4 NFL teams have puzzling offseasons, from Dolphins rebuild to Colts trade choice
puzzling NFL – As training camps loom, four NFL teams—Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Jacksonville Jaguars—have made offseason choices critics say look disconnected from immediate competitiveness, from Miami’s wide receiver reset to Arizona’s quart
The offseason is winding down, and the first wave of training camps is close enough to feel like a deadline. In the NFL, these weeks are where teams decide what kind of seasons they’re willing to live through—contending with what they have, or reshaping everything and hoping the rebuild math works.
For the Miami Dolphins, the Arizona Cardinals, the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars, the moves made this offseason have landed with a jarring effect: each team appears to be taking a gamble that fans and players will feel quickly once practice begins.
Miami Dolphins: a rebuild that leaves receivers in the deep end
Miami’s wholesale overhaul is being treated as the end of the previous era, and the roster changes show it. Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb and Minkah Fitzpatrick are all gone. The Mike McDaniel era is over.
The Dolphins did sign Malik Willis. and the argument for it is straightforward: his spot duty in Green Bay included career-high completion percentage and passer rating. But Miami’s plan for him has created a new problem—Willis doesn’t appear to be set up with the kind of receiver room that helps a struggling quarterback stabilize and build momentum.
Miami is set to enter training camp with the worst wide receiver room in the NFL. Malik Washington is tracking to be Miami’s No. 1 receiver, with single-season highs of 46 catches and 317 receiving yards. Washington’s joined near the top of the depth chart by Jalen Tolbert and Tutu Atwell.
Even with that, Miami did re-sign running back De’Von Achane to a four-year extension. Achane posted a career-high 305 touches in 2025 and is expected to handle a high volume of touches again as Miami’s undisputed top weapon.
The Dolphins were hindered this offseason by Tagovailoa’s record-setting $99.2 million dead money cap hit. Still, the roster construction for 2026 has left Miami fans bracing for what could be another slow year in South Beach.
The concern isn’t just that Miami may struggle—it’s that the team’s own offseason choices point toward a season where the scoreboard matters less than preparation for what comes next.
Arizona Cardinals: a quarterback competition built on risk
In Arizona, the offseason change is clear at the top and less clear in the execution. The Cardinals hired one of Sean McVay’s disciples, Mike LaFleur.
If LaFleur doesn’t already know it, the contrast is sharp: the Los Angeles Rams are the favorite to win Super Bowl 61, per BetMGM, while the Cardinals are on a short list of front runners to get the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
That backdrop helps frame an anticlimactic quarterback competition. It includes Jacoby Brissett, who’s disgruntled over his current contract, rookie third-round pick Carson Beck and journeyman Gardner Minshew.
Brissett is the favorite to win the battle, but the Cardinals are being urged to give Beck a thorough examination, including starts during the regular season, before next year’s loaded QB draft class.
There’s also a heavy layer of talent uncertainty beyond the quarterback room. Arizona’s No. 3 overall pick running back Jeremiyah Love might wind up as the best offensive player from the 2027 NFL Draft class. but there are questions about Love’s positional value as the third selection. The argument is blunt: Love’s impact could be minimized if the Cardinals don’t have the necessary pieces around him.
The report points to Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty as a cautionary example. Jeanty averaged just 3.7 yards per carry in his rookie year behind a Las Vegas O-line that was below average in run block win rate. Arizona had the NFC’s second-worst run block grade at 55.3 last season, per Pro Football Focus.
Arizona’s timetable also runs into structural difficulty. The Cardinals are arguably in the toughest division in football. The Seattle Seahawks have Super Bowl 60 jewelry, and both the San Francisco 49ers and Rams strengthened their rosters after earning playoff berths in 2025.
Free agent pickups wide receiver Kendrick Bourne and guard Isaac Seumalo will likely start, but the Cardinals didn’t do enough to legitimately compete in a formidable NFC West.
Indianapolis Colts: trading Michael Pittman Jr. for Alec Pierce raises immediate questions
If Miami’s moves look like a reset, Indianapolis’ choice looks like a direct subtraction from the present.
The Colts made Michael Pittman Jr. expendable when they signed Alec Pierce to a four-year, $114 million deal and subsequently traded Pittman to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The reasoning for prioritizing Pierce over Pittman is described as perplexing. Pittman registered 485 catches for 5,254 yards in six seasons with Indy. In the past five seasons, he had at least 80 receptions and at least 800 receiving yards in four of those seasons despite erratic quarterback play.
Pierce, by comparison, led the NFL in yards per catch for two straight years but has never had a season of more than 47 catches. His career-year came last year when he recorded career-highs in catches (47) and receiving yards (1,003).
Pierce does offer big-play ability, but Pittman was a No. 1 big-bodied possession receiver who was often covered by the opposing team’s top cornerback. With Pittman in Pittsburgh, Pierce is now the one expected to draw top defensive attention.
There is a connection between Daniel Jones and Pierce, but Pierce is still unproven as a No. 1 wideout.
The Colts’ counterweight is that their offense does have anchors. They have tight end Tyler Warren and star running back Jonathan Taylor to carry some of the responsibilities.
Jacksonville Jaguars: losing two key impact players with little replacement
Jacksonville is coming off success. The Jaguars are the defending AFC South champs and should once again have a playoff-caliber roster—but the offseason has been comparatively quiet, and two key departures stand out.
The Jaguars let two impact players walk in free agency: linebacker Devin Lloyd and running back Travis Etienne.
Etienne compiled at least 1,300 yards from scrimmage in three of the last four seasons. Lloyd, meanwhile, was coming off the best season of his career, earning second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods. His five interceptions were tied for the most among linebackers in 2025.
Jacksonville did little to replace Lloyd and Etienne. Linebacker Ventrell Miller appears poised to takeover Lloyd’s LB spot. Miller has flashed at times and had a career-high 80 tackles in 2024, but he is relatively unproven as an everyday starter.
In the backfield, Jacksonville signed Chris Rodriguez Jr. in free agency to complement second-year RB Bhayshul Tuten. Tuten showed promise in limited snaps, but neither running back has rushed for over 500 yards in a single season. Together. Tuten and Rodriguez have combined for 1. 360 career yards from scrimmage. which is less than Etienne’s 1. 399 yards from scrimmage last year.
It’s hard to believe the Jaguars got better losing Lloyd and Etienne.
The tight thread connecting all four teams is the same feeling: big moves, real talent shifts, and decisions that leave fans wondering whether these teams are preparing to win in 2026—or preparing for a different timeline entirely.
NFL offseason Miami Dolphins rebuild Malik Willis Malik Washington Arizona Cardinals Mike LaFleur Carson Beck Michael Pittman Jr Alec Pierce Jacksonville Jaguars Devin Lloyd Travis Etienne Jonathan Taylor Tyler Warren