Kelly: Dolphins defense still has holes to fill | Opinion
The best player on the Miami Dolphins defense has his bags packed, and might have already moved out of South Florida.
Jalen Ramsey’s days as a member of the Dolphins are done, and all that’s left is his impending trade from Miami, which will likely take place in June, when the cap consequences of trading one of the team’s biggest playmakers and highest-paid players aren’t so steep.
His departure leaves Miami with very few proven defensive backs on defense, which could make the secondary, which has two NFL role players penciled in as the starting safeties, vulnerable.
And that doesn’t even factor in the defensive front that is being rebuilt with three rookie nose tackles, who should make Miami’s defense tougher, and hopefully more physical.
But when these Dolphins need a critical play to be made on third-and-7 to prevent a conversion, who will make it?
Take a look at how the Dolphins post-draft defensive depth chart stacks up.
And for those who missed the offensive depth chart you can find it here.
EDGE RUSHERS (10)
▪ On the roster: Jaelan Phillips (IR in 2024), Bradley Chubb (IR in 2024), Chop Robinson, Willie Gay Jr., Quinton Bell, Cameron Goode, Mohamed Kamara, William Bradley-King, Grayson Murphy (IR in 2024), Derrick McLendon II
▪ Analysis: The Dolphins’ top two pass rushers are both coming back from serious knee injuries. Phillips had an ACL surgically repaired in November and might be ready for training camp in August. Chubb sustained a catastrophic knee injury in December of 2023 and sat out all of last season. He has been given the green light to practice during the offseason program. Phillips and Chubb both have the talent to deliver double-digit sack production, but they also have a reputation for being fragile. Robinson had a productive season as a rookie, delivering 26 tackles and six sacks in 565 defensive snaps. But he’s limited against the run. Gay, a free agent signee, is a jack-of-all-trades linebacker who has started 55 games in his NFL career, contributing 261 tackles, seven sacks and four interceptions. Bell and Goode have proven themselves as reliable special teams contributors while the rest have done little to prove they are legitimate NFL players.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (7)
▪ On the roster: Zach Sieler, Benito Jones, Kenneth Grant (R), Jordan Phillips (R), Zeek Biggers (R), Matt Dickerson, Neil Farrell Jr.
▪ Analysis: The Dolphins held opponents to 3.8 yards per carry and set a franchise record with 56 sacks in 2023. The yards-per-carry average ballooned to 4.4 yards per attempt, and Miami produced 35 sacks last season. The drastic decline can be attributed to lackluster defensive line play, especially when Sieler and Calais Campbell weren’t on the field. With Campbell signed to the Arizona Cardinals the Dolphins were aware they needed to fortify the defensive front, and Miami did just that adding Grant, Phillips and Biggers, three college nose tackles who consistently took on two blockers. The rookies will learn the intricacies of the 3-4 defense and likely share the workload with Jones, who was reliable, but unspectacular as a starter last season. Dickerson and Farrell spent a majority of last season on Miami’s practice squad or the 53-man roster, so they have a chance to blossom in a full training camp with the team.
INSIDE LINEBACKER (5)
▪ On the roster: Jordyn Brooks, Tyrel Dodson, K.J. Britt, Channing Tindall, Dequan Jackson
▪ Analysis: Brooks had one of the most productive seasons as an inside linebacker since Karlos Dansby was a Dolphin, and should take another step forward in Anthony Weaver’s defense this season. The Dolphins tried out three players — David Long Jr., Anthony Walker Jr. and Dodson — as Brooks’ running mate at inside linebacker, and nobody was an ideal fit. Walker showed the most potential, and helped stabilize the defense. But like most seasons, he ended the season hampered by injuries and has departed, signing with Tampa Bay. Coincidentally, Britt, who started 11 games for the Buccaneers last season and contributed 72 tackles and half a sack, replaced Walker, joining the Dolphins. However, Dodson is in the driver’s seat to become Brooks’ linebacker running mate. Dodson put up great statistics (107 tackles, two sacks and three interceptions) in the 17 games he played for the Seahawks and Dolphins last season. But his skill set makes him more of a weak-side linebacker, which is a duplication of Brooks, and the Dolphins need to find a run stuffer with range. We will likely learn this season if either Brooks or Dodson has the skill set to sniff out running plays and make those critical stops necessary to create third-and-long situations. Tindall, a 2023 third-round pick who has struggled to contribute on defense the past three seasons, is on borrowed time because Gay’s ability to play inside and outside linebacker provides Miami roster flexibility.
CORNERBACK (10)
▪ On the roster: Jalen Ramsey, Kader Kohou, Artie Burns, Storm Duck, Ethan Bonner, Cam Smith (IR in 2024), Jason Marshall (R), Isaiah Johnson, Ryan Cooper, Jason Maitre.
▪ Analysis: Ramsey still being on the Dolphins roster is merely a formality because the divorce is imminent. Ramsey wants to play for a contender. Coach Mike McDaniel needs a leader who buys into his program, and the Dolphins will gain nearly $9 million in cap space by waiting to trade the All-Pro cornerback after June 1. The Dolphins have spoken to a number of veteran free agent cornerbacks, and expect to sign one or more in the coming weeks. But until they arrive Kohou, Duck, Bonner, Smith, Johnson and Marshall, the former Florida standout Miami selected in the fifth round of the 2025 Draft, will compete for playing time. Marshall, a former five-star high school recruit, brings size and quickness to the position group. But he needs to improve in zone coverage, which is primarily what Miami plays. The biggest issue is that the cornerback unit is filled with young, inexperienced players, and lacks a leader in the room who can show them the way outside of Burns, a 10-year veteran who was a former first-round pick who struggled early in his career. Miami needs more experience, and who that player will be likely comes down to what Miami can get for Ramsey, and the asking price of the veteran free agents still looking for work.
SAFETY (6)
▪ On the roster: Ifeatu Melifonwu, Ashtyn Davis, Elijah Campbell, Patrick McMorris, Jordan Colbert, Dante Trader Jr. (R)
▪ Analysis: No unit on defense struggled more than Miami’s safeties, who failed to bring in an interception the entire season. Jevon Holland has moved on, signing with the New York Giants, and Jordan Poyer might be forced into retirement based on last season’s performance. Miami clearly needed safeties who play with more range and athleticism, and signing them in Melifonwu, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound former college nickel cornerback, and Davis, a former Jets backup, who has started 22 games in five seasons and has produced eight interceptions in the 69 NFL games he has played. But don’t count out Campbell, whom defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver has a high opinion of, or McMorris and Colbert, two second-year players who impressed the coaches as rookies last season. Trader, the Dolphins’ 2024 fifth-round pick, has the versatility to play free and strong safety, nickel and the star. He also possesses an impressive special teams resume, so don’t be surprised if he contributes there first.
This story was originally published April 28, 2025 at 3:49 PM.
