arizona Cardinals. 

Regarding the Dolphins' placement, Orr offered the following: 

The Dolphins succeeded in the draft, insofar as they could not fail. The lack of talent on the roster was so pronounced that any pick would have made sense for new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. Swinging at Kadyn Proctor was the right move both tonally and strategically for a team that lacked the necessary grit and toughness to execute former head coach Mike McDaniel’s vision.

It's never a good sign when an analyst thinks your roster is so atrocious that literally any draft pick at all makes it slightly better. The Dolphins apparently agreed, though, as they took a whopping 13 players during the 2026 draft. 

It's hard not see Orr's reasoning in having the Dolphins so low. Unless Willis plays like a top 10 quarterback in the league, it's hard to imagine many wins for this team. The pass-catcher group is probably the worst in the league, so it's really hard to see how Willis is even being set up for success. 

The defense doesn't look much more promising either. Several rookies and mediocre free agent additions will be relied upon to play large roles. The team is also slated to play a brutally hard schedule in 2026, further complicating things. 

The good news is, the 2027 NFL Draft seems to be loaded with talent at the top. If the Willis experiment doesn't work out, the team should have plenty of opportunities to replace him in the draft. 

More NFL news:

• Is Carnell Tate going to be a WR1 for the Titans? 
• Will the Cardinals give up on Carson Beck quickly? 
• Jets get good and bad news regarding the 2027 draft 
• One analyst loved what the Cowboys did in 2026 draft
• Vikings roasted for questionable 2026 draft 
• Jaguars, James Gladstone's 2026 draft graded harshly