This past week, I highlighted the media’s take on the upcoming season, record-wise, for our Miami Dolphins. The overall consensus in the media seems to run between 2 and 5 wins, with the over/under sitting around 4.5 wins. I then asked the following question:
What do you see as a realistic record for the 2026-2027 Miami Dolphins? Is your take more optimistic than the national media’s? If so, what’s the reason for this, in your opinion (ignorance, bias, etc.)?
Below are some of your thoughts and answers-
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UpInPensacola says it will be 5 to 8 wins and has some questions for you, Giants fans.
5 to 8 wins.
Hey everyone, I have a question for any NYG followers out there.
When Harbaugh departed from Baltimore, people on Phinsider threads were begging to hire him in Miami.
How did JohnHarbaugh’s draft choices go over in NY, and what are their projections for the G Men this season? How do Harbaugh’s picks and expectations compare to JES thus far?
Phins1972 says don’t focus on the record for a rebuild in year one.
Any fan that is focused on the number of wins that the team will have should probably take the year off and find another Sunday activity. All signs point to an ugly year with a lot of ugly play and an ugly record. Best things to focus on are, how do the rookies, 2nd year players look, can Hafley coach, and keep an eye on which college QB looks the part of a franchise player.
PA phinphan says it’s as low as 5 wins and optimistically as high as 9 wins.
If I were a betting man, I’d take the over. 5 wins at the least 9 at the most. If the defense picks up the defensive scheme has in mind and Achane stays healthy, winning close games is a realistic possibility. The ideal number would be 20.
Ksphinfan believes that nothing will change.
Same as it ever was
Same as it ever was
Talking Heads
sdphinsfan believes it’s going to be between 3 and 6 wins, depending on how well the coaching staff does.
If Proctor and Savi are solid, and some of the young guys on Defense come along fairly quickly, this team, for all of it warts, is going to be a tough out for anybody. If Haf is better than MM with game operation, etc, this team could win a couple of extra games on that alone. I can believe a scenario where this team wins 3-4 games. I can believe a scenario where we win 5-6 games. And if the stars fully align, they could push for a winning season. Thing is, nobody knows…We’ve got a new staff, a bunch of new (and young) players, and we haven’t had training camp yet.
TheRoo1 seems skeptical of the whole thing.
The stars would have align perfectly for our untried DB’s, a wizard with medicinal powers would have to reside in AJ’s back pocket, and Willis would have to don his cape and become the “M an of steel”, but yeah, a winning season could happen. Oh yeah,,, forgot the other thing.
JUK knows that record is a poor metric of how good a roster is across the board and that this team is still more solid in certain areas than most of the media is willing to give them credit for.
I don’t think predicted record is a very useful method of assessing the team to be honest. As others have said how competitive we are on a week to week basis is more important as a couple of field goals made or missed, a dodgy call and the bounce of a fumble or two can easily be the difference between 3 and 7 wins. The giants won 4 games last year with a -58 point differential, the jets, titans and raiders were all around -200 for their 3 wins, I know which one i think is a better base to build from.
That said, there is 100% a lot of ignorance in the national narrative about some of the dolphins players and position groups. As an example there was a consensus o line ranking from a mixture of media and fantasy sources last week that had the dolphins 30th.
Last year the Dolphins were 5th in yards per carry (higher if you take out QB runs which are much less based on line play) and 16th in sacks allowed. Thats partly down to Achane of course but it’s nowhere near a bottom 5 line. They still have their all Pro center and one of the best young LTs in the league. In the other spots you’re swapping a top 12 pick for Cole strange and Jackson/Salyer for Borom/Jackson. on what possible planet is that a bottom 3 o line given what we saw last season? Even if you project no improvement at all from the 3 mon Brewer/Paul slots it’s nowhere near that bad. If you get 2 out of 3 of proctor being a hit, Jonah improving and Jackson staying healthy it’s above average for sure.
StanleyDoyle1 doesn’t want to worry about win totals on a team full of players that still need to be developed.
There’s always a chance a player with no proven track record will surprise. But the team’s problem is there are entire position groups with no track record: the Fins have no proven pass rusher, no proven cornerback, no proven receiver, no proven QB. Everyone is developmental. So let’s set the bar realistically at two wins, and instead of watching the season expecting wins, watch the development of young players who could be stars down the road – like the Dolphins’ draft class.
xpatriot believes that 3 wins is a high bar on a team that doesn’t have enough talent.
I agree with the pundits who think the win total is around 3 -4 games… or less. That’s based upon the total talent Miami has compared to the total amount of experience applying that talent towards winning games along with the strength of schedule. One of the single greatest factors of Miami’s success is the seasonal point differential. There’s very little to show Miami has the talent on both sides of the ball – along with the strength of schedule – for this upcoming season to produce enough offense and foster enough defense to produce anything much better that what we tragically witnessed in 2019. Outside of the Raiders and the Jests, the remaining teams on Miami’s schedule are all developing rosters and/or continuing to improve on their rosters with the talent and experience that can produce deep playoff runs. Miami has none of that.
Phoenix6 is feeling fairly optimistic, all things given.
What do you see as a realistic r ecord for the 2026-2027 Miami Dolphins?
Worst case: Wins 7, Losses 10
Best case: Wins 9, Losses 8
(with possible playoff)
Is your take more optimistic than the national media’s?
From what I’ve been r eading, my take is way more optimistic, even in the worst case.
Most have Miami 4 – 5 wins tops.
If so, what’s your reasoning?
Over the last 4yrs (McDaniel tenure), f ans here had questions at QB, O-line, D-line Corner & Safety.
This is a different yr, but with the same questions at the s ame positions.
The possibility is there. All things seem to be equal, so the out come shouldn’t be much worse or better.
MiamiItaliano says it will remain about the same as last season despite the massive personnel turnover.
7-10, same as last season. The national media is more negative. They think the Dolphins will be a top 3 pick in the 2027 draft. It’s due to ignorance.
While there is a general consensus that this is not yet a playoff-caliber team, some remain optimistic that we might stay competitive enough to remain in the hunt. I am personally more focused on disciplined play and minimizing unforced errors, as that progress is more important to me than the final record at this stage of the rebuild. I am also eager to see how the new additions and younger veterans develop under this new coaching staff. Thank you all for your consistent participation and for taking the time to share your insights in the Phinsider Question Of The Day posts.
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