The time finally has arrived.There are no more practices, no more preseason games, it's time to decide which players will make up the Miami Dolphins' initial 53-man roster for 2026.That roster invariably will undergo some changes between the cutdown deadline of Sunday at 4 p.m. ET and the season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on September 13, so there's got to be a starting point.Through the 16 intrasquad practices, two joint practices and the three preseason games, there has been some movement in the pecking order of the Dolphins roster, and injuries also have and will play a factor in the final composition of that roster.All that said, here is Miami Dolphins On SI Publisher Alain Poupart's fifth and final 53-man roster projection of 2026:DOLPHINS QUARTERBACKS (2)On the 53: Malik Willis, Quinn EwersOff: Cam Miller, Mark Gronowski (R)Changes from projection 4.0: NoneAnalysis: Nothing has changed here at all throughout training camp, and that's just how it should have been expected. Now, whether the Dolphins bring in somebody from the outside to challenge or replace Ewers at number 2 is an entirely different story and obviously will depend on who becomes available. For now, we're still going with Ewers.DOLPHINS RUNNING BACKS (3)On the 53: De'Von Achane, Ollie Gordon II, Jarquez HunterOff: Donovan Edwards, Carlos Washington Jr., Coleman Bennett, Jaylen WrightChanges from projection 4.0: Hunter in, Wright outAnalysis: It's impossible to imagine the Dolphins acquiring Hunter in that trade Thursday knowing he wouldn't play Friday night if they didn't already have him pegged for the 53, which creates a logjam. The Dolphins absolutely could wind up keeping four running backs, but that means something would have to give somewhere else on the roster. Don't dismiss the possibility of the Dolphins swinging a trade involving either Gordon or Wright.DOLPHINS WIDE RECEIVERS (5)On the 53: Jalen Tolbert, Chris Bell (R), Caleb Douglas (R), Kevin Coleman Jr. (R), Malik WashingtonOff: A.J. Henning, Terrace Marshall Jr., Donaven McCulley (R), Theo Wease Jr., Ryan Miler, Jalen ReagorChanges from projection 4.0: Reagor outAnalysis: Teams usually carry five or six wide receivers, and the Dolphins actually went with four a few years back. The reality is the Dolphins easily could put two or three on the practice squad and elevate as needed because they won't dress six of them on game day. If the Dolphins indeed to go with five, the last spot is far from certain because we could see the newly acquired Miller make it for his special teams work.DOLPHINS TIGHT ENDS/FULLBACKS (4)On the 53: Greg Dulcich, Will Kacmarek (R), FB D.J. Herman (R), Ben SimsOff: Jeremiah Franklin (R), Seydou Traore (R), Ethan Conner (R)Changes from projection 4 .0: Herman outAnalysis: We've held off the temptation to overreact to Herman having a bad drop against Atlanta on Friday night and instead look at his body of work. Sims' uncertain status considering he hasn't practice in weeks also complicates matters. While he looked ready to play a role on offense early in camp, now he's a bit of a question mark. He also could wind up on IR. And we still haven't seen enough from Traore to keep him on the 53, though he'll be brought back on the practice squad with his IPP exemption if he clears waivers (which he should).DOLPHINS OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (9)On the 53: Patrick Paul, Austin Jackson, Aaron Brewer, Jonah Savaiinaea, Kadyn Proctor (R), Charlie Heck, Andrew Meyer, Caedan Wallace, D.J Campbell (R)Off: Marques Cox, Kevin Cline (R), Josh Priebe, Gottlieb AyedzeChanges from projection 4 .0: Campbell in, Priebe outAnalysis: Teams more often than not keep eight offensive linemen, but we've been consistent in thinking the Dolphins will go with the extra player for more versatility and because they don't have three clear answers at backup. We had Priebe on the 53 last time, but he was on the bubble and played himself off the team with a rough outing against Atlanta.DOLPHINS EDGE PLAYERS (5)On the 53: Chop Robinson, Josh Uche, Clelin Ferrell, Robert Beal Jr., Max Llewellyn (R)Off: David Ojabo, Rodney McGraw (R), Cameron Goode, Seth Coleman-Lyles, Trey MooreChanges from projection 4.0: NoneAnalysis: The biggest issue here is the status of Ferrell, who's been out for a bit but continues to show up at practice and does conditioning work, suggesting he should be ready for the start of the season. We have Moore here even though he's listed as an edge/linebacker.DOLPHINS DEFENSIVE TACKLES (6)On the 53: Zach Sieler, Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips, Zeek Biggers, Matthew Butler, Keith Cooper Jr.Off: Alex Huntley, Fatorma Mulbah, Cam Rice (R)Changes from projection 4.0: Cooper inAnalysis: This is a tough call in terms of whether the Dolphins will keep five or six, but Kenneth Grant's injury makes us think they'll go with the larger number.DOLPHINS LINEBACKERS (6)On the 53: Jordyn Brooks, Tyrel Dodson, Jacob Rodriguez (R), Ronnie Harrison Jr., Kyle Louis (R), Jackson WoodardOff: Willie Gay Jr., Stephen Dix Jr., Cam Riley, Jaheim ThomasChanges from projection 4.0: NoneAnalysis: This is a bit tricky because we could see the time when Louis starts getting listed as a safety since he's kind of a two-player position right now. It remains difficult to not have Gay on the roster and the feeling remains that either he or Dodson is going to wind up getting traded.DOLPHINS CORNERBACKS (6)On the 53: JuJu Brents, Chris Johnson (R), Jason Marshall Jr., Ethan Bonner, Alex Austin, A.J. Green IIIOff: Miles Battle, Darrell Baker Jr., Storm Duck, Marco Wilson, Jai'Onte' McMillan (R)Changes from projection 4.0: NoneAnalysis: The first four remains pretty solid and it remains a free-for-all for the final two spots, and there's so little differentiating the candidates that maybe the Dolphins only keep five, stack like three cornerbacks on the practice squad and just elevate as needed.​​DOLPHINS SAFETIES (4)On the 53: Dante Trader Jr., Michael Taaffe (R), Zayne Anderson, Major BurnsOff: Louis Moore (R), Lonnie Johnson Jr.Changes from projection 4.0: Burns in, Johnson outAnalysis: This always has been about who gets the fourth spot and we flipped back to Burns this time because he simply has made more plays than Johnson. But, make no mistake, this position very much is in flux.​​DOLPHINS SPECIALISTS (3)On the 53: K Riley Patterson, P Bradley Pinion, LS Tucker AddingtonOff: NoneChanges from projection 4.0: NoneAnalysis: Once Zane Gonzalez was placed on IR (and subsequently released with an injury settlement), it made things pretty simple here, though Pinion's preseason struggles could lead to a change there at some point.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow