Save for a spark of the pass rush against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4, the Miami Dolphins pass rush is dormant for the 2026 NFL season. Against the Vikings, the Dolphins recorded four sacks, two by defensive tackle Zach Sieler and one each from edge rushers Josh Uche and Chop Robinson. A four-sack performance is impressive.
Zero sacks in Weeks 1, 2, 3, and 5 are not. Miami’s four sacks against the Vikings were their season total. The Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants, and Philadelphia Eagles are all tied for the second fewest sacks this season, and they have eight. The Dolphins are halfway to the second-worst tally in the league.
On a team where the defensive secondary is expected to be a major concern coming into the season, the pass rush should balance those concerns. Instead, the pass rush didn’t show.
The Dolphins are coming off their bye week. They have two weeks to watch the film, analyze the issues, and fix them. Head coach Jeff Hafley discussed the pass rush this week, explaining, “We’ve got to create more pressure, and we talked about it in the bye week. We looked at it a lot in the bye week, and we’ll do that in practice. There’s different ways to do that. Whether you’re trying to move a guy in place to force some errant throws or if you’re trying to get something or overload on some things- the quarterback, we’ve got to do that, so we will work hard this week and hopefully have it on tape by sunday.
Miami is allowing a 115.0 passer rating against them this season, 31st in the league. The Dolphins’ defense has faced third-down plays by opposing offenses a league-low 58 times (which is also a concerning stat in-and-of itself since Miami doesn’t force teams into third-down situations), but they’ve allowed the 16th-most first-down conversions. Teams are getting first downs on 52 percent of third down plays against Miami’s defense.
Having pressure on quarterbacks, especially in obvious passing situations, will decrease that conversion rate.
The Dolphins roster is the youngest in the league, and this season is a rebuilding year for the franchise. The main priority is the growth and development of the players, who look forward to a sustainable, winning club for years to come. This year is not the goal, but the beginning of the journey.
The problem is, every position group on the team seems to show growth and development. The pass rush stops short of showing. If they can’t figure out how to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks, this year will continue to be a struggle just to stay competitive. And, next year, there will be many questions that need to be answered for a position group that should be a strong point for a rebuilding team.