Miami shows up in Washington with almost nobody the Commanders game-planned for a year ago — new head coach, new GM, new quarterback. It's the first real look at the rebuild.
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Washington enters with real continuity — a healthy franchise quarterback, a familiar receiver, and an offensive coordinator who's been in the building for years. Miami is starting over at head coach, GM, and quarterback all at once, which is a lot of new information for oddsmakers and bettors alike to price in a preseason opener. Backing the more stable operation is the safer read until Willis proves it in live reps.
Dolphins
+Willis reunites with Hafley from their Green Bay years
+Locked up center Aaron Brewer long-term this offseason
+Finished 2025 with wins over Jets and Buccaneers
−Released Tua, total front-office and coaching overhaul
−Achane limited to individual drills with shoulder issue
−Closed 2025 with lopsided losses (21-45, 10-38)
Commanders
+Daniels fully healthy after 2025 injury spiral
+Kept McLaurin and OC continuity via Blough promotion
+Closed 2025 by beating the Eagles, 24-17
−Still no proven No. 2 receiver behind McLaurin
−New under-center-heavy scheme still being installed
−Blew a 0-31 shutout loss to Minnesota late last year
This one's less about the scoreboard and more about first impressions. Jeff Hafley runs his first game as an NFL head coach with Malik Willis, his quarterback from their Green Bay days, now under center after Miami moved on from Tua Tagovailoa. On the other side, Jayden Daniels gets his first extended look under new offensive coordinator David Blough, who was elevated after Washington parted with Kliff Kingsbury. Two teams, two very different reasons for hitting reset.
Daniels battled through a knee sprain, a hamstring strain, and elbow injuries that cost him 10 games in 2025, so his availability and rhythm here matter more than the result. Miami's O-line took a step toward stability with a fresh extension for center Aaron Brewer, but Willis is still building chemistry with a retooled group of pass-catchers, and Hafley himself has called it a work in progress. Neither team is treating this as a dress rehearsal, but neither is hiding from what's at stake for the guys fighting for roster spots.
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Both franchises stumbled to the finish line last season — Miami dropped four of its last five, Washington three of five — which is part of why the offseason turned into such a teardown for the Dolphins specifically. Washington's approach was gentler: keep the quarterback, keep McLaurin, tweak the play-calling. Miami blew it up entirely.
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Recent form.
The injury boards tell two different stories. Miami's is littered with young pieces trying to find a role — De'Von Achane working back from a shoulder issue, receivers like Caleb Douglas banged up in camp — the churn of a team stocking depth on the fly. Washington's list skews toward established starters checking boxes: Trey Amos working back from a lower-leg issue, Terry McLaurin still waiting on a real No. 2 to emerge opposite him.
Miami Dolphins
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Washington Commanders
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
None of this settles anything for Week 1 of the regular season, but it's the first data point on whether Hafley's rebuild has legs and whether a healthy Daniels can pick up where his rookie-year flashes left off. For a preseason opener, that's plenty to watch for.
