GM Jon-Eric Sullivan has laid solid foundation in Dolphins' rebuild

Rookies reported to Miami Dolphins training camp earlier this week on Tuesday, and veterans will join them on the 28th. With pads coming on shortly after, that will be the time to truly start analyzing the progress of how new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan has laid the foundation for this latest Miami rebuild. 

Up to this exact point, what is evident to say about Sullivan’s strategy is that he is keeping to what he has said even back when he first joined the Dolphins organization. Mainly, with how he described the three foundational pieces of this team in running back De’Von Achane, center Aaron Brewer and linebacker Jordyn Brooks. He said almost immediately, “Achane, Brewer, Brooks – these are the pillars that we want to build on.”

In the months following making that comment, he has extended all three, instead of dealing them for draft picks. He clearly made good on his intention to retain talented players. He had said back at his introductory press conference, “The pillars will be a draft and develop philosophy. I've already spoken on that in previous interviews, but we will draft, develop and retain our own.”

Sullivan elaborated, “There are things that come with that; No. 1 is culture. When you raise your own, people are vested, they're bought in. There's a financial component to it with rookie contracts; it keeps you in a healthy cap situation. But the most important thing is the culture piece of it.” It appears he will stick to that ideology.

Of course, just one draft class in and one offseason of free agent signings, judgment cannot truly be given to Sullivan, but so far it seems that he has a true vision of how to continue to structure this roster. Realizing that there might be some growing pains, he has done the necessary steps to make the 2027 offseason one where the team could be competitive in the open market by signing some blue-chip free agents. Following the Brooks extension, Miami currently has just under $100 million in 2027 salary cap to play with, per OverTheCap.

The only big-ticket player signed back in March was obviously quarterback Malik Willis, and the rest of the 2026 free agents were all one-year contracted players. This leaves plenty of open competition this summer and in-season, as well as flexibility heading into next year. Should a few of those one-year players hit, they of course could be re-signed next off-season, but the message is clear that nothing is guaranteed. Every player beyond those three pillars must earn their playing time and their potential future contracts.

It will be a very interesting summer in South Florida, seeing how rookies and the free agents adapt and assimilate with Jeff Hafley, who, in his first head coaching job, is tasked with developing one of the youngest teams in the league. Second- and third-year players will have to earn their time on the field, especially for players like guard Jonah Savaiinaea, defensive tackle Kenneth Grant, wide receiver Malik Washington and edge rusher Chop Robinson, to name a few.

Willis will also have competition with second-year quarterback Quinn Ewers, as well as doing all he can to prove he could be a franchise quarterback. Should Willis lead this team to overachieving, it could allow Sullivan to focus on other areas early in the 2027 draft instead of going with a top three quarterback should they pick in the very early portions of the selection process. 

Even if Willis plays moderately well, but the Dolphins do end up with a top three pick, the selection should be a quarterback, especially with Sullivan coming from Green Bay. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility that a quarterback is selected and simply stashed on the bench for another season or two through the life of the Willis contract.

This is part of the flexibility that Sullivan has created, and all things considered, he can be applauded for what looks like a successful demolition before starting to build on the foundation that he said he was going to leave in place. That transparency is a welcomed aspect of this new leadership, including how Hafley seems to be saying all the right things in terms of challenging players to earn everything they may get in 2026.

Back to the rookies. 13 selections are the most by a Dolphins’ team since 1997, when they drafted 14 players. There should be a few immediate contributors in 2026 like offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor, cornerback Chris Johnson and linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. Beyond those top three picks, when looking at how the roster is structured, several middle- or late-round picks could have an opportunity to see the field and make an immediate impact. Namely, wide receivers Caleb Douglas, Kevin Coleman Jr., and Chris Bell, when returning from being placed on the non-football injured list, along with tight end Will Kacmarek.

Defensively, linebacker Kyle Louis can prove to be a steal, along with versatile edge/linebacker Trey Moore. Even safety Michael Taaffe, who could be, at the very least, a day one key component of special teams, while challenging for defensive snaps in a thin room. Rounding out the class, sixth-round guard DJ Campbell can push Savaiinaea; fifth-round international pathway program player tight end Seydou Traore can be developed into a viable pass-catching threat, and seventh-round edge Max Llewellyn has a chance to see the field plenty, as Miami is desperate to find pass-rushers outside of Robinson.

While wins are always what you want in the game of football, sometimes it’s development and shifting a culture that needs to be the focus in building a plan for several years out. In what is a marathon rather than a sprint, Sullivan has certainly started strong out of the gates, and fans will need to have stamina in dealing with the next year. Yet the road to success doesn’t seem to be so far away, in what could be a relatively quick reconstruction that has been seen as recently as the New England Patriots over the last two seasons as an example.

After the pads come on, a major few tests and milestones will be reached when Miami faces the Washington Commanders and the New York Giants in joint practices next month. It will be a process in getting this team to be contenders, but Sullivan certainly has hit the ground running.

This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: GM Jon-Eric Sullivan has laid solid foundation in Dolphins' rebuild