The Miami Dolphins completely revamped the offense this offseason by releasing Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill, as well as trading Jaylen Waddle. As the Dolphins now rely on Malik Willis for the 2026 season, along with other big changes, NFL analyst Warren Sharp had a brutal outlook for the upcoming campaign.
Warren Sharp Predicts Rough 2026 Season for Rebuilt Miami Dolphins
Willis completed 78.7% of his passes over two seasons with the Green Bay Packers, averaging 10.9 yards per attempt while throwing 6 touchdowns. However, with only six starts with the Tennessee Titans and the Packers across four NFL seasons, there is still uncertainty surrounding how Miami’s offense will perform under his leadership in 2026.
Sharp also believes the Dolphins’ offense has limited potential with Willis at quarterback.
“If you look at Malik Willis, who’s now their quarterback, the way that he was winning games in Green Bay was not usually winning 41 to 37,” Sharp said. “It was winning 13 to 10, holding opposing teams to a few points and with good defense in Green Bay, and then doing enough offensively to win, running the ball at very high rates, things of that nature because you were in a close game.”
Miami’s offensive outlook has also changed dramatically after parting ways with 8-time Pro Bowl receiver Hill, who had long been the team’s top target, and Waddle, who posted a 78.4 PFN WR Impact Grade last season.
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Rather than throwing to established Pro Bowl-caliber receivers, Willis is now expected to rely on a young group featuring Malik Washington, Tutu Atwell, and Jalen Tolbert.
However, Sharp believes Miami’s biggest issue lies on the other side of the ball.
“The Miami Dolphins defense might be one of the worst in the NFL,” Sharp said. “They have very poor personnel. Their secondary is abysmal. It’s easy to look at the receiving core and say it’s terrible, but the defense might be even worse.
“And as a result of that, all these really good offenses that they’re going to play are going to score points. And when those teams are scoring points, it’s going to be hard to outscore them with Malik Willis and those wide receivers. I think from a personnel perspective, they do have the worst roster in the league.”
Sharp’s concerns highlight Miami’s defensive struggles late last season, when its secondary repeatedly gave up big plays. For example, in Week 16, the Cincinnati Bengals picked up a 45-21 win as Joe Burrow threw for more than 300 yards and 4 touchdowns.
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Based on those concerns, Sharp believes the Dolphins could finish with only two to four wins in 2026.
It remains to be seen if the Dolphins can prove Sharp wrong by winning more games, but they at least have some good news here. They will likely end up with one of the top picks in the 2027 NFL draft, potentially putting them in a position to target a franchise quarterback such as Arch Manning or CJ Carr.
