The loss of Calais Campbell is a tough pill for the Miami Dolphins to swallow, but his departure could come with a silver lining.
The one-year, $5.5 million deal Campbell agreed to with the Arizona Cardinals is large enough to qualify for a compensatory selection. Now, more than three weeks since free agency opened, the Dolphins have lost three players who qualify for compensatory picks: Campbell, Jevón Holland, and Robert Jones. They've added two: James Daniels and Zach Wilson.
While the additions of Daniels and Wilson cancel out two of the subtractions, Over The Cap now projects that Miami is set to receive a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
There's a few caveats, though. If the Dolphins make another free agent addition -- perhaps with the money they hypothetically earmarked for Campbell -- it could quickly cancel out the pick.
There's also a chance players like Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Ifeatu Melifonwu, who narrowly missed the cutoff for compensatory consideration, will play enough snaps in the 2025 season to become part of the formula and cancel out the pick. It's possible too that Robert Jones doesn't play enough snaps with the Dallas Cowboys to continue to count.
For now, though, the Dolphins are set to have a little extra draft capital to work with next offseason.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins now projected to receive 2026 compensatory draft pick
