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The Miami Dolphins’ veterans are now in the building, joining rookies on Tuesday morning for the official start of 2026 training camp. Not only will the Dolphins be one of the youngest rosters in the NFL, but there is also a slew of free agents which makes for well over 50 brand new members to this team, vying for a spot on the 53-man roster.
Entering his very first training camp as a head coach in the NFL, Jeff Hafley addressed the South Florida media to ring in the season. The defensive specialist who comes to Miami after two seasons in Green Bay as defensive coordinator will have a lot of work to do this summer in preparation for what could be a season with some growing pains.
Hafley discussed several topics with media, including his thoughts on day one in general, an update on rehabbing rookie wide receiver Chris Bell, the status of veterans including Austin Jackson and De’Von Achane, quarterback Malik Willis, rookie Kadyn Proctor's position, as well as a budding relationship with a recently extended linebacker and a rookie in the same room, to name a few items.
As for getting to true football action, Hafley described his feelings saying he is, “so excited. It's real football. The pads will eventually come on. You’re not just gearing up for OTAs; you're gearing up to play in real football games.”
He added, “so there's a level of urgency, there's a level of excitement. It’s what we love to do and it's why we do it. So I can't wait and it's good to be back in the building.” He also indicated what is of main importance for the first day and he said, “the competitiveness, eventually the physicality, which we’ll still have to wait until pads come on, but I want it to be competitive and I want them to feel a sense of urgency in that.”
Hafley also gave some insight on what the rookies were up to over the last week and his thoughts so far on the class.
“Yeah, I mean, they look good," he said. "They've been working. And as far as what we did with them, it was all meetings and in the classroom to try to get them a head start. Try to get them going, re-acclimated to the playbook because a lot of it's still new for them.
"We were in meeting rooms with them and talked to them and they looked good. It looks like they worked out, so that's a positive.”
The conversation moved to how Bell is progressing from his 2025 ACL injury, and Hafley detailed, “I think he's in a really good place right now, and we'll see, but I don't think it's like way off in the distance, all right, but I am excited where he's at. I can get a smirk on my face and have some optimism there. He's worked really hard.”
In terms of the status of players on the PUP like cornerbacks Darell Baker Jr. and Storm Duck, Hafley stated, “they'll be a little bit further off. They’ll be further off down the road. At some point this season, I see them coming back.”
And as for Jackson, Hafley kept it short and sweet in sweet.
“He’s back. He is back,” Hafley said. A similar approach was used with Achane's status as Hafley said, "Ready to go."
When discussing Willis, in addition to touching on what he saw of the Dolphins’ new signal-caller in minicamps, Hafley gave some information about what he was up to the last few weeks.
“I saw progress in the last couple OTA practices, and what I saw was his confidence started to go like this," Hafley said. "It was not just the reps with the players, but it was the reps of the same plays over and over again and just building those cumulative reps that, he started to feel comfortable with more plays than he did when he started.
“I think the key for Malik will be, it is his confidence and it is his chemistry with those wideouts. And we need to figure out exactly who those wideouts are and what the chemistry is going to look like, but I want to see his confidence, and I want him to focus in on that and let me take care of the rest. But I'm excited for him.”
In regard to Willis and his summer so far, Hafley told reporters, “He worked really hard this summer. He was in Jacksonville (doing) a bunch of training. He had a bunch of receivers running routes, running the plays with him, holding workouts out there, which was really cool to see him kind of lead that charge.”
A follow up was asked to clarify what would give him that confidence in his quarterback and Hafley answered, “a mix of everything. I want to see when he's at the line of scrimmage there's no hesitation. I want to feel his confidence. I want to see his confidence. I want him not to be discouraged when he has a bad throw or throws an interception. I want him to step into that role and all of the above.”
Discussing where Proctor will play, Hafley was definitive when asked if the offensive lineman will cross-train and multiple positions on the offensive line, saying, "no, he's going to start off with left guard and try to get good at one position. I think that's fair to him and it's the best thing. Ultimately, we need to do what's best for our team. In this case, I think it's best for him and I think it's best for our team. So that's what we've decided to start and we'll go from there.
Then the relationship between Jordyn Brooks and rookie Jacob Rodrguez was brought up and Hafley said, “they also spent time together training this summer, which I thought was really cool. When you guys get a chance, you guys can talk to them about that. Obviously, there's a connection there with where they went to school, right? So that's pretty powerful.”
He added, “They both are linebackers, so they're going to be working together, but again, I think it relates back to your question. You get a guy who's a vet and he could kind of probably go out and just do whatever he wants on his own, but instead he's bringing a guy along and trying to help him, which I don't think everybody does in this league.”
Hafley and the Dolphins go to work as camp will start the building of what hopefully can be a relatively quick construction of a team with a reworked roster, new mindset and the plan of bringing a new culture and identity to a franchise still seeking its first playoff win since the 2000 season.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Jeff Hafley speaks on several players as Dolphins open training camp
Continue reading...
