Willis Signing Leads List of the Top Offseason Transactions That Will Help Shape the 2026 Dolphins

The signing of UFL tackle Gottlieb Ayudze this week was the 69th official Miami Dolphins transaction since the start of the 2026 league March 11, though obviously not one of the most significant ones.

The Dolphins did make their share of very consequential moves this offseason, but most of them took place in March and April.

They included some franchise-altering transactions, the most notable being the change at quarterback.

There are six transactions in particular that really stand out when it comes to shaping the Miami Dolphins a little more than a month away from the start of training camp.

THE SIX OFFSEASON TRANSACTIONS THAT WILL SHAPE THE 2026 DOLPHINS

1. QB Malik Willis Signing

Yeah, that's clearly the obvious one because it always starts with the quarterback. Willis was linked to the Dolphins before the start of free agency because of his past connection with new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and new head coach Jeff Hafley and what they saw on a daily basis the past two years — probably above and beyond his impressive starts with the Green Bay Packers — convinced them he was their guy for 2026 and hopefully beyond. How it plays out with Willis, though, will have consequences (good or bad) far beyond the upcoming season.

2. WR Jaylen Waddle Trade

This was the final stamp that the Dolphins were looking at their situation through a long-term lense and not so much focused on the 2026 season because there's no way to think the offense will be better off without the speedy former first-round pick. While there's no arguing about the quality return the Dolphins got in the trade with the Denver Broncos, the offense also will look different without Waddle and the constant big-play threat he brought. The other factor involved here is that the Dolphins saw Waddle's cap number jump up with his trade, which prevented them from perhaps adding other veterans.

3. OL Kadyn Proctor Selected in the First Round

One could make an argument the selection of Proctor will end up being more impactful in 2026 than the loss of Waddle, particularly if Proctor delivers on the promise he brought as the 12th overall selection in the draft. If Proctor proves as good as advertised, the Dolphins offensive line could take a massive step forward and that in turn could drastically change — and improve — the entire offense.

4. RB De'Von Achane Contract Extension

This was very significant because until the extension got done, there always seemed to be the possibility that the Dolphins could move Achane for the right price and that would have left the offense without its best player.

5. CB Chris Johnson Selected in the First Round

This is part 2 of the Waddle trade and it could turn out in the long run that Johnson could be more valuable to team success, though that's a tough ask for 2026 when Johnson is coming in as a rookie as part of a very inexperienced secondary. But the early returns through the offseason program certainly were encouraging.

6. QB Tua Tagovailoa Released

We certainly couldn't leave out the Tua move, which didn't become official until the new league year even though it long had been known he wouldn't be back. Since the Dolphins are devoted basically the same amount of cap space with Tua off the roster as they would have with him on there, the question of whether this was the right move certainly will surface should something happen to get Willis out of the starting lineup.

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