Jeff Hafley met with the local media Tuesday as players returned for the start of the offseason program.
Dolphins fans have been apprised of Head Coach Jeff Hafley's cadence during his two-plus months on the job. The message has been consistent in both the desired destination and the necessary steps to get there.
There remains work to be done before the season kicks off in September, and as the Dolphins prepare for this year's draft, veterans reported to the Baptist Health Training Complex Tuesday for the start of this year's offseason program.
Before selecting the newest crop of Dolphins, implementing a scheme, or discovering players' strengths and limitations, Hafley and company must establish the way it's going to be done in Miami.
"Today's a lot of me kind of setting expectations, going over rules, talking to them about the culture, the foundation, my expectations," Hafley said.
New coaches typically implement changes to club's processes and even put their own touch on the facility decor, changing phrases that adorn meeting rooms and the locker room to reinforce the new standard.
Hafley has repeatedly emphasized his determination to build a culture around toughness, belief, trust and accountability, but it will be the players and the program itself that will determine the team's identity and even the way that those phrases are displayed in the building.
"I want to get a feel for who we are and I want to get a feel for who we have," Hafley said. "I'm very big on building around the guys that we have and will have rather than just being cookie cutter, saying, 'These are my three sayings and throw them on the wall.'"
And that process will run its course throughout the offseason program and training camp.
"I can tell you right now what I want the identity of our team to be. I'll tell you when training camp is done who we really are, or else it's just a bunch of coach talk and I'm full of it up here," Hafley said. "I'm not just going to throw out a bunch of phrases and lingo; that's just not me. I want to find out who this team is, and I want to match that with who we become so it's real and I'm not saying one thing and we're playing like another thing."
Hafley is also not forcing the process of identifying the leaders within the team and said he would like to see that happen naturally as the group evolves.
"There's guys that I have in my head that I'm hopeful, and there's guys that I think in time we can guide to be there, but you'd love to see that happen organically," he said. "I don't want to force upon a guy right now to have that burden because I want them to focus on doing the best that they can, especially early in this stage."
Just as the job of a coach is to develop players' skill sets, Hafley believes leadership can be cultivated through intentional instruction.
"I think you can help develop guys into becoming leaders and show them the right way, in their own way, how to become good leaders. I think that's my job as a leader – to help guys do that," Hafley said. "You talk to them, you teach them. You call them in and give them examples, or you see – you do something that I overhear, I see, and I grab you and say, 'Hey, man, that was pretty cool. I appreciate how you were talking to that young guy or helping that young guy and that's good leadership,' and you guide them and you show them examples."
New talent will arrive in bulk after this year's draft, but there's a lot of skill to work with in the building today. Tuesday was the first official workday for new quarterback Malik Willis in Miami Gardens.
"I had a great conversation with him yesterday," Hafley said. "I said, 'Don't change who you are, don't put any extra pressure on yourself. You've earned the right to be here and have this opportunity, and you've done that by doing all the things the right way – don't change that.'"
Hafley also spoke about the young defensive linemen and what he liked from watching their tape from last season.
"I thought they did a nice job, especially for not really having a lot of experience," Hafley said. "I thought Kenneth (Grant) got better as the year went on. So, do I like what I've seen on tape? Yeah sure, especially for all those young players. I thought they did a really nice job. Now I think, just like any other position, I want to see it. I want to see it again, I want to see it more, I want to see it with my own eyes and I want it see it consistently. I think time will tell how we truly feel about it, but I think they were off to a very nice start."
Hafley seems to like what he's seen from the veteran in that group. Defensive lineman Zach Sieler's skills and selflessness align with the vision Hafley has for these Dolphins.
"He's really good in the run game. He's extremely versatile… He's also such a selfless player where he'll be the guy picking, or he'll be the guy setting up the games when I watch the tape for other guys to make plays. I'm really excited that he's here. I've enjoyed getting to know him. He's got a cool way about him that I'm excited to get to know him more."
Jeff Hafley has made clear the standard he expects to establish in Miami. It all started Tuesday as the Dolphins kicked off the 2026 offseason program. He drove that point home when he was asked what players can do to impress him now before stepping foot on the field.
"Show up on time and give everything you have every single day," he said. "That's kind of how I view everything. It's process-driven to the point where there really is no endgame result right now. It's show up, do everything you can every single day and do the best you can at it, whether that's in the weight room, whether that's in a meeting room. That's got to be in everything that you do. I just want everyone's best and maximum effort and a great attitude."