Entering his very first training camp as a head coach in the NFL, Jeff Hafley addressed the South Florida media to ring in the season. The defensive specialist who comes to Miami after two seasons in Green Bay as defensive coordinator will have a lot of work to do this summer in preparation for what could be a season with some growing pains.
Hafley discussed several topics with media, including his thoughts on day one in general, an update on rehabbing rookie wide receiver Chris Bell, the status of veterans including Austin Jackson and De’Von Achane, quarterback Malik Willis, rookie Kadyn Proctor's position, as well as a budding relationship with a recently extended linebacker and a rookie in the same room, to name a few items.
As for getting to true football action, Hafley described his feelings saying he is, “so excited. It's real football. The pads will eventually come on. You’re not just gearing up for OTAs; you're gearing up to play in real football games.”
He added, “so there's a level of urgency, there's a level of excitement. It’s what we love to do and it's why we do it. So I can't wait and it's good to be back in the building.” He also indicated what is of main importance for the first day and he said, “the competitiveness, eventually the physicality, which we’ll still have to wait until pads come on, but I want it to be competitive and I want them to feel a sense of urgency in that.”
Hafley also gave some insight on what the rookies were up to over the last week and his thoughts so far on the class.
“Yeah, I mean, they look good," he said. "They've been working. And as far as what we did with them, it was all meetings and in the classroom to try to get them a head start. Try to get them going, re-acclimated to the playbook because a lot of it's still new for them.
"We were in meeting rooms with them and talked to them and they looked good. It looks like they worked out, so that's a positive.”
The conversation moved to how Bell is progressing from his 2025 ACL injury, and Hafley detailed, “I think he's in a really good place right now, and we'll see, but I don't think it's like way off in the distance, all right, but I am excited where he's at. I can get a smirk on my face and have some optimism there. He's worked really hard.”
In terms of the status of players on the PUP like cornerbacks Darell Baker Jr. and Storm Duck, Hafley stated, “they'll be a little bit further off. They’ll be further off down the road. At some point this season, I see them coming back.”
And as for Jackson, Hafley kept it short and sweet in sweet.
“He’s back. He is back,” Hafley said. A similar approach was used with Achane's status as Hafley said, "Ready to go."
When discussing Willis, in addition to touching on what he saw of the Dolphins’ new signal-caller in minicamps, Hafley gave some information about what he was up to the last few weeks.
“I saw progress in the last couple OTA practices, and what I saw was his confidence started to go like this," Hafley said. "It was not just the reps with the players, but it was the reps of the same plays over and over again and just building those cumulative reps that, he started to feel comfortable with more plays than he did when he started.
“I think the key for Malik will be, it is his confidence and it is his chemistry with those wideouts. And we need to figure out exactly who those wideouts are and what the chemistry is going to look like, but I want to see his confidence, and I want him to focus in on that and let me take care of the rest. But I'm excited for him.”
In regard to Willis and his summer so far, Hafley told reporters, “He worked really hard this summer. He was in Jacksonville (doing) a bunch of training. He had a bunch of receivers running routes, running the plays with him, holding workouts out there, which was really cool to see him kind of lead that charge.”
A follow up was asked to clarify what would give him that confidence in his quarterback and Hafley answered, “a mix of everything. I want to see when he's at the line of scrimmage there's no hesitation. I want to feel his confidence. I want to see his confidence. I want him not to be discouraged when he has a bad throw or throws an interception. I want him to step into that role and all of the above.”
Discussing where Proctor will play, Hafley was definitive when asked if the offensive lineman will cross-train and multiple positions on the offensive line, saying, "no, he's going to start off with left guard and try to get good at one position. I think that's fair to him and it's the best thing. Ultimately, we need to do what's best for our team. In this case, I think it's best for him and I think it's best for our team. So that's what we've decided to start and we'll go from there.
Then the relationship between Jordyn Brooks and rookie Jacob Rodrguez was brought up and Hafley said, “they also spent time together training this summer, which I thought was really cool. When you guys get a chance, you guys can talk to them about that. Obviously, there's a connection there with where they went to school, right? So that's pretty powerful.”
He added, “They both are linebackers, so they're going to be working together, but again, I think it relates back to your question. You get a guy who's a vet and he could kind of probably go out and just do whatever he wants on his own, but instead he's bringing a guy along and trying to help him, which I don't think everybody does in this league.”
Hafley and the Dolphins go to work as camp will start the building of what hopefully can be a relatively quick construction of a team with a reworked roster, new mindset and the plan of bringing a new culture and identity to a franchise still seeking its first playoff win since the 2000 season.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Jeff Hafley speaks on several players as Dolphins open training camp
Continue reading...
