Alex Orenczuk
•7/28/2026
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (WINK) — The Miami Dolphins opened training camp with Jeff Hafley setting the standard and Malik Willis taking over at quarterback as the franchise tries to improve on last season’s 7-10 finish.
Hafley, hired in January as the 12th head coach in franchise history, began camp with some positive news: Every player passed the team’s conditioning test. He said it will take four or five practices before coaches can fully evaluate how the roster returned from the break.
“I want them to see a physical team that lays it on the line, that plays together, that has fun together,” Hafley said. “A smart football team, who plays as hard as they can, for as long as they can, and enjoys playing together.”
Miami also used the offseason to make long-term commitments to several core players. Running back De’Von Achane signed an extension through 2030, while center Aaron Brewer and linebacker Jordyn Brooks signed deals through 2029.
Brooks said general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan followed through on the organization’s plan to retain all three players.
“I feel like it’s unfinished business here in Miami for me personally,” Brooks said.
Those deals stand out on a roster filled with short-term contracts. Hafley said the Dolphins “probably have more guys on one year deals than anybody in the NFL,” leaving many players to compete for both roster spots and their futures during camp. He said that urgency could lead to players practicing at a higher level and pushing one another throughout the preseason.
The Dolphins’ latest roster move came Monday when they signed veteran edge rusher Clelin Ferrell and waived defensive lineman Kahlil Saunders. Ferrell, an eight-year NFL veteran, joins a defense Hafley wants to play with greater toughness and physicality.
The most significant offensive change is Willis, whom Miami signed as an unrestricted free agent in March. Willis spent part of the summer holding voluntary workouts with six or seven Dolphins receivers in Jacksonville. He said the sessions allowed him to learn details such as how quickly each receiver exits his break and where each player prefers the ball.
Willis also dismissed outside questions about whether Miami has enough proven receiving threats.
“Every team has good players,” Willis said. “It’s just putting them in position to be successful, and all the guys that have big names at one point didn’t have a big name, and I think that’s how it goes. You just got to prove it and that’s where we’re at right now.”
Hafley said Willis’ confidence and chemistry with the receiving corps will be central to his development during camp.
