Miami Gardens got loud again Tuesday. The Miami Dolphins’ veterans reported to the Baptist Health Training Complex, officially kicking off Dolphins training camp 2026 under first-year head coach Jeff Hafley ā and the message from the top was blunt: buy in, or get left behind.
Hafley, linebacker Jordyn Brooks and quarterback Malik Willis all met with reporters on report day, according to the team’s official site. The first padded practice of the new regime opens Wednesday morning.
A New Voice, A New Standard
This camp doesn’t look like the last one. Gone is Mike McDaniel’s speed-first, motion-heavy system. In its place: Hafley’s version of the Dolphins, built to lean on the run and physically wear teams down. General manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and Hafley have been building toward this moment since January, and Tuesday marked the real start of it.
Whatever it takes š¤ pic.twitter.com/umqQkKsCnj
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) July 28, 2026
Every player passed his conditioning test, Hafley told reporters ā a box checked before the pads even come on. The bigger test starts now.
Brooks, fresh off leading the NFL in tackles a season ago, didn’t mince words about what he’s seen from the new coaching staff so far.
“They just come in and work, put their heads down. They didn’t come in with a loud entrance. They didn’t try to make themselves bigger than anything,” Brooks said, per the Dolphins’ team site.
Hafley framed the offseason’s biggest financial commitments as proof of concept for the rest of the roster. “I think it sends a really positive message,” he said, tying the extensions directly to on-field production and character.
Miami Locks Down Its Core Before Camp
The quotes matter more with context. Sullivan spent the offseason retaining three players he identified as foundational pieces of the rebuild, and by report day, all three deals were done.
| Player | Position | Deal | Guaranteed |
|---|---|---|---|
| De’Von Achane | RB | 4 years, $64 million | ā |
| Aaron Brewer | C | 3 years, $52.5 million | ā |
| Jordyn Brooks | LB | 3 years, $51.3 million | $35 million |
Brooks’ extension, reported by the Associated Press and first broken by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, keeps the All-Pro linebacker in Miami through 2029. He led the league with 183 tackles in 2025, including 99 solo stops, and earned his first All-Pro nod for it. The deal makes him the fifth-highest-paid off-ball linebacker in football by average annual value, according to A to Z Sports.
Brooks didn’t take the easy road to that number, either. He fully participated in voluntary spring workouts throughout negotiations rather than holding out ā a detail that lines up with the leadership Hafley and Sullivan are trying to build the roster around.
Willis Enters Camp as QB1 ā On Paper, Not in Practice
The other name to watch is Malik Willis. Miami’s big offseason quarterback move wasn’t a blockbuster trade ā it was betting on a player who spent his summer break running his own workouts in Jacksonville, teammates in tow.
Willis, a third-round pick back in 2022, enters his first camp as the presumed starter. He’s not talking like a guy who considers the job locked up.
“I’m just trying to do whatever I can to earn that role every day. Put the work in, put the time in and earn the respect from my teammates,” Willis said, according to Miami’s team site.
He also detailed the granular way he studies teammates in those informal Jacksonville sessions ā who breaks off routes quickly, who prefers the ball above the head versus in stride. It’s the kind of detail work that suggests Willis is approaching this less like a handed-to-him job and more like a competition he intends to win daily.
Injury Notes From Report Day
Hafley also updated the health of several key names. Running back De’Von Achane and offensive tackle Austin Jackson, both limited during OTAs, are cleared and ready to go for camp.
Cornerbacks Darrell Baker Jr. and Storm Duck, placed on the active/physically unable to perform list last week, are expected back at some point this season, though Hafley cautioned they’ll need more time. Rookie receiver Chris Bell, recovering from an injury suffered at Louisville, remains on the active/non-football injury list, but Hafley sounded optimistic about his trajectory.
“I can get a smirk on my face and have some optimism there. He’s worked really hard,” Hafley said of Bell.
What Comes Next
Miami’s first padded practice of the Hafley era opens Wednesday morning at the Baptist Health Training Complex. Public practices begin Sunday, Aug. 2, with admission and parking free for fans, per the team’s official training camp hub.
Whether the culture Hafley is preaching translates into wins is a question that won’t get answered for months. But between the extensions handed out this offseason and the tone set on report day, Miami’s new leadership has made its priorities clear before a single pad has popped.
