Dolphins not going to 'throw in the towel and just rebuild' but that comes with higher expectations

The Miami Dolphins traded Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a 1st, 3rd, and 4th round pick. Jason McIntyre says that this trade

The Miami Dolphins are in a rebuilding year, and anyone with eyes can see that based on the offseason coaching, personnel and roster moves. But head coach Jeff Halfley doesn't want to hear that.

Say that.

Admit that.

"I don't know how you can have a conversation with a competitive player or a competitive coach, and have it sit right with them, where they were just going to say I was going to rebuild this year," Halfley said on Thursday. "...It's just not the mentality of any competitor who's made it to this level or any coach that's made it to this level.

"I mean, whether it's practice or whether it's a drill, I think we all want to win it. And in our mindset is, we need to get better. We need to develop. And everything that we do is going to be about competing to get better throughout the process and we want to win.

" So I just don't think any player or any coach is going to sit here and say, 'I'm just going to throw in the towel and just rebuild.' So that's probably why no one's hearing that. I think if you had a group of players saying that, then I think we got the wrong players."

Miami Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (29) looks on before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium on Aug. 23, 2025. (Sam Navarro/Imagn Images)

This is a message Halfley has been delivering within the organization throughout the offseason. It's a message staffers and even the public relations department has for months been privately sharing with anyone who will listen.

The Dolphins don't want to say they're rebuilding.

Even though, you know, they're rebuilding.

We know