Why These Aren't the 2019 Dolphins (And Not Even Close)

The Miami Dolphins are off a tough start, though one that should not surprise anyone who has been paying attention to how they're operated since the start of the season, and it's frankly difficult to envision many wins as they navigate a tough 2026 schedule.

Fact is, it very well could end up that the Dolphins don't match the win total of the last edition of the franchise that underwent this kind of a rebuilding project, the 2019 team that finished with a 5-11 record.

But what was true at the start of the season remains true now and likely will remain true regardless of the 2026 Dolphins' win total: This team is ahead of the game compared to seven years ago.

COMPARING THE TWO BAD STARTS

The easy place to start here is that the Dolphins' two losses to start this season, while decisive, were several degrees less humbling than what took place in 2019.

For those who have forgotten — and we couldn't blame Dolphins fans from wanting to erase it from their memory bank — Miami lost its first two games by scores of 59-10 and 43-0. The two losses this year featured margins of 14 and 22 points, the 36-point point deficit in those two games coming in at 39 percent of the 92-point total of 2019.

And let's also remember that those two games in 2019 against the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots were played at Hard Rock Stadium, whereas the first two games this season were played on the road.

In those first two games against the Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco 49ers, the Dolphins have been outgained by a combined 129 yards. The yardage deficit in 2019 was 638, helped in part by the Ravens moving up and down the field in the opener to the tune of 643 total yards.

So there's simply no comparison between where the team is right now as opposed to this same time frame in 2019.

FUTURE OUTLOOK BETTER

Having established that the 2026 team was way more competitive at the start of the season than its 2019 counterpart, we'd also make the argument it's clearly more talented.

It's also very young and logic says it will get better, just like the 2019 team did when he broke through in the second half of that season to go 5-4 in its final nine games.

The 2026 team, though, shouldn't be judged by whether it can match or top that second-half run because the schedule still looks very daunting, even with the Los Angeles Chargers looking like a mess offensively in Mike McDaniel's first two games as their offensive coordinator.

The 2019 team was able to pull off a couple of significant upsets in the second half of that season with victories against playoff teams Philadelphia and, of course, New England, so there's no reason to think one or two of those games are coming for Jeff Hafley's team.

There's no guarantee, though, and it's not unrealistic that reaching five wins won't happen for this 2026 team.

Regardless of final record, the Dolphins should be in better shape heading into Phase Two of this rebuilding based on player development.

While the Dolphins are going to take their lumps in 2026 because they're playing so many rookies and rookies make rookie mistakes, they're getting a lot of those players valuable experience.

And it says here the Dolphins have a better foundation in place now than then.

In 2019, the foundational pieces were Christian Wilkins, Xavien Howard, maybe Davon Godchaux and Minkah Fitzpatrick — until he was traded after two games, in part, because he wanted no part of an obvious rebuild.

The 2026 team's foundational pieces include Kadyn Proctor, Chris Johnson, Jacob Rodriguez, Caleb Douglas, De'Von Achane, Patrick Paul, Jordyn Brooks, Aaron Brewer, and if things work out Chop Robinson, Kenneth Grant and Jonah Savaiinaea.

The Dolphins also are in better shape at quarterback because Malik Willis still could become the long-term answer — yes, it's still too early to make the call on that one — where by this time in 2019 it had become clear that Josh Rosen wasn't it and Ryan Fitzpatrick was nearing the end of his career.

Where the 2019 team did have an advantage is that by this date, the Dolphins already had secured two additional first-round pick for the next draft with the trades of Laremy Tunsil to the Houston Texans and Fitzpatrick to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Dolphins don't have an extra first-round pick to jump-start the rebuild next year and they don't have anybody on their roster who realistically could fetch one in a trade.

But the Dolphins also had six picks in the first three rounds this year — Proctor, Johnson, Rodrigue, Douglas, Will Kacmarek and Chris Bell — to create a foundation, whereas the only two picks in the first three rounds the Dolphins had in 2019 were Wilkins and offensive lineman Michael Deiter.

So, major advantage 2026 Dolphins.

That's kind of the theme here.

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