After the NFL’s 2026 schedule release on Thursday, five teams were out of the league’s biggest TV windows. The Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets were left out of the prime-time schedule.
None of those clubs is a priority right now. Though the teams finished with disappointing records last season, the Dolphins have made that group because of the uncertainty surrounding them.
The franchise is still absorbing an offseason reset that started with Mike McDaniel’s firing after a 7-10 season, missing postseason contention for the second straight year. The 2025 schedule began with six losses in seven games and ended with owner Stephen Ross ordering “comprehensive change.”
That decision is less about one bad record than about what Miami looks like going forward. The Dolphins are moving into a full reset under new coach Jeff Hafley and new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan.
Miami also stripped down the core that made the team a national draw in recent years. The Dolphins released Tyreek Hill, traded Jaylen Waddle to Denver and released Tua Tagovailoa as part of salary-clearing moves, then paired De’Von Achane with Malik Willis in a run-heavy approach for 2026.
The NFL’s own Week 1 capsule described Miami and Las Vegas as teams that have “reconstructed as majorly” as anyone in the league, which is usually not the profile of a club that gets protected in prime time before September even arrives.
Week 1 Gives Miami Dolphins a National Hook Even Without Prime-Time
GettyFernando Mendoza of the Las Vegas Raiders looks to pass during the team’s rookie minicamp.
The Dolphins still landed in one of the week’s more interesting afternoon games. Miami travels to Las Vegas on Sunday, Sept. 13, for a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff on Fox and the matchup has enough moving parts to pull attention anyway.
The Raiders may have No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza on the field for his NFL debut, but veteran Kirk Cousins is still in the mix to start, which adds a quarterback decision that can shape how the league views Las Vegas early in the season. Miami, meanwhile, is set to begin the Malik Willis era at quarterback.
That uncertainty is exactly what makes the game worth watching. Las Vegas also has a new head coach in Klint Kubiak, while Miami is starting fresh under Hafley. Add in two teams that spent the offseason reworking their identities and the opener becomes a referendum on direction as much as talent.
De’Von Achane Gives Miami One Clear Offensive Anchor
GettyDe’Von Achane will be the offensive centerpiece for the Miami Dolphins this year.
The strongest reason Miami is still worth tracking is De’Von Achane. The Dolphins gave him a four-year, $64 million extension on May 13, making him the first major long-term commitment of the new regime. Achane is now the lone proven playmaker from the old core. He added 1,350 yards on 238 carries with eight touchdowns.
Achane is the player who gives the offense a baseline. If Miami is going to climb out of the group that got left off prime time, it will need him to turn weekly production into the kind of consistency that forces the league to schedule the Dolphins under the lights next year.
Miami Dolphins and 4 Other Teams Left Off Prime-Time Schedule