Plenty will change across the NFL before the Buffalo Bills play their first game of the 2026 regular season. But the preliminary decisions from some of their opponents are already making the hierarchy clear as day.
On Monday morning, the Miami Dolphins announced the release of several key players, most notably All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill and two-time Pro Bowl edge Bradley Chubb. The Dolphins are likely moving on from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as well, though the team reportedly would prefer finding a trade partner rather than cutting him and eating even more dead cap money.
While Miami will have the opportunity to rebuild after these moves, it certainly seems the Bills can look ahead at the 2026 schedule with some confidence that the Dolphins won’t be putting up much of a fight next year.
AFC East gap widens in Buffalo Bills' favor before offseason even heats up
With a new head coach in former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and a new general manager in Jon-Eric Sullivan, it’s no surprise the Dolphins have another rebuilding effort coming their way this offseason. Monday effectively let the NFL world know that that is exactly what they’re doing.
After all, Miami took on more than $50 million in dead cap money by releasing Hill and Chubb alone. The five collective moves opened up just $13 million in cap space, so it’s not as though Miami has a ton of wiggle room when the new league year turns over next month.
Of course, long-term, the Dolphins will likely look to replicate the Denver Broncos’ recent success of managing a rebuild with a ton of dead cap penalties. Even still, Denver was well-suited to simply replace their quarterback with several key pieces already in place on both sides of the ball.
But in the short-term, Miami will be hard-pressed to field a roster that can consistently compete with the top teams in the AFC East in Buffalo and New England. And that’s before they settle their quarterback situation. Contrary to Denver, Miami doesn’t have many long-term pieces beyond WR Jaylen Waddle, C Austin Brewer and RB De’Von Achane.
That said, Miami has been the kind of franchise to surprise teams just when you’re ready to count them out. The Bills were reminded of that the hard way in 2025, losing to the Dolphins in Week 10 despite Miami’s 2-7 start to the season.
Certainly, Buffalo shouldn’t overlook any opponent next season, least of all a division rival. But there’s no denying that the Bills’ 2026 outlook, as murky as it may be to Bills Mafia relative to the grandest hopes the fanbase has, is much, much brighter than whatever is going on in Miami.