How Dolphins Summer Stars Turned Into Fall Flops
Preseason and training camp are always a time for hope. That was no different for the Miami Dolphins this summer when several players emerged as potential contributors.
However, the time for hope is over. We’re approaching the end of the 2025 NFL season, and the Dolphins are 4-7. Since the team is on its bye, we’ve decided to look back at some players who flashed this summer but didn’t translate to regular season success.
Willie Gay Jr., Linebacker
No player is a better candidate for this list than Gay. He looked like a revelation at the second level this offseason. Although the team never said he’d start over Tyrel Dodson, Gay’s playmaking ability made it a conversation for fans and media.
It wasn’t a horrible take, either. Gay’s speed and physicality in space are traits the Dolphins could use. He’s also got some experience blitzing and playing off the edge, too, which is valuable versatility in Anthony Weaver’s defense.
However, none of that has come to fruition. Gay has played just 48 defensive snaps this season and has just one game when he’s played more than 10 defensive snaps — Week 8 against the Atlanta Falcons.
He had an opportunity to get a lot more reps when Dodson missed a game against the Chargers, but the team started K.J. Britt instead.
Ultimately, Gay’s struggles as a run defender are likely the reason Miami has kept him off the field. He’s played well on special teams, so it hasn’t been a total bust.
Tahj Washington, Wide Receiver
Washington didn’t have near the level of hype that Gay did this summer, but there was some after his preseason performances.
To Washington’s credit, working his way back from a season-ending injury he suffered as a rookie to make the 53-man roster is impressive. He’s a former seventh-round pick, so it wouldn’t have been surprising if Miami cut him.
Some believed Washington could make a real impact this season, but that hasn’t been the case. He has one catch on two targets for 11 yards and has run 15 total routes this season.
It’s a tough climb for Washington, who is behind Jaylen Waddle, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Malik Washington, Dee Eskridge, and now behind Cedrick Wilson, who was signed after Tyreek Hill’s injury.
Matt Dickerson, Defensive Line
Dickerson was someone many analysts expected to make the 53-man roster after a strong training camp. He was one of the few Dolphins’ defensive linemen who could play on the interior or on the edge.
That’s a role Calais Campbell filled last season, and while Dickerson wasn’t expected to be as good as Campbell, he could’ve taken some of those snaps in theory.
Well, that theory didn’t last long since Dickerson didn’t make the team’s final roster. Now, he’s on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad and was elevated for the team’s Week 11 win against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Tanner Conner, Tight End
Conner has been a strong preseason contributor for three years, and there was a lot of talk this offseason about how much he had bulked up and improved as a blocker.
He even got a chance to play a ton of snaps this season (175) because of the preseason injury to Darren Waller and the midseason injury to Julian Hill. However, it just didn’t work out for Conner.
He was cut from the roster and re-signed to the practice squad following the team’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Hayden Rucci and Greg Dulcich have taken those snaps and have done a much better job.
Conner caught nine of his 15 targets for 91 yards before getting demoted. Dulcich has eight catches on 13 targets for 89 yards in about half of the games played.
Broncos RB J.K. Dobbins Earns Fitting Label Amid Sean Payton’s Comments
The Denver Broncos may have landed one of the steals of the 2025 offseason, signing former Baltimore Ravens and
The Broncos are 3-2 on the season, and Dobbins’ impact has been a significant reason for their three wins.
However, he has also been a positive contributor during their two losses.
J.K. Dobbins Called Broncos’ ‘Biggest Breakout Player’
GettyJ.K. Dobbins #27 of the Denver Broncos celebrates a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans.
Dobbins has rushed for 402 yards and 4 touchdowns on 77 carries this season. He is on track for 1,366 yards and 13 TDs on 261 carries. All of those figures would be career-high marks for Dobbins, whose current highs were set last season with a 195-905-9 line in 2024.
Then, the former Ravens second-round pick (No. 55 overall in 2020) was a member of the Chargers, giving the Broncos an early look at their future star.
Next, Dobbins’ play could earn him national recognition.
“The offseason pickup is the league’s fifth-leading rusher, with 180 of his 402 yards coming in the last two weeks alone,” Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon wrote on October 8. “Nobody in the NFL has more 10-plus-yard runs (14). Dobbins is well on track to become a Pro Bowler for the first time at age 26.”
J.K. Dobbins has incredible resilience 😤
"He has gone through so many major injuries… and every time he just comes back and he’s so good. It’s nuts."@SamMonsonNFL shows some love 👇
pic.twitter.com/MBua5K773r— Check the Mic with Steve Palazzolo & Sam Monson (@CTM_Show) October 3, 2025
Dobbins signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Broncos in free agency, and he has earned $8.4 million in his career. He could be in for a major payday if he comes close to finishing at his current pace.
Dobbins must also remain healthy after not playing in more than 13 regular-season games in any single campaign during his career.
He certainly has impressed Broncos head coach Sean Payton.
Broncos HC Sean Payton Shares Telling Take on J.K. Dobbins
GettyJ.K. Dobbins #27 of the Denver Broncos reacts after the 21-17 win against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Dobbins praised Payton after becoming the first 100-yard rusher of the coach’s Broncos tenure, and expressed confidence in the group’s outlook after their “Monday Night Football” win over the
Payton returned the favor this week, lauding what Dobbins has brought to the team in his first season in Denver.
Payton also compared Dobbins to New Orleans Saints
“I would say I’ve said this a couple of times. In New Orleans, we signed a free agent a little bit later in the process, Demario Davis. And we kind of saw the film and kind of knew what we were getting. And then when he arrived – this can happen once in a while – you get so much more. All of a sudden, you have someone who’s a captain,”
And so, I would make that comparison. I knew the runner a little bit. But all the other things, I think, has tremendously helped the room and our team. Just the leadership, and he’s been a great addition. And so that, in New Orleans, they would say that’s lagniappe; Stuff you don’t expect that you got. And it was similar to Demario.”
Payton also said Dobbins has been a mentor to rookie second-round pick RJ Harvey, and that he was “shocked” to learn the veteran is bilingual from his walkoff interview after that win over the Bengals in Week 4.
