Can the Dolphins Three Rookie WRs Shake Up the 2026 Season?
There wasn’t a whole lot to like in the Dolphins’ 26-3 preseason loss to the New York Giants. Jameis Winston threw for 150 yards along with a rushing touchdown; Miami’s backups only scored three points throughout two preseason games, and the Giants’ running backs outgained the entire Dolphins’ offense. That’s going to be a nasty side effect when working with only 45 percent of the salary cap due to huge dead cap hits. Even with all the negative, once again, a rookie wide receiver made a highlight play that at least warrants the question of how the three rookie pass catchers could have major impacts during and beyond the 2026 regular season.
KC’s Catching Clinic
It may have been the fifth-round rookie’s first NFL action, but Kevin Coleman picked up right where his rookie counterpart Caleb Douglas left off in Maryland with a one-handed catch through pass interference. Out of the 50 total passing yards for the Dolphins Saturday evening, 30 came through his one-handed snag. He’d go on to catch one more ball for two yards, but as I had mentioned, he was the one highlight in a claw-your-eyes-out style of game from the Miami offense. He also had a really nice, contested catch during the Dolphins-Giants joint practice on Thursday morning.
Where Could This Leave the Dolphins Wide Receiver Room for the Future?
Anyone paying attention to the Dolphins this season has been fully invested in two things: How does Malik Willis look, and how much of an impact can this massive rookie class have? So far, Willis has looked up-and-down, with satisfactory performances against the Dolphins’ secondary and against the two’s for the Commanders last week, and below-average performances against the Giants and Commanders during joint practices. The rookies, on the other hand, looked pretty good for the most part. That’s especially true when talking about the three wide receivers.
Both Coleman and Douglas have had standout moments throughout camp and limited preseason snaps. The only outlier so far has been the other third-rounder from Louisville, Chris Bell, and that’s because he made his practice debut this past Monday. This upcoming week will be a big one to see how the former Cardinal looks on the field alongside the whole starting offense if he does make his preseason debut against the Falcons this Friday. Obviously, this is just the preseason, so giving a true evaluation isn’t possible yet to see how good these three can be. However, all three, whether in college or throughout practice and the preseason, have shown enough for head coach Jeff Hafley to emphasize the development of those three alongside rookie tight end Will Kacmarek as focal points of the offense for 2026 and beyond.
