The Miami Dolphins have an early bye week in 2026, as they have this weekend off after starting their first year under head coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan with an 0-5 record.
While this week is a great time to reflect and evaluate where the team is, it's also a good opportunity to look to the rest of the season.
After this week off, the Dolphins have 12 straight games to end the year, and if they want better results, they'll need these four players to step up down the stretch.
QB Malik Willis
Miami brought in Willis to be their starting quarterback on a three-year, $67.5 million deal this offseason, and he's been disappointing through five weeks, completing just 56.2% of his passes for 849 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. While he's rushed for a career-high 186 yards and two touchdowns already, he's also fumbled five times.
An offense can only go as far as its quarterback will take it. Willis is taking it to a winless season so far.
RT Austin Jackson
Jackson is in the final season of a three-year, $36 million extension he signed back in 2023. The team revised the contract earlier this year to have most of his salary converted to bonuses and to add four void years to the end.
Over the past five weeks, Jackson has been one of the weak points on Miami's offensive line, as he's struggled to protect Willis at times. He needs to step up and play like a former first-round pick.
LB Chop Robinson
Another former first-round pick, Robinson has had a slow start to the season as well. He's missed a game due to a concussion, but in the other four weeks, he's recorded eight tackles, six quarterback hits and one sack. The Dolphins don't have much rushing opposite him, so it's a big ask, but they need him to get after the quarterback more.
CB Chris Johnson
One of Miami's two first-round picks in this year's draft, Johnson has the most on his plate of any of the rookies, as he's playing both slot and boundary corner in his first season. It's hard to ask much more of him, but according to Pro Football Reference's advanced coverage statistics, he's surrendering a 73.9% completion rate for 162 yards and two touchdowns for a 122.0 passer rating. Maybe he'd be better suited sticking at one spot, and that could happen if Storm Duck and Darrell Baker Jr. return from the PUP list soon.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: 4 Dolphins who need to play better after the bye week