Four Dolphins Who Should or Could Benefit From the Coaching Change

The Miami Dolphins are entering a bold new era with head coach Jeff Hafley and General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan ushering in a plethora of new faces while the bigger names from years past have gone on to new homes.

With any change comes the promise of a better tomorrow, but in the NFL it's often who a team is able to retain that dictates the difference between early success and first-year failures.

Here are four players who are expected to be the biggest beneficiaries of the changes within the top of the organization.

EDGE Chop Robinson

After two NFL seasons, Chop Robinson is hoping to become the player the Dolphins envisioned he'd be when they drafted him. Players entering their third season often take a massive jump in production, and Hafley's scheme sets players up to produce.

While Micah Parsons is the easiest example, as he was simply incredible, he's also one of the best players in the NFL. Parsons exemplifies how situations impact players. Same talent in Dallas and Green Bay, but it seemed that the overall competency of the Packers, and Hafley's scheme, helped Parsons fine-tune his attacks on his way to his first First-Team All-Pro selection since 2022.

Robinson has the talent to be the player who meets the expectations of being a top pick, but his situation hasn't exactly been steady. Looking at the other first-round edge defenders, there seems to be a trend.

Robinson, Jared Verse, Laiatu Latu, Dallas Turner and Darius Robinson were the 2024 class of first-round edge players. Verse, a member of the Los Angeles Rams, entered a situation with a championship culture in place, helping him win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Latu had a decent rookie year before the Indianapolis Colts hired Lou Anarumo to be their defensive coordinator. Anarumo was the force behind Trey Hendrickson's instant rise in Cincinnati, and Latu increased his sack total by 4.5 in 2025.

Turner entered a strong system under Brian Flores, with the stability of Kevin O'Connell as head coach. However, he was buried behind All-Pro Andrew Van Ginkel and Pro Bowl selection Jonathan Greenard in 2024. Turner began to break out as a sophomore, increasing his sack total from three to eight. Turner is set to star in 2026, while Greenard was moved to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Then, we have to look at Darius Robinson. Robinson's first-round selection was a bit of a reach anyway, and his production has not been there. Arizona was a mess last season, and the Cardinals did not have the stability to overcome issues thrown their way.

Chop Robinson has the scheme, the perceived stability of Hafley and his staff, and the start of a fresh chapter to prove his value. The successes of his draft class have had the privilege of not having to undergo the end of a regime change. With a new mindset within the organization, Robinson could return to the form we saw during the second half of his rookie season, especially now that he doesn't have to share snaps with Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb.

LB Willie Gay Jr.

Despite playing in all 17 games last season, Gay Jr was buried on the depth chart after a good summer with the team. A two-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs, Gay is in the scheme and situation that could help him return to his 2022 form.

A linebacker's best friend is a stout defensive line that understands their assignments. The Dolphins already have those players in place, with Hafley's scheme being built on defensive lineman shooting into gaps, instead of trying to hold offensive linemen, for the linebackers to make plays on the ball.

By doing this, the defensive lineman already addresses concerns of gap integrity, allowing off-ball linebackers to play more freely. In the modern NFL, defensive linemen are too strong, too fast, and too explosive for the tactics of old to work in terms of countering such an attack from the defensive line. This gives Hafley the freedom to allow his linebackers to react to the natural course of the game, as the pressure is now flipped to the offense to put bodies in the way of those linemen. Thus, Hafley was producing top linebackers during his time with Green Bay.

Quay Walker got better year after year, with him now owning the ninth-biggest off-ball linebacker contract (in regards to average annual value) in the NFL. Edgerrin Cooper was another breakout star under Hafley.

Considering Hafley's scheme and success, paired with Gay's veteran experience, and the strength along the defensive line, Gay's production and down-to-down influence could have him playing at a top level this season, as long as the defensive line does its job.

S Dante Trader Jr.

After all the departures from the Dolphins secordary over the last few months, the franchise had every reason to allocate resources to that area of the field. They added a great pick at cornerback in Chris Johnson, choosing to have Johnson be their main addition, while making moves with other portions of the roster.

The reason is Trader. He was a rookie in 2025 who had his progress delayed due to not having the experience of communicating at an NFL level.

With a year of NFL experience under his belt, Trader enters a system where there isn't familiarity across the board, thus elements that might have been against him in 2025 do not exist in 2026. Hafley also has a history of getting top performances from his safeties.

For four years with the New York Giants, Xavier McKinney was a solid player who had potential. Halfey turned him into a first-team All-Pro in year one in 2024. Hafley knows how to get the best out of Trader and Trader has the potential and the fresh slate to rise to the occasion.

RB De'Von Achane

A running back's best friend is a defensive-minded head coach. The reason is that running the ball leads to having an advantage with field position, with time management, and with game strategy. For a defensive-minded head coach, his early success is dependent on placing his roster in spots to grow.

Situations that stunt growth include giving the opposition good field position, time to work their entire offense, and the ability to control the clock. The best offensive minds in the NFL have benefited from designing defenses that force opposing offenses to make the extra throw. There's a belief that a normal NFL quarterback will only be able to rally so many completions before a drive ends in a punt, turnover, or field goal, especially if that team doesn't have an established passer.

The Dolphins do not know what Malik Willis will look like this season. More importantly, neither does the NFL. We can expect the league to force Willis to put drives together by guarding the deep third, bringing pressure underneath, and forcing Willis to make tight throws into changing windows.

Achane is the counter Hafley needs to run his defense. Achane's speed is the ultimate ace to counter pressure, as defenses will be weary of allowing Achane to have the ball in open space. Achane likely will see an increase in carries to keep the clock moving, taking time away from the opposition to run their full offense.

With those decreases in time of possession and defensive aggressiveness, Miami will be in a position to slowly move the ball downfield. Even if drives stall, the Dolphins have a veteran punter in Bradley Pinion who can pin the opposition deep, forcing them to drive downfield.

Limiting offensive turnovers and forcing teams to go on drives, while equipping a lightning-fast running back, is what Mike Macdonald used to win a Super Bowl last season. An emphasis on the run helped DeMeco Ryans turn the Texans around in one year, giving his defense the space to grow into one of the league's best. It's a strategy that works in the modern NFL and Achane is the only player on the Dolphins' offense who is able to strike instant fear into the opposition.

The Dolphins aren't at that stage in their development, but the strategy would remain sound nonetheless.

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