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After an offseason roster purge that saw several veterans leave, the Miami Dolphins entered the season with very little cap room.
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But on Wednesday, the team revealed it had created more cap space.
Spotrac reported that the Dolphins made four transactions that opened up $2.5 million in salary-cap space.
Miami converted $1.51 million of right tackle Austin Jackson’s per-game roster bonus, creating $1.2 million in cap space. The team also converted $341,000 of tight end Greg Dulcich’s per-game bonus, creating $272,000 in space.
The Dolphins also converted $792,000 of cornerback JuJu Brents’ salary, creating $634,000 in space, and converted veteran defensive lineman Zach Sieler’s $511,000 per-game bonus, creating another $408,000 in cap space.
Dolphins now have $8.8 million in space, but that might not be enough
These moves will give Miami about $8.8 million in cap space, according to Spotrac, which ranks 21st in the NFL. By some measures, that may be a decent amount now that the season has begun.
But keep in mind, the Dolphins still have 16 games to go, and injuries can occur at any time. When players go on injured reserve, Miami will need to sign replacements. In addition, players on injured reserve will continue to count against the Dolphins’ salary cap.
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In the first year of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley’s rebuild, the Dolphins have around $179.2 million in dead cap space. That accounts for more than 58% of their adjusted salary cap and is tied to players no longer on the roster.
Much of that number comes from the release of Tua Tagovailoa, who will have $99.2 million in dead money split across two seasons. Of that total, $55.4 million will count against Miami’s cap in 2026, with the rest coming in 2027.
Even former Dolphins linebacker Tyrel Dodson ($768,000) still counts against the team’s salary cap after he was released during final roster cuts following the preseason.
The good news is that Miami is projected to have around $100 million in cap space in 2027. That would leave the Dolphins with significant spending power.
Meanwhile, the 2026 season could be difficult for the Dolphins, given their tough schedule and young, unproven roster. They lost their Week 1 matchup 27-13 to the Las Vegas Raiders and will visit the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2.
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This story was originally published September 16, 2026 at 9:48 AM.