Pressure Point: Hafley faces steep challenge to overhaul Dolphins’ porous defense

The first reaction to the Miami Dolphins’ first two games: What are the odds on a NFL team going through an entire season without ever leading in a game?

After seeing them outscored 62-26 in two blowouts on the West Coast, no one would hire their defense as crossing guards.

These guys can’t stop anyone.

They couldn’t and didn’t Sunday in a 35-13 shellacking by the 49ers. Brock Purdy led the Niners to touchdowns on five consecutive possessions.

Of course, it is salt in the wound to recall that former Dolphins general manager Chris Grier somehow thought it was a better idea to pick Skylar Thompson in the seventh round of the 2022 draft than Purdy, who went from Mr. Irrelevant to a standout pro quarterback.

That was but one of many bad choice by the previous regime that led the Dolphins to the current mess. To begin to swing momentum in the opposite direction, these Dolphins must find a way to stop an opponent from advancing and scoring at will.

Purdy, 49ers overwhelm Dolphins defense

First-year coach Jeff Hafley’s specialty is defense. So far his methods are having no positive effect.

For the second week in a row, his defense didn’t record a sack and didn’t force a punt until the fourth quarter.

They barely got a hand on Purdy all day.

“We’ve tried a lot of different things. We rushed four, we rushed six, we rushed five, we zero pressured them,” Hafley said in his postgame media session. “So as we go and take a look, we’ve got to figure out ways to do that.”

Sunday, the Dolphins were without Chop Robinson (concussion), who is touted to be their best pass rusher.

Robinson was Grier’s first selection in the 2022 draft, 21st overall. So far, he has produced 10 sacks in 33 games. Which to this point in his career screams underachiever.

He is a prime example of the questions surrounding the Dolphins defense as a whole. How many of these guys are legitimate building blocks?

Linebacker Jordyn Brooks, first-team All-Pro in 2025, is the real deal. But at 28, he’s getting long in the tooth for a long-term rebuilding project.

Jeff Hafley needs to stop with the Base defense and having Willie Gay on the field.

2nd TD based off a blown assignment by Willie Gay pic.twitter.com/iGLypOgPQf

— Hussam Patel (@HussamPatel) September 20, 2026

Dolphins rookies Taaffe, Rodriguez show potential

Defensive tackle Zach Sieler, the highest-paid player currently on the active roster with a cap hit of $11.4 million, had little impact in the first two games. He’s 31.

Defensive tackle Kenneth Grant, first-round pick in Grier’s final draft, had an undistinguished rookie season and is currently on injured reserve.

Among the first rookie crop under Hafley and new GM Jon-Erik Sullivan, linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and safety Michael Taaffe look like keepers.

Taaffe had an interception in the opener and led the Dolphins with nine tackles (five solo). It’s not a good sign for a defense, though, when a safety is the leading tackler.

So far cornerback Chris Johnson, the second of two first-round picks in Sullivan’s first draft, is notable for being fined $17,911 by the league for unnecessary roughness on a sideline tackle in the opener.

That is not to write off Johnson, who according to Hafley played better in his first game against the Raiders than generally perceived.

This Dolphins season in a 5 second clip. pic.twitter.com/In5d8XBG1N

— Will Manso (@WillManso) September 20, 2026

Dolphins face long, painful trek to respectability

The stark reality of the very ugly beginning to the Hafley-Sullivan era is that this rebuild is going to be more painstaking and drawn out than even anticipated.

The premise of building through the draft makes absolute sense. But this nightmare is tough to endure for a long-suffering fan base.

For now, any sign of progress would be welcomed. It needs to start with Hafley’s defense finding a way to make an actual stop.

It doesn’t get easier with the Chiefs coming to Hard Rock Stadium next week.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for more than four decades. Follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @CraigDavisRuns.