What's Next for Dolphins After the 2026 Draft

Now that the all-important NFL draft is behind us, it's back to the offseason program for the Miami Dolphins as they head into May.

The Dolphins began Phase Two of the offseason program this week after they got an early jump because they have a new coach in Jeff Hafley.

During this phase, on-field workouts may include individual or group instruction and drills, as well as “perfect play drills,” and drills and plays with offensive players lining up across from offensive players and defensive players lining up across from defensive players, conducted at a walk-through pace. No live contact or team offense vs. team defense drills are permitted.

This will be followed by Phase Three with OTAs and the mandatory veteran minicamp, with that four-week period kicking off May 18.

In Phase Three, teams may conduct up to 10 days of organized team practice activity, or “OTAs," and the Dolphins will be having nine of those. No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are allowed.

The highlight of the month of May for fans will be the unveiling of the 2026 NFL regular season schedule, with the best guess as to when that will happen being Wednesday, May 13.

Here's the rundown of the official 2026 NFL offseason calendar from May onward. Miami Dolphins items of notes indicated.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE IMPORTANT 2026 OFFSEASON DATES

Dates Subject to change

MAY 2026

May 1 — Deadline for Clubs to exercise Fifth-Year Option for players selected in the first round of the 2023 Draft. The Dolphins did not have a first-round pick in 2023.

May 1-4 or May 8-11 — Clubs may elect to hold their one three-day post-Draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday on one of the two weekends following the Draft.

May 8-9 — Dolphins rookie minicamp

May 11 — Rookie Football Development Programs begin

May 13-17 — NFLPA Rookie Premiere, Los Angeles, California

May 18 — Phase Three of Dolphins offseason program

May 18-19, 21 — Dolphins OTAs

May 19-20 — Spring League Meeting, Orlando, Florida

May 26-27, 29 — Dolphins OTAs

JUNE 2026

June 1 — Deadline for prior club to send “June 1 Tender” to its unsigned restricted free agents who received a qualifying offer for a right of first refusal only in order for such player to be subject to the CBA’s “June 15 Tender” provision.

June 2-4 — Dolphins mandatory minicamp

June 8-9, 11 — Dolphins OTAs

June 15 — Deadline for club to withdraw higher qualifying offer to restricted free agents and still retain exclusive negotiating rights by substituting lower “June 15 Tender” of one-year contract at 110 percent of the player’s prior-year Paragraph 5 Salary (with all other terms of his prior-year contract carried forward unchanged).

Late June — Rookie Readiness Program to be held at individual clubs

JULY 2026

July 15 — At 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for any club that designated a Franchise Player to sign such player to a multiyear contract or extension. After this date, the player may sign only a one-year contract with his prior club for the 2026 season, and such contract cannot be extended until after the club’s last regular season game.

Mid-July — Clubs are permitted to open preseason training camp for rookies (defined as a player who has never signed an NFL player contract with a club in a prior league year) beginning seven days prior to the club’s mandatory reporting date for veteran players.
-- Clubs may require first-year players (defined as a player who signed a player contract with any NFL club in a prior league year, but who does not have a pension-credited season) to report on the designated reporting date for all rookies, or at any time thereafter, including, but not limited to, the designated reporting date for veteran quarterbacks and injured players, or the designated reporting date for all other veteran players.
-- Veteran quarterbacks and “injured players” (as defined in CBA Article 21, Section 6) may be required to report to the club’s preseason training camp no earlier than five days immediately prior to the mandatory reporting date for all other veteran players, provided the club has already opened (or simultaneously opens) its official preseason training camp for all rookies.
-- At 4:00 p.m. ET, on July 22 (or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp whichever is later) signing period ends for unrestricted free agents to whom a “UFA Tender” was made by prior club. After this date and until 4:00 p.m. ET, on the Tuesday following the 10th weekend of the regular season, prior club has exclusive negotiating rights. This applies to Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers after the team placed a UFA tender on him this week.

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