Kelly: Ten early impressions of Dolphins from season-opening loss to Raiders | Opinion

If I hear one more excuse about dead cap money as the reason why the Miami Dolphins aren’t, won’t, can’t fielding a competitive team my head will explode.

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What Miami’s paying players not on the 2026 roster — which is just $52.7 million to Tua Tagovailoa by the way — isn’t justification for quarterback Malik Willis’ underwhelming debut, Miami’s nonexistent pass rushing on defense, lackluster execution on special teams, or the inefficiency of the Dolphins’ rushing attack in the season opener.

That’s how bad teams — not talent-deprived teams — perform, and I’m not interested in praising effort during a 14-point loss to a team that had the worst record in the NFL last season.

What I’m interested in is learning if this 2026 roster has some foundational pieces worth building around, and a coaching staff that can develop talent.

Here’s the 10 things Miami’s 27-13 season-opening loss to the Raiders revealed.

1. Miami’s special teams play was traumatizing

Boy does special teams coordinator Chris Tabor have work to do. Miami’s punter and kicker saved touchdowns in three instances in Sunday’s loss by making the final tackle on kickoff and punt returns. Four of Las Vegas’ offensive possessions (before the final possession, which was a kneel-down series in scoring territory) started at midfield, or less than 5 yards shy of it. Miami needs better special teams play from those who are on the backend of the roster, or it’s time to start shopping for replacements. Jaylen Wright’s 79-yard kickoff return was the unit’s lone bright spot.

2. Miami’s pass rushing was nonexistent against Las Vegas

Was all the talk about the improvement Chop Robinson (one tackle) made to his game fool’s gold? Either the Raiders have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, or the Dolphins have one of the worst pass rushing units this season because Kirk Cousins’ jersey barely got touched. And to make matters worse, the Dolphins blitzed plenty during the game. Miami needs more from its edge rushers, which are arguably the weakest unit on the team based on Sunday’s performance.

3. Is too much put on Chris Johnson’s plate?

It’s not uncommon for a veteran quarterback, or savvy offensive coordinator to go after a rookie, which explains why Johnson, the Dolphins’ 2026 first-round pick, was under heavy fire (six receptions off 11 targets, two touchdowns allowed). The Raiders caught Johnson in unfavorable mismatches a few times and exploited it. As the nickel cornerback, there’s nowhere for Johnson to hide. Expect future opponents to target him every week until the Dolphins plug up the leakage. If Johnson’s struggles continue Miami’s coaching staff must discuss taking something off his plate (like manning the nickel spot) before his confidence gets shaken.

4. Caleb Douglas has potential to be a star

Douglas, the Dolphins’ 2026 third-round pick, caught five of the seven passes thrown his way, turning those receptions into 94 yards. But the Raiders managed to take the rookie out of the game in the second half, allowing only one catch in the final two quarters. Like most rookies, Douglas needs to do a better job knowing his assignments, route adjustments based on coverage, and running routes at the right depth. However, if he continues making strides, and stays healthy, he will easily produce 1,000 receiving yards.

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5. Malik Willis’ game needs to stabilize

Willis had moments during Sunday’s loss to the Raiders where a novice evaluator could see why the Dolphins believe he has the tools to become a franchise quarterback. His athleticism and arm talent is top-shelf. But Willis’ play in the second half seemed desperate, as if Willis was looking to close the 14-point scoring game on every throw. Taking a check down isn’t always a bad thing, especially if it keeps drives alive. Willis took ownership for many of the five sacks he took on Sunday.

6. Run game can’t be abandoned

No matter how we slice it, 11 carries for De’Von Achane is too few. Miami’s offense would benefit from having a play-action style that keeps defenses off balanced. Even the most efficient offense would struggle if they telegraphed what’s coming from a run-pass standpoint. The Dolphins did that against the Raiders, and also tipped their hand on the direction of the runs by avoiding elite pass rusher Maxx Crosby, running to whatever side he wasn’t on.

7. Achane’s pass protection needs improvement

There are pros and cons to having Achane on the field on third downs. If teams blitz while he’s in coverage the 2025 Pro Bowler will have to stay in to protect, and that’s the weakest aspect of his game. His lackluster blocking was a contributing factor to why Willis was sacked five times, and was under pressure for all but 10 of his 27 attempts.

8. Veterans need to lead the way better

Miami’s veterans shouldn’t have led the way in penalties, but that was the case in Sunday’s loss as cornerback JuJu Brents (unsportsmanlike conduct call that extended Las Vegas’ scoring drive), and offensive linemen Aaron Brewer and Patrick Paul (holding) committed the most egregious penalties. The less talent a team has the more disciplined those on the roster have to be. Miami can’t survive too many more eight-penalty games.

9. Run leaks must get clogged up

Don’t let the Raiders’ final rushing total (130 rushing yards), or yards per carry average (3.5) fool you because Las Vegas owned the line of scrimmage for three-plus quarters, before becoming run oriented to kill the clock in the final 10 minutes of the game. Every Dolphins defensive lineman struggled resetting the line of scrimmage, or shedding their blocks. Austin Clark, Miami’s defensive line coach, needs to tighten the screws on Miami’s front. The Dolphins can’t afford a repeat of the turnstile performance that unit had in the first seven games of the 2025 season, which contributed to that team’s rough start.

10. Safeties shined in debut

It’s ironic that the unit which struggled the most during training camp and the preseason shined the brightest during the season opener. While the secondary’s play wasn’t perfect (too many missed tackles) Michael Taaffe and Dante Trader Jr. each intercepted Kirk Cousins, and Taaffe punched out a football, but the Raiders offensive player was ruled to be down, negating the forced turnover. If this unit continues to improve more should be put on their plate.

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