Dolphins’ secondary battling injuries at safety
The Miami Dolphins begin preparation for Thursday night’s nationally televised game against the Baltimore Ravens without a healthy safety.
All five of Miami’s safeties on the 53-man roster are nursing injuriwa that could impact their performance in Miami’s Qeek 9 game, if not beyond.
Ashtyn Davis sustained a quadriceps injury that will keep him sidelined against the Ravens, who will benefit from the return of quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was shelved for all of October because of a hamstring injury.
Ifeatu Melifonwu and Minkah Fitzpatrick each sustained thumb injuries in Sunday’s 34-10 win against the Atlanta Falcons, and that could impact their ability to tackle in Thursday night’s game, especially if their thumbs are put in casts.
Elijah Campbell began practicing with the team last week after a quadriceps injury sidelined him for two weeks. But Campbell, the team’s special teams ace, didn’t play in Sunday’s game.
And rookie safety Dante Trader Jr. has a shoulder injury he has been playing through. The Dolphins were limiting his snaps on defense before Davis went down. Injuries called Trader into duty, and he delivered one of his better performances this season, logging two tackles and one critical pass breakup.
The only other player who has experience playing safety is Jordan Colbert, a second-year player who was recently called up from the practice squad. But the Dolphins moved Colbert inside linebacker earlier this month, viewing that as a position that’s a better fit for his size (6-foot-2, 218 pounds) and skill set.
John Saunders Jr., an undrafted rookie from Ole Miss, is on Miami’s practice squad, and might be one of the two players called up for the game against the Ravens.
Complicating things for the Dolphins is Fitzpatrick’s role as Miami’s first-team nickel cornerback, a position he has been forced to play because of Miami’s numerous injuries at the position.
Jason Marshall Jr., who was placed on injured reserve earlier this season because of a hamstring injury, began practicing with the team last week, and might be cleared by Miami’s trainers to return to action on Thursday.
The Dolphins would benefit from getting Marshall back because the team lost yet another cornerback to a season-ending knee injury on Sunday when Storm Duck left the game with a knee injury.
Kader Kohou, Artie Burns, Jason Maitre and Cornell Armstrong all sustained season-ending injuries before Duck.
This story was originally published October 27, 2025 at 6:27 PM.
