No NFL team has gone winless since the league introduced the 17-game season back in 2021, but the Miami Dolphins are already staring down that ugly slice of history. CBS Sports is already calling them a “dumpster fire” with a “JV roster,” boldly predicting an 0-17 season for a team that seems to be in a multi-layered crisis before the regular season even really kicks off.
Miami’s Cap Space Is a Crime Scene
You don’t need an economics degree to see this team’s financial situation is a disaster. The Dolphins have set an NFL record with a staggering $183 million in dead salary cap hit this season. Let that sink in: they’re paying more for players *not* on their roster than for the ones actually playing on their 53-man squad, which costs them $104 million. Over 60% of their 2026 salary cap is tied up in dead money! To put that in perspective, Spotrac says no team has gone over 45% in dead money since they started tracking this stat in 2011. Miami’s smashing records nobody wants.
This financial fallout comes from a string of tough decisions on players like Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Jalen Ramsey, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Bradley Chubb, and Terron Armstead. Want another shocking number? They’re paying Tua Tagovailoa, who’s now playing for the Atlanta Falcons, $55 million this year and $99 million over the next two. That’s *more* than their entire active offense, which costs a league-low $52 million. Yeah, read that again: their *entire offense* costs less than one former QB.
No Star Power, No Experience, No Wins?
It’s not just the money; the actual roster makeup and lack of experience are glaring. The team simply has no star power, and it showed in the preseason where they went winless. While their new head coach, Jeff Hafley, insists they aren’t tanking, he also brings no prior NFL head coach experience to the table. An inexperienced coach on a team riddled with problems like this? That’s a recipe for some serious growing pains. CBS Sports is already on record predicting them to finish dead last in the AFC East.
This Sunday, the Dolphins kick off their regular season against the Las Vegas Raiders. That game might be their best, maybe *only*, chance to avoid that grim 0-17 history. After that, they face a brutal gauntlet in their first five games: the San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, and Cincinnati Bengals. It’s a schedule that doesn’t exactly scream “easy wins.” While Miami stares down a potentially winless season, here in the Emerald City, we just watched our Seahawks pull out a tough 13-10 victory over the New England Patriots. It’s a stark reminder of what a real NFL team looks like when it’s built right.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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