It’s no secret that the Dolphins’ 2026 season is not going to be worth watching for NFL fans who are not Miami Dolphins fans. So Kyle Crabbs is right to temper expectations on the primetime front. Rebuilding teams that Vegas has projected at 4.5 wins don't get a lot of standalone television slots. But the NFL schedule-makers care about storylines almost as much as they care about win totals, and Crabbs identified three of Miami's 2026 opponents that could bring enough drama to justify a primetime window.

The Chargers are the obvious one. Mike McDaniel was fired midseason and landed in Los Angeles as Justin Herbert's offensive coordinator. Herbert, of course, is the quarterback Miami passed on to draft Tua Tagovailoa in 2020. McDaniel coaching Herbert and walking back into Hard Rock Stadium as a visitor is the kind of narrative TV executives dream about. The Tua-Herbert debate has been litigated for five years in South Florida. This game would be the appropriate final chapter. There's juice here, whether the Dolphins are competitive or not.

The Lions bring Dan Campbell back to Miami Gardens for the first time as a head coach since 2015, when he went 5-7 as Miami's interim coach and finished the season by beating Bill Belichick and Tom Brady 20-10. The Dolphins didn't give him the full-time job. Campbell then went to New Orleans for a few years before finally getting his head coaching opportunity in Detroit, building the Lions into one of the best teams in football (and becoming one of the most beloved coaches in the league, too). His return to the building where he got his first shot as an interim head coach and was told "thanks but no thanks" is a great television moment.

The Packers complete the trifecta of revenge games. Jeff Hafley was Green Bay's defensive coordinator last season. Jon-Eric Sullivan spent two decades in the Packers' front office. Malik Willis was Green Bay's backup quarterback. Seemingly half of Miami's coaching staff and scouting department came from Lambeau. The "Packers South" jokes have been all over social media, and this game is where they come to life. Student vs. teacher, former employer vs. new franchise, with a dozen personal connections scattered across both sidelines.

Bottom line: The Dolphins might win four games this year. They might not deserve a single primetime slot based on projected competitiveness alone. But the Chargers, Lions, and Packers matchups all have enough storyline firepower to carry a broadcast regardless of the score. If the NFL schedule-makers feel like getting a little crazy, they'll give Miami one of these games under the lights.

Chris Johnson isn't ducking expectations. Not even close.

The 27th overall pick sat down with reporters Friday after his first rookie minicamp practice and made something clear: he doesn't view being a first-round pick as pressure. He views it as confirmation. "I love expectations. I love high expectations," Johnson said. "I hold myself to those."

For a franchise that hasn't drafted a true shutdown corner in a decade, that kind of mentality is exactly what the building needs.

Jeff Hafley's fingerprints are all over this pick. Before he was a head coach or a defensive coordinator, Hafley was a defensive backs coach. That's where he built his reputation. Johnson being the first secondary player Hafley selected in Miami tells you how highly the coach thinks of him. "He can win at all three levels," Hafley said. "He can take the ball away, he tackles, he's aggressive. This was one of my favorite guys in the draft. I would not have been surprised if he was taken earlier than we took him."

Johnson's path to the NFL is refreshingly old school. He spent his entire college career at San Diego State, a rarity in the transfer portal era. His dad told him early on that if he was talented enough, the scouts would come find him. They did. Over his final two seasons with the Aztecs, Johnson racked up five interceptions (two returned for touchdowns), 13 pass breakups, and four forced fumbles. He didn't need a bigger stage to get noticed. The tape spoke for itself.

What stood out most from his Friday comments was the maturity. A lot of first-round picks show up talking about Week 1 and starting roles. Johnson talked about earning respect. "I can't skip ahead to Week 1. I'm brand new here. I'm a rookie. I got to earn everybody's respect the same way as if I was undrafted or drafted in the seventh round. It's all the same. We are here to work."

The cornerback room is his for the taking. JuJu Brents, Jason Marshall, Storm Duck, and Darrell Baker are all competing for the spot across from Johnson, but none of them carry first-round draft capital or a head coach who personally vouched for them as one of his favorite players in the entire class. If Johnson performs the way Hafley expects, the Dolphins could have their first long-term answer at corner since Xavien Howard.

Bottom line: "I want the Dolphins to remember me as a great player," Johnson said. "Someone that came in, did what they had to do to get on the field and help the franchise." Ten years without drafting a shutdown corner is a long drought. Johnson has the tools, the mentality, and a head coach who was literally born to develop him. If this marriage works, the trade up from 30 to 27 will look like one of the smartest moves the Dolphins made all draft weekend.

The first-round picks always get the headlines. Miami’s second-round pick has been called the culture-setter. But the two fourth-round linebackers drafted on that Saturday afternoon might end up being the picks that make Hafley's defense actually work the way he envisions it.

Trey Moore and Kyle Louis are built for different things, and that's exactly the point. Moore is 6-2, 243, a former UTSA pass rusher who racked up 14 sacks in 2023 playing as a 3-4 outside linebacker before transferring to Texas, where he played defensive end, inside linebacker, Sam linebacker, and Will linebacker across two seasons. The man has lined up at nearly every defensive position that exists. "I do a lot of things well," Moore said. "Whatever they need me to do, whatever role they need me to play, I'm going to be able to do that as best as I can." Assistant GM Kyle Smith described him as a "pressure player his whole career" with the body and athleticism to contribute on third downs and special teams immediately.

Louis, on the other hand, is Moore’s opposite at 6-0, 200 pounds. He's a converted safety who played linebacker at Pitt, and Hafley has already hinted he'll move around the secondary in sub-packages. Louis sees himself as a Will linebacker first, with coverage responsibilities against tight ends and running backs, and the ability to slide into nickel or dime roles on passing downs. Smith praised his third-down value in man coverage and his ability to align as a "big nickel, dime linebacker." Louis wasn't expected to last into the fourth round, and the chip on his shoulder is already visible. "It's definitely motivation," he said. "I thank God for humbling me in that way, so I'm going to come in hungry."

Together, Moore and Louis give Hafley the positional flexibility to disguise his defense in ways that weren't possible before the draft. Moore can rush from the edge or drop into coverage from a stack position. Louis can play linebacker on early downs and rotate to safety on passing downs. Hafley was blunt about how he views positional labels: "Sometimes coaches look at, 'We're playing 3-4, we're playing 4-3, and he doesn't fit the scheme.' I don't agree with that. Let's get the best football players we can and let's figure out what they can do."

Moore said he's already building a connection with Louis and Jacob Rodriguez through the early days of the offseason program. If those three develop the way Hafley hopes, the Dolphins could have a linebacker corps that plays multiple positions, creates confusion for opposing quarterbacks, and gives the defensive coaching staff the chess pieces to get creative every week.

Bottom line: Kadyn Proctor and Chris Johnson were the headline picks. And Rodriguez is already a fan favorite. Moore and Louis might be every bit as important as the other high-profile selections. They're the guys who let Hafley run the defense he actually wants to run, with versatile, athletic defenders who blur positional lines and keep offenses guessing.