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The Miami Dolphins are heading into an offseason of change and rebuilding. They have attacked the early free agency period with a deliberate plan, looking for depth pieces who can help on special teams and on offense or defense. They have primarily stuck to one-year, veteran-minimum style contracts, working to get the team’s salary cap situation under control.
The first signing they made was also the one splashy move the team is likely to make, adding quarterback Malik Willis from the Green Bay Packers. As the team moves on from the Tua Tagovailoa era, Willis immediately filled a massive hole on the roster. But what about the rest of the team’s needs?
Our SB Nation Reacts poll returned this week to ask you what you thought Miami’s biggest offseason need is.
What is the Dolphins’ top offseason need?
Miami is not expected to be a threat to many teams this year, with FanDuel Sportsbook only giving them a total of 4.5 wins for the over/under. What do they have to do to reach the over? You think it starts where it seems to have started for several years now with the Dolphins: improving the offensive line.
Miami’s offensive line has been a long work in progress. Every time they seem to address it, something else happens. Last year, injuries continually hit the line and they were constantly needing the next man up on the depth chart.
Cornerback came in second in the vote, and, like the offensive line, it was a position decimated by injury in 2025. The front office, led by new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, has already signed several cornerbacks and safeties, but many of those players are probably depth options, not the top starter you would want to have in Week 1.
What do you think of these results? Do you agree with Miami’s top needs or did you vote for someone else? Head to the comments to let us know.
Who will start at quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons?
The Atlanta Falcons signed former Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa shortly after he was released by Miami. Atlanta is still assessing what they have in 2024 eight-overall draft pick Michael Penix, Jr., and they have concerns about his ability to start Week 1 as he returns from an ACL tear sustained in the middle of the season last year. Is Tagovailoa in Atlanta to be Penix’s backup, or is here there to start?
It was not a question for our SB Nation Reacts poll, but our friends over at The Falcoholic asked it to their readers. A large majority of Falcons fans seem to think Tagovailoa will be Atlanta’s starting quarterback next year and that he is an upgrade over Penix.
If the Tagovailoa Atlanta receives is closer to the 2023 version of the quarterback, as compared to the 2025 version who never looked comfortable on the field and struggled with his footwork and timing all year, then the vote might be right. But if Tagovailoa’s multiple injuries have finally caught up to him, Penix may be the better answer in Atlanta.
How do Panthers fans grade the signing of edge rusher Jaelan Phillips?
The Miami Dolphins selected edge rusher Jaelan Phillips with the 18th-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. During the 2025 season, they traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2026 third-round pick. He did not sign a contract extension after the trade, allowing him to hit the free agent market this offseason.
He did not stay on the market long, with the Carolina Panthers quickly agreeing to a four-year, $120 million contract. How do Panthers fans feel about the signing? Cat Scratch Reader asked that question on their site SB Nation Reacts poll and the fans might not be as enthused by the signing as Dolphins fans might have expected.
While 92 percent of the fans were positive about the signing, a majority of the fans only gave it a B. Phillips is a high-motor pass rusher coming into the prime of his career. He should be a major addition to the Carolina defense. However, his stat line can be frustrating at times. He is often in the backfield and pressuring the quarterback, but he does not come away with a large number of sacks – seemingly always close but never finishing.
Maybe that is why Panthers fans are not giving the signing an “A” grade.
