Breaking Down the Remaining Dolphins UFAs (And Who Could Return)

The first wave of NFL free agency has come and gone for this 2026 offseason and it obviously was a very busy one for the Miami Dolphins.

It wasn't quite as fruitful, however, for their large group of unrestricted free agents.

At the start of day Tuesday, more than half of the Dolphins' 29 free agents (not including players who were released) remained without a team. That total was 16 players, to go along with the nine who signed with another team and the four who re-upped with Miami.

That list of remaining free agents consists of:
RB Alexander Mattison
WR Dee Eskridge
WR Cedrick Wilson Jr.
TE Darren Waller
T Yodny Cajuste
T Kendall Lamm
T Germain Ifedi
G Daniel Brunskill
DT Benito Jones
EDGE Quinton Bell
LB Caleb Johnson
CB Jack Jones
CB Rasul Douglas
CB Artie Burns
S Ifeatu Melifonwu
S Ashtyn Davis

The reality of the NFL is that some of those players will not be in the league next season, though a lot and maybe most will.

And the possibility certainly does exist that one or more could be back with the Dolphins.

THE MAJOR REMAINING FREE AGENTS

The big names on that list clearly are Waller, Douglas and to a lesser degree Jones.

One element to establish immediately is the fact that a lot of older players don't sign early in free agency, particularly those who might be costly.

The two factors are play here are certain veterans' desire to bypass the offseason program along with the compensatory pick formula, where players signed after June no longer factor into the gained/lost equation.

This is why somebody like Douglas, who is coming off a very good season and could help a lot of teams at cornerback, might not sign before June.

With Waller, this might be more about not wanting to go through an offseason program.

As an example, remember that the Dolphins didn't sign Calais Campbell until June 13 in 2024 — and that moved worked out pretty well.

Of all the Dolphins free agent signings this offseason, basically every single one has been for the veteran minimum with the obvious exception of QB Malik Willis, and this could come into play if the Dolphins were interested in bringing back Jack Jones, who likely would be looking for more after starting every game last season.

THE MOST LIKELY FREE AGENT TO RETURN ... IF ANY

The Dolphins already have re-signed tight end Greg Dulcich, cornerback A.J. Green III, kicker Riley Patterson, linebacker Willie Gay Jr., and defensive lineman Matthew Butler, so who is most likely to join them in returning?

Based on the combination of age and finances — because those have been key elements in the Dolphins' approach with a focus on young and cheap labor — there's one name that really stands out and that's linebacker Caleb Johnson.

Johnson is 28 and could be brought back as a core special teams player and he likely won't cost more than the veteran minimum, though the one issue with Johnson is that he ended the 2025 season on injured reserve with a should injury and he obviously has to be able to pass a physical to get a new deal.

A look at the rest of the Dolphins free agents shows players getting close to 30 or with injury concerns, either of which might not make them very appealing in a rebuilding year where one-year contracts are the rule.

So it very well might be that the Dolphins are done with re-signing their own free agents.

THE MIAMI DOLPHINS 2026 FREE AGENCY SCORECARD (as of March 24)

Signed
QB Malik Willis (Green Bay)
WR Jalen Tolbert (Dallas)
WR Tutu Atwell (L.A. Rams)
TE Ben Sims (Minnesota)
T Charlie Heck (Tampa Bay)
G/T Jamaree Salyer (L.A. Chargers)
EDGE Josh Uche (Philadelphia)
EDGE Robert Beal Jr. (San Francisco)
CB Alex Austin (New England)
CB Marco Wilson (Cincinnati)
CB Darrell Baker Jr. (Tennessee)
S Lonnie Johnson Jr. (Las Vegas)
S Zayne Anderson (Green Bay)
K Zane Gonzalez (Atlanta)
P Bradley Pinion (Atlanta)
P Seth Vernon
LS Tucker Addington
LS Taybor Pepper

Re-signed
TE Greg Dulcich
DT Matthew Butler
EDGE Cameron Goode
LB Willie Gay Jr.
CB Ethan Bonner
CB A.J. Green III
K Riley Patterson

Signed with another team
QB Tua Tagovailoa (Atlanta)
FB Alec Ingold (L.A. Chargers)
TE Julian Hill (New England)
G Cole Strange (L.A. Chargers)
T Larry Borom (Detroit)
EDGE Bradley Chubb (Buffalo)
CB Kader Kohou (Kansas City)
DB Elijah Campbell (N.Y. Giants)
K Jason Sanders (N.Y. Giants)
P Jake Bailey (Atlanta)
LS Joe Cardona (L.A. Rams)

Traded
WR Jaylen Waddle (Denver)
S Minkah Fitzpatrick (N.Y. Jets)