Dolphins Should Lean on the Ground Game in 2026

Miami Gardens, FL — When Jeff Hafley steps onto the Dolphins’ practice field for his first training-camp practice as head coach, he will do so with the league’s youngest roster and one of its thinnest depth charts. Projected to be among the most talent-deficient teams in 2026, Miami enters the season without the firepower to win track meets and without a lock-down defense that can survive a shootout. The simplest, most repeatable path to staying competitive, according to coaches and analysts inside the building, is to shrink the game itself—and that means handing the ball off early and often.

The math is straightforward: fewer possessions limit the number of chances an overmatched roster has to make crippling mistakes, and a methodical ground attack keeps the clock rolling. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, hired to craft a scheme around a still-to-be-named first-time starting quarterback, has the backfield personnel to execute that plan.

De’Von Achane is the headliner after churning out 1,350 rushing yards last season. Behind him, Jaylen Wright and rookie Ollie Gordon II provide contrasting styles—Wright’s burst to the edge and Gordon’s between-the-tackles physicality—that allow Slowik to sequence 11-on-11 looks while keeping Achane fresh. The trio’s collective youth dovetails with a roster-wide emphasis on development rather than star power.

A run-heavy script also serves the quarterback, whether it ends up being Malik Willis, Quinn Ewers, or a draft pick yet to arrive. Short second- and third-down distances simplify reads, reduce coverage disguises, and protect a signal-caller learning on the job. The same logic applies up front. With right guard and right tackle unsettled after the likely departures of veterans James Daniels and Austin Jackson—both prime salary-cap casualties—coaches can ease new starters into live action by letting them fire off the ball rather than back-pedal into pass sets.

Every lineman, one staffer noted, would rather drive-block than protect the edge against elite rushers. Running behind those question marks early in the season accelerates their comfort level and masks inexperience.

The schedule offers little respite. San Francisco, Minnesota, Denver and the Los Angeles Chargers all dot the 2026 slate, each bringing top-tier fronts that feast on one-dimensional offenses. Shortening possessions against those units becomes mandatory, not optional.

Hafley, who built a reputation for detail and discipline, has already told assistants that complementary football—winning field position, limiting turnovers, and controlling tempo—will be the franchise’s identity while the talent base is rebuilt. In practice, that translates to a simple mandate for Slowik: pound the rock, control the clock, and give the Dolphins a puncher’s chance every Sunday.

Miami may not have the horses to blow opponents off the ball, but in a season where moral victories could translate to narrow losses instead of routs, the ground game is the surest equalizer.