With about a month until the Miami Dolphins open up their training camp for the 2026 season, minicamp was an opportunity to get a bit of a preview of what this young and rebuilding team has across their roster. While questions arose but were not answered in the previous few weeks of organized team activities, several areas of the roster are setting up to be battleground positions over the course of camp.
Perhaps the most intriguing position room, as a whole, is the wide receiver corps. Additionally, the tight end group will be interesting with a returning veteran, a free agent and a pair of rookies who bring different skills to the room.
The Wideouts
Before any rebuild, there has to be an element of demolition, and that was the case with the Dolphins parting of ways with Tyreek Hill and the trade of Jaylen Waddle. New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan is piecing together a wide receiver room that includes a young incumbent entering his third year in Malik Washington, who is now joined by two one-year contracted free agents in Jalen Tolbert and Tutu Atwell, along with a trio of rookies.
The room also has some undrafted free agents from last season, and a 2026 rookie who wasn’t selected in last April’s NFL draft, along with a few veteran castaways from other teams who have an opportunity to resurrect their careers after stops on multiple teams.
Rookie head coach Jeff Hafley has the task, along with Sullivan, of putting together a room that new quarterback Malik Willis can work well with. At this point, it really is anyone’s guess on who the number one receiver will be, as well as the absolute construction of the group from top to bottom.
Rookies Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell and Kevin Coleman Jr. are all rather different. Douglas’ strength is outside of the hashmarks, as well as being a formidable blocker. Although recovering from an ACL injury, with his timeline a bit uncertain, Bell is excellent at getting to space and turning the ball upfield and can play in multiple areas. Coleman is a straight slot target who excels at getting himself open, creating yards after the catch and can also handle special team return duties.
As for Bell’s status, Hafley told South Florida reports last month, “ He’s with the strength and conditioning guys. He’s with our trainers and he’s doing his rehab. When he’ll be ready, I’m not sure if there’s a timetable for that yet, coming off of that surgery. He’ll be out there. You guys will get a chance to see him out there as well.”
Atwell will challenge for slot snaps and could mix in some gadget work, and Tolbert is an interesting player to track this summer. He is two years removed from leading the Dallas Cowboys in touchdowns, with seven, and could work his way into being a top target for Willis.
Back to Washington, he can also play in multiple areas of the field, as well as continue his returning duties, and is a candidate to take a step as a breakout player in season number three. Washington was able to hit the endzone across his first two seasons with a reception, rushing and return touchdown, joining just four other Dolphins’ receivers to have that distinction in franchise history, being Jarvis Landry, Jakeem Grant, Ted Ginn Jr. and Freddie Solomon.
Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik mentioned Washington is creating a solid rapport with Willis, along with one of those free agent signings, telling reporters earlier this month, “There’s a few guys Malik works with pretty consistently, like Malik Washington, Tolbert’s in there an awful lot.”
Terrace Marshall Jr. and Jalen Reagor each did not live up to their billing when they were drafted and have yet to make good on their early potential. Each will have an uphill battle to climb to make the 53-man roster. Undrafted free agents from 2025, AJ Henning and Theo Wease Jr, will also be in the mix, as well as 2026 UDFA Donaven McCulley, who has excellent height at 6-foot-4. Not to be forgotten is 2024 seventh-round pick, Tahj Washington, who has only seen action in six 2025 games following a season on injured reserve.
Tight Ends
The tight end room will feature re-signed Greg Dulcich, who will begin his first full season in South Florida after joining the team halfway through 2025. He put up a solid second half, showed potential as a pass catcher, and has some history with Willis from back in their 2022 scouting process at the Senior Bowl. An impressive metric from last season, Dulcich was very reliable when in Miami’s own territory, as from their own 1-yard line up to midfield, he was targeted 20 times, and made 19 receptions, 11 moving the chains for first downs.
Rookie third-round pick Will Kacmarek is an outstanding blocker who also shows reliable pass-catching ability with good hands. He takes pride in the blocking aspect of the game, and can help Miami create more of a hard-nosed, tough identity in the ground game, while also helping to project Wills.
Sullivan spoke highly of that aspect of Kacmarek’s game when drafted back in April, telling reporters, “He’s an unsung hero. You know, he’s a grimy, dirty, bite your face off type of dude. He’s going to be a difference-maker for us in the run game, which allows your offense to do so many different things. It just opens up so many doors for the offensive coordinator, the way they call the game. And he’s elite – I think he’s elite as a blocker.
Hafley will have a familiar face in Ben Sims, another blocking specialist at tight end who spent 2023-2025 with the Green Bay Packers, as well as a stint last season with the Minnesota Vikings. Lastly, Seydou Traore was a 2026 fifth-round pick who brings International Pathway Program qualification and was formerly a soccer goalkeeper before spending a pair of collegiate seasons with both Mississippi State and Arkansas State. He holds some strategic value as a developmental project, who has that pathway roster exemption to perhaps stash on a practice squad, but could even contend for immediate 53-man rostering.
Overall, it’s an open competition for who will see the most targets in 2026 in both rooms, and it should be a fun summer seeing which players step up.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins’ OTA takeaways, outlook to training camp Part III: Targets
Reporting by Jason Sarney, Dolphins Wire / Dolphins Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jason Sarney, Dolphins Wire | USA TODAY Network
