Say that.Admit that."I don't know how you can have a conversation with a competitive player or a competitive coach, and have it sit right with them, where they were just going to say I was going to rebuild this year," Halfley said on Thursday."...It's just not the mentality of any competitor who's made it to this level or any coach that's made it to this level."I mean, whether it's practice or whether it's a drill, I think we all want to win it.
And in our mindset is, we need to get better.We need to develop.
And everything that we do is going to be about competing to get better throughout the process and we want to win." So I just don't think any player or any coach is going to sit here and say, 'I'm just going to throw in the towel and just rebuild.' So that's probably why no one's hearing that.I think if you had a group of players saying that, then I think we got the wrong players."Miami Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (29) looks on before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium on Aug.
23, 2025.(Sam Navarro/Imagn Images)This is a message Halfley has been delivering within the organization throughout the offseason.
It's a message staffers and even the public relations department has for months been privately sharing with anyone who will listen.The Dolphins don't want to say they're rebuilding.Even though, you know, they're rebuilding.We know they are because a team that wants to win now doesn't move on from good players, especially if they're young.But the Dolphins did that in trading three-time 1,000-yard receiver Jaylen Waddle to Denver even though he would be their best wideout now.They did that in trading five-time Pro Bowl player Minkah Fitzpatrick even though he would be the best safety on their roster now.They did that in releasing Bradley Chubb after he led the team in sacks last season.Jaylen Waddle (17) of the Miami Dolphins smiles prior to an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami...