Malik Washington: Miami Dolphins’ first win brings confidence, not complacency

Malik Washington stayed in the middle of the Dolphins’ locker room celebration until he spotted teammates gathering with water bottles. Then he made his escape before the spraying started.

The receiver could dodge the water, but he appreciated what the moment meant – a first NFL victory for some of the players around him and a celebration he expects them to remember for a long time.

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After Miami’s 28-25 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday, Washington’s message during his October 26 press conference was clear. The Dolphins had earned a reason to believe in themselves, not a reason to change their approach. He credits Jeff Hafley’s honesty, timely offensive execution and a strong finish after Miami breaks through against the Jets.

“We’re going to operate business as usual whether we won or lost,” Washington said. “We’re going to come in, we’re going to work.”

He called the victory “somewhat of a confidence boost,” evidence that the work can translate into results. But his assessment also came with a reminder that Miami still has details to clean up before its next divisional matchup.

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Credits Coaching for Team and Individual Success

Washington described a young locker room receptive to head coach Jeff Hafley’s direction because players want to build lasting careers and do things the right way. Hafley, he said, earns their attention through personal connections, direct communication and the football knowledge he demonstrates in meetings.

“He tells us the truth,” Washington said. “Very honest with us within team meetings. He shows us the film and you could see the football intelligence.”

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For younger players, Washington said, watching how Hafley approaches both the game and his daily responsibilities makes them want to listen and follow his direction. That authority has not come at the expense of accessibility.

“He makes an effort to make sure he talks to each and every one of us, so it’s nice,” Washington said.

On offense, Washington saw the breakthrough less as a dramatic reinvention than as players delivering when their opportunities arrived.

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“What I’m proud of is we just made the plays that came to us,” he said.

Full Offensive Explosion Led to Win

Washington credited contributions in both the running and passing games, pointing to tight end Greg Dulcich for helping the offense get moving early. He praised Dulcich’s versatility as a runner, receiver and blocker, and welcomed receiver Caleb Douglas’ return from injury.

After getting to know Douglas over the past few months, Washington said he understood the work behind that moment.

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“I know how hard he works so I’m very happy that he was able to experience that,” Washington said.

Quarterback Malik Willis’ decisiveness was another part of the performance Washington could feel on the field. Receivers develop a sense of when a throw should arrive and when they need to uncover, he explained, making improved timing noticeable.

Washington said there had been no special announcement from Willis about changing his approach. The conversation instead centered on trusting the work they already do together.

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“Let’s just play our game. Let’s all be ourselves,” Washington said, describing their message to one another.

Miami’s execution mattered at two particularly important points: a touchdown drive before halftime that produced a 21-7 lead, and the closing possession that allowed the Dolphins to finish with kneel-downs.

Washington traced the importance of the first sequence to a lesson from college – winning the “middle eight,” the stretch spanning the end of the first half and the beginning of the second. At the end of the game, the priority was simpler.

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“You got to finish and we leaned on our run game,” he said. “We leaned on our O line and that’s exactly what we did is finish.”

Playing from ahead also gave Miami something it had been missing. Asked about the Dolphins taking their first lead of the season, Washington acknowledged the players were well aware of the discussion surrounding that drought. Scoring early and building on it, he said, helped sustain momentum.

Keeping players available will be important to sustaining progress, too. Washington stressed the value of having the group that went through training camp together remain intact down the stretch of a long season.

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Still, the celebration did not obscure the opportunities Miami missed. Washington’s final assessment of the passing game captured the balance between enjoying a breakthrough and demanding more from it.

“I think we left a lot of stuff out there as well,” he said. “We’re going to continue to get better this week so that we can put out more on Sunday.”

This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.