Dolphins HC Explains Why Success Won't Just Be 'Defined by Winning' Ahead of 2026 NFL Season

The Miami Dolphins are rebuilding their roster and starting anew after bringing in new leadership in general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley. Miami has over $180 million in dead cap money for the 2026 season, per Over the Cap, making it exceedingly difficult to construct a competitive team.

Amid that backdrop, head coach Jeff Hafley said after the team's 17-12 preseason loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Friday that the team's success this year "is not just defined by winning" as the Dolphins look to create a foundation for the future.

"We, and I, want to win everything that we do. But success is not just defined by winning," Hafley said, per ESPN's Marcel-Louis Jacques. "We are going to compete. I want to win everything that we do. I've said that over and over. But at the same time, we need to make sure that this foundation and the process is built the right way. ... There's no shortcuts because it's bigger than that right now."

Hafley's comments were in response to a question from Louis-Jacques about his remarks on the Stephen A. Smith Show, in which the ESPN commentator asked the head coach how he would define success for the Dolphins this season. He provided this response (15:00 mark).

"Success...it's not going to be measured in wins and losses this year," Hafley started.

"And I know nobody wants to hear that. I want to see our team. I want to see where we end and how far we can take this thing and how much we develop these players and develop that image that I talked to you about. Success for me is gonna to be we go on that field, and we play so damn hard where even you turn it on and say, 'Man, those guys are flying around. They're playing together. They love each other. They're in this thing together,' and we're just growing and building and growing and building, and we'll see where this takes us.

"I just, going to stay away from the win-loss total. I just think this year is so much about developing who we are as a football team, finding the right guys, and then just by the end of the year, saying, 'You know what? We got something really powerful going forward.'"

The projections for the 2026 season are low. Per FanDuel Sportsbook, they have 500-1 odds to win the Super Bowl, longer than any other team aside from the Arizona Cardinals (1000-1). A bettor would get plus odds just to choose the Dolphins to win five or more games (+145).

Of course, time will tell how Miami does. We'll see how the Dolphins' season goes soon enough beginning Sunday, Sept. 13, when Miami visits the Las Vegas Raiders.